Greste family weighs bid for pardon

The family of Australian journalist Peter Greste may seek a pardon from Egypt's new president. Source: AAP

THE family of Australian journalist Peter Greste may seek a pardon from Egypt's new president, fearing a legal appeal could take too long.

LOIS and Juris Greste have told of their despair after a Cairo court sentenced their son to seven years in jail for reporting on the aftermath of the 2013 coup that ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Greste and some of his Al Jazeera colleagues were jailed for reporting false news in the wake of the coup, and supporting Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, which has been declared a terrorist organisation.His Brisbane-based parents have vowed they'll never stop fighting to free their son.Mrs Greste on Tuesday said that seeking a pardon from new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was "probably the very first thing" the family would consider."Absolutely," she told reporters in Brisbane."It's one of the options. We're not going to talk any further about it."A legal appeal is also an option, but there are fears that process could be very lengthy.Mr Greste said the conditions his son was enduring in jail weighed heavily on him."Where he is being held, certainly by Australian standards, would be considered conditions of severe punishment," he said."I'm depressed at that, the thought that he might have to stay in a place like that for the duration of the appeals processes, which can last sometimes months - many months."Mr Greste said his son had been jailed for upholding the principles of free speech, and that fight must never end."There will always be people, governments, and institutions wanting to limit the speaking of one's mind and telling the way we see," he said."To us, it is not just affecting the Greste family. It is also a slap in the face and a kick in the groin to Australia, as well as all fair-minded people around the world."Mrs Greste said Peter's two brothers, who are in Cairo, had not been able to see him since the verdict and sentence.She became emotional when asked about her son's mental state."This will be a hard time for him, but I know he'll get through it. He'll be okay."Mr Greste said the Egyptian government had given them hope, but that was ripped away with Monday's court result."The message we got from Egyptian authorities did give us great confidence for everything other than this outcome," he said.The couple said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had assured them the Australian government would continue lobbying Egypt to free their son.Ms Bishop earlier said she'd been advised that no appeal for clemency or a presidential pardon could occur until all legal proceedings had concluded, including any appeal.

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Alleged gang rape disgusting: NSW police

Police are hunting six men involved in the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in Sydney's west. Source: AAP

THE gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in a Western Sydney car park stairwell has disgusted police.

THE girl was in the Liverpool library forecourt on Saturday night after using the council's free wi-fi internet when six men approached her and invited her to meet a mutual friend.

She was then allegedly sexually assaulted by two of the men in the stairwell of a nearby car park while the other men failed to stop the attack, police say.The teenage girl is traumatised says Superintendent Peter Gillam, but she is helping police with their inquires."(I'm) obviously very disgusted," he told reporters in Liverpool on Tuesday."It's something that shouldn't happen in Liverpool or anywhere."After the assault, the girl returned to the library forecourt and told a bystander, who called the police.The men, described as African in appearance and aged in their 20s, were last seen walking toward a Macquarie Street shopping centre.Supt Gillam stressed that the attack appeared to be a one-off, random incident and had nothing to do with any race-related issue.Detectives are calling for anyone with information to come forward.The attack follows two similar assaults in Sydney's west this year.In February, a girl was allegedly the victim of a pack rape in a Doonside park.Four teenagers were charged over the alleged attack.Two months later, two teenage girls were coaxed off a Sydney train and raped in a Fairfield park.

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Jobs could go, Qld health minister says

Queensland's health minister concedes jobs could be lost as local health boards take over staffing. Source: AAP

QUEENSLAND'S health minister has conceded jobs could be lost as local health boards gain control of staffing from a centralised bureaucracy.

FROM July 1, eight of the state's 16 regional Hospital and Health Services (HHS) boards will take control of staffing from Queensland Health.

The other eight HHS boards will gain staffing control in July 2015.Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the transfer of staffing power from Queensland Health to local health and hospital boards could lead to job losses in the department."That's the simple reality. I think everyone understands those sorts of things," he told ABC Radio on Monday."As you put more of the focus into efficient management at a local level, there's ultimately going to be transfer of some of those resources as well, and positions may not ultimately be needed."The government established the HHS boards in July 2012 in a bid to decentralise the health bureaucracy.From July, three HHS boards take ownership of land and buildings.Another six boards will own these assets in December, with the remaining seven HHS boards taking control of infrastructure from July 2015.Opposition health spokeswoman Jo-Ann Miller said Mr Springborg was shirking his portfolio responsibilities by offloading them to health boards."Make no mistake, the Newman government is trying to dodge responsibility for cuts to the health service, responsibility for its management and the possible future sale of assets," she said."We see a health minister who is running scared from the health portfolio and becoming the minister for buck passing."The state's public sector union estimates thousands more jobs could go in health."All that will change is how the government defines the jobs it cuts - not that jobs will be cut," Together Union secretary Alex Scott said."They cut jobs in health and then redefine them to say they weren't frontline services."

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Jodhi Meares charged with DUI

Jodhi Meares is heading to court after allegedly being caught drink driving in Sydney's east. Source: AAP

JAMES Packer's ex-wife Jodhi Meares will face court in August on drink driving charges after crashing into three parked cars in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

THE 43-year-old had to be rescued from her Range Rover, which rolled after the smash in upmarket Bellevue Hill on Saturday night.

The fashion designer, who is engaged to rocker Jon Stevens, was given a roadside breath test before being taken to the local police station.Police say she recorded a 0.181 blood alcohol reading, almost four times the legal limit.She was charged with drink driving and driving while suspended and is due to appear at Waverley Local Court on August 5.It's reported Meares could face the possibility of 18 months in jail and a fine of $3300.After a long engagement, Meares and Stevens were reportedly planning to tie the knot in September.

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NSW teenager survives 80m cliff fall

A TEENAGER'S survival from an 80-metre cliff plunge in NSW's Hunter Valley is "mind-boggling".

THE 17-year-old and a group of friends were trying to get into a dance party in Watagan State Forest, 20 kilometres west of Lake Macquarie, on Saturday night when he fell down the sheer rock face about 10.30pm on Saturday.

Emergency services and local volunteers abseiled down the cliff about 4am and spent the rest of the night with the injured teenager.He was winched to safety about 10.30am and flown to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital with broken bones and suspected internal injuries and is in a serious but stable condition."I don't know how he has survived, and the doctors and the paramedics are saying the same thing," said a spokesman for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.Acting Superintendent Murray Lundberg said the teenager's survival was "mind boggling"."I haven't got words to describe his fortunate luck," he said.He said the teenager and his mates were camping in the forest when they came across the dance party and were denied entry.The youth apparently thought he could get into the function from around the back, through the bush, with no lights and no knowledge of the terrain, "and he's just fallen off the side of a cliff".A number of trees had to be chopped down before the teen could be winched aboard the helicopter.It's understood the boy was trying to get into Solstium Shadows - A Winter Solstice Bush Gathering.The two-day rave was being held at a site off Rope Road, in the heart of the forest.

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Qld ministers meeting in Palmer's seat

QUEENSLAND cabinet ministers are meeting in Clive Palmer's Sunshine Coast electorate only days after the mining magnate confirmed he would be suing the deputy premier.

MINISTERS and department heads are holding a community forum, with approved participants, at Maroochydore on Sunday afternoon followed by a cabinet meeting in the same beachside suburb on Monday, at the Mike Ahern Centre.

Maroochydore is within Mr Palmer's federal electorate of Fairfax.The cabinet meeting would also be held just three days after Mr Palmer lodged a defamation writ against Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney in the Supreme Court.Mr Palmer is suing Mr Seeney for defamation over an ABC television interview where he alleged the mining tycoon sought special favours for his Waratah Coal interests in the Galilee Basin in 2012.The federal MP is also suing Premier Campbell Newman for defamation after the premier claimed that he tried to "buy" the Queensland government.A spokesman for Mr Newman denied there was any symbolism with a community cabinet being held in Mr Palmer's seat."No symbolism there," he told AAP, adding community cabinets had been held across regional Queensland in Bowen, Cooktown and Townsville."Don't read too much into it."Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the premier had not held a media conference during the past week, which included the governor's approval of controversial chief justice pick Tim Carmody."The premier has been in hiding now for over a week, afraid to front the music, afraid to talk to people in this state," she told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.

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US and NZ unite in climate change fight

Barack Obama has praised NZ PM John Key as a key ally in his efforts to tackle climate change. Source: AAP

US President Barack Obama has praised New Zealand Prime Minister John Key as a key ally in his crusade to tackle climate change.

WHILE Australia may have dropped off as a partner with the election of Tony Abbott as prime minister, Obama says the US and New Zealand will work closely together ahead of next year's climate change conference in Paris where the world's first global agreement could be hammered out.

The Kiwi prime minister visited the White House on Friday, a little over a week after Abbott met the president in the Oval Office.Obama and Key were so cosy the president announced he'd visit New Zealand, possibly later this year."I would love to come to New Zealand because I hear it is really nice," Obama said."I know the people are nice because I've had a chance to meet them."We are going to be working with my schedule to see what I can come up with if not this year but certainly before the end of my presidency."Obama and Key discussed a range of issues, including the ongoing negotiations for the 12-nation trade Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), North Korea, China and the world economy.On the environment, Obama said the two nations would robustly work together ahead of Paris."We had a good conversation about climate change where New Zealand has been an excellent partner with us and other economies recognising that this is a threat that none of us can solve individually and we are going to have to work on together," Obama said."So we discussed our plans for putting forward robust action in 2015 with the upcoming Paris conference."Key made headlines at a US Chamber of Commerce event in Washington DC on Thursday when he said Japan should be cut out of the TPP trade talks if it doesn't open up its markets to more farm imports.Other potential TPP members are Australia, Canada, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Brunei, Vietnam and Mexico.Obama had made a deadline for the TPP to be negotiated by the end of 2013, but now he hopes to have a deal close to being signed in November."We discussed a timeline where by before the end of the year we are able to get a document that can create jobs both in New Zealand and the United States and the other countries that are participating and expand wealth for all parties concerned," Obama said."Our hope is by the time we see each other again in November, when I travel to Asia, we should have something that we have consulted with Congress about, that the public can take a look at and we can make a forceable argument to go ahead and close the deal."But, we have a lot of work to do between now and then."Key was also upbeat."New Zealand and the United States have been the two partners, I think, in the Trans Pacific Partnership who have always believed in a high-quality, comprehensive deal," Key said."I think that can be achieved."There's more work to be done, but the prize at the end of those negotiations is well worth it for both of our economies and the other 10 partners that will join us."

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Great white shark numbers are surging

Great white shark numbers are surging in the western North Atlantic, a study shows. Source: AAP

GREAT white shark numbers are surging in the western North Atlantic after decades of decline.

A NEW study by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists says great white abundance in the area has climbed since about 2000.

The scientists report the shark's growing numbers are due to conservation efforts and greater availability of prey.The Journal PLOS ONE published the study on Friday.It adds recent unpublished data to previously published records to create a dataset of 649 confirmed white shark sightings from 1800 to 2010.Study author Cami McCandless says the data reveal "the species appears to be recovering".The reports says white shark abundance in the western North Atlantic collapsed in the 1970s and '80s and is now down more than 30 per cent from its historical high estimate in 1961.

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Aussie food growers hurt by poor labelling

Misleading labels on supermarket shelves are hurting Australian food manufacturers, inquiry told. Source: AAP

AUSTRALIAN food growers and producers are being hurt by confusing food labelling crowding supermarket shelves, an inquiry has heard.

REPRESENTATIVES from SPC Ardmona, which sources 97 per cent of its produce from Australian growers, say consumers want to buy locally grown and processed foods but unclear or misleading labelling is making it difficult.

SPC's sales jumped after reports that the company's future was under threat put its Victorian cannery workers on the front page of newspapers, an inquiry into food labelling heard on Friday.But the company says increasingly complicated chains of production were difficult to represent simply on food packaging, to the detriment of genuine local producers."'Australian Made', it just doesn't mean anything to people any more," SPC strategy manager Shalini Valecha told the hearing in Melbourne.SPC sales manager Steve Mickan said those who wanted to make choices based on their food's country of origin faced a sea of labels, including "Product of Australia", "Proudly Australian" and "Manufactured in Australia"."Most people and consumers want to know where their food is manufactured," Mr Mickan said."Consumers are being misled by the use of iconic Australian symbols and images that give consumers a false impression a product is Australian when in fact it's not."Australian Manufacturing Workers Union division secretary Tom Hale said the value of locally made and produced food was so potent, the publicity surrounding SPC prompted major supermarkets to emphasise their local credentials in their advertising."Woolworths and Coles, particularly since SPC, have been making a big deal about the fact 'we sell Australian products'," Mr Hale said."The labelling gives these manufacturers who are genuinely producing in Australia an advantage in the marketplace."He said those that weren't using Australian labour and produce shouldn't be given that advantage.The House of Representatives standing committee on agriculture and industry is investigating country-of-origin food labelling.Mr Hale said SPC sales had jumped by as much as 50 per cent after the publicity surrounding the threat to local jobs.The company confirmed sales growth."We've seen categories that were either in decline or static go into growth and in some retailers significant growth," Mr Mickan said.

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Mantra shares hit the ASX

SHARES in Australia's second largest hotel and resort operator have fallen since it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange on Friday.

MANTRA Group shares began trading on the Australian share market at $1.80 each at 1200 AEST, valuing the company at $449 million.

By 1400 AEST, its share price was down by seven cents, or 3.9 per cent, to $1.73.Lonsec senior client adviser Michael Heffernan says he's not expecting a rush of buyers for Mantra in light of a dip in consumer confidence linked to the May federal budget which signalled spending cuts and new taxes."Hotels are still in the consumer spending area and are susceptible to falls in consumer confidence," he said.Mantra chief executive Bob East said the reception from investors was positive."Our new shareholders include a strong representation of blue-chip Australian investment institutions and we are looking forward to welcoming many retail investors into ownership of the company," he said.The company operates 113 hotels, resorts and serviced apartments across Australia, New Zealand, and Indonesia, catering for about two million guests a year.Its network includes the Peppers and BreakFree chain of hotels and resorts.Mantra has sold slightly more than half of its shares to the public in a bid to reduce its debt.It made a profit of $24.6 million in 2012/13, and expects that to grow to $27.4 million in the current financial year.Mantra says it has a good quality portfolio of properties in a strong sector of the Australian economy, although it does acknowledge it is exposed to downturns in economic conditions, such as weak consumer confidence and fluctuating exchange rates.Confidence has been hampered by spending cuts announced in May's federal budget, with travel group Flight Centre recently warning its profit could be hit by a fall in holiday bookings since mid-April.Mr East has 20 years experience in tourism, and has led the company since 2007, while chairman Peter Bush is a former chairman of McDonald's Australia and Nine Entertainment.

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