Monday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest news from Australia and across the world, the biggest headlines and a few stories that aren’t so big.

1. Peter Greste freed.

Peter Greste, the Australian journalist imprisoned in Egypt has been freed.

His release came 400 days after he was jailed in Egypt for charges that included spreading false news in his work for al-Jazeera.

His colleagues, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed remain in jail in Egypt.

For more read this post here. 

2. Tony Abbott says he will not resign in wake of LNP’s Queensland rout.

By ABC

Tony Abbott says he remains determined to continue as Prime Minister, in spite of reports the Queensland election result has doomed his leadership.

Some federal Coalition MPs have described the LNP’s loss in Queensland as “catastrophic” for the party and potentially terminal for Mr Abbott’s leadership.

Queensland MPs Jane Prentice and Warren Entsch have both said there now need to be “discussions” about the issue, but Tony Abbott says he will not resign.

“The people of Australia elected me as Prime Minister and they elected my government to get on with the job of governing our country,” he told reporters in Sydney today.

“The important thing is not to navel-gaze, it’s not to look at ourselves, it’s to get on with the job of being a better Government.”

Mr Abbott attributed the LNP’s Queensland defeat to state issues, but did acknowledge that his decision to knight Prince Philip had hurt Campbell Newman’s campaign.

“It was a distraction for a couple of days, I accept that and I very much regret that,” Mr Abbott said.

Earlier Federal Attorney-General and Queensland senator George Brandis moved to quash speculation of a challenge to Mr Abbott’s leadership.

“The Cabinet is determinedly, unitedly and strongly behind the Prime Minister,” Senator Brandis said on Sky News this morning.

“There is absolutely no appetite among the vast majority of my colleagues for this issue to arise or even to be visited.”

Senior ministers Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull shared similar responses when asked separately about the Prime Minister’s leadership and a potential challenge.

“The Prime Minister has my support. Next question,” Ms Bishop said.

Mr Turnbull spoke to reporters from Los Angeles.

“The Prime Minister has my support. I’m a member of the Government, he has the support of the Government,” he said.

 A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.

2. Dumping of Paid Parental Leave Scheme

In a speech today in Canberra the Prime Minister will confirm he is dumping his signature Paid Parental leave scheme in favour of a childcare focused package.

According to The Australian his speech will also outline further strengthening of national security laws, reforms to the operation of the Foreign Investment Review Board and a “small-business and jobs package’’.

“We sought the advice of the Productivity Commission and I have listened to the feedback from my colleagues and from mums and dads around Australia — and they have said that, with our current budget constraints, the better focus now is on childcare if we want higher participation and a stronger economy,’’ Mr Abbott will say. “So a bigger, better PPL scheme is off the table.”

In a key poll out the damage done to the Government can be clearly seen. The Fairfax/Ipsos poll hows the Coalition has slipped further behind Labor since December and trails 54% to 46% on a two-party-preferred basis.

 3. Queensland hung parliament

As QLD waits while the election results slowly filer in, it looks likely there will be a hung parliament with neither major party looking like picking up enough seats to win outright after Saturday’s vote.

Labor is expected to win 43 seats in the state’s 89-member parliament, with LNP retaining 39 seats.

Four seats, Whitsundays, Maryborough, Mansfield and Glass House remain in play.

The ABC reports that lacking a clear majority, Labor will be forced to negotiate with two Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) MPs and Sunshine Coast independent MP Peter Wellington.

Queensland Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said last night the result proved that Queenslanders did not want their assets sold.

“Labor will stop that sale,” she said.

“We are going to restore good government to this state … that works for all of Queensland; we will govern for all of you

 4. No charges over Daniel Thomas

Seven months after a Coroner ruled that two-year old Daniel Thomas was killed by his babysitter and buried beneath a house it has been reported that no charges will yet be laid.

Daniel went missing in 2003 from his home in the Victorian town of Myrtleford. His remains were found beneath  his home in March 2008.

Last year the Coroner ruled that “his death was caused by Mandy Martyn, who inflicted the injuries that led to his death… ( his mother Donna Thomas) contributed to his death by her inaction and her failure to protect her son.”

But today news that no charges will be laid.

For more read this post here. 

5. Bag filled with dead puppies washed up on riverbank

An act slammed as callus and disgusting. A fisherman has found a bag washed up on the banks of the Burnett River in QLD filled with dead puppies.

The News Mail reports that the fisherman, Brandon McMonigal said “It’s disgusting and feral behaviour,”

“Why would you do something like this?”

The Council has said that the matter has been reported to the RSPCA for further investigation,”

“This is an inexcusable act of animal cruelty which was quite distressing for all council staff involved.” Bundaberg Regional Council health and regulatory services spokesman Wayne Honor said.

 6. Three-year-old boy shoots father and pregnant mother

CNN reports that a three-year-old boy has shot his father and pregnant mother inside a hotel room in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Police say the boy found a handgun in his mother’s purse and accidentally fired it, hitting his father in the lower backside.

The bullet apparently exited through the father’s hip and hit the mother in the right shoulder.

His mother is eight months pregnant.

CNN reports that while she is stable, the condition of her unborn child is unknown.

 7. Abusive note left on car with handicapped permit

A Darwin couple have been shocked to find an abusive note left on their car that they had parked in a handicapped spot.

The NT News reports it said ““This park is for disabled, not lazy c***s like you two – PS took photo of car.”

The Beale’s told the newspaper “All they had to do was walk around to the front of the car and then they would have seen the disabled sticker,”

“They probably saw us getting out of the car (when we arrived) – maybe we don’t look like we’re in our 70s.”

8. Islamic State: Shinzo Abe condemns hostage Kenji Goto death, Jordan vows to save life of hostage pilot

By ABC

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe has condemned the announcement by Islamic State (IS) that militants beheaded second Japanese hostage Kenji Goto as “heinous and despicable”, ending a hostage standoff that has rocked the pacifist nation.

IS claimed in a video released online that it had killed 47-year-old journalist Mr Goto – the second purported beheading of a Japanese hostage in a week – but made no mention of a Jordanian pilot it had also threatened to kill.

“We will never forgive terrorists,” Mr Abe said, appearing to fight back tears as he spoke.

“The government has been working with the utmost efforts on the issue – I deeply regret that this is the result.”

Mr Abe said Japan would never give in to terrorists and would continue to work with international partners to bring them to justice.

“We will cooperate with the international community to make them atone for their crimes,” he said.

 A version of this story was originally published on ABC and has been republished with full permission.

 9. Vatican condemns plastic surgery

The Vatican has criticized plastic surgery in a working paper for a church plenary assembly on ‘Women’s Cultures: Equality and Difference’.

The paper states that one woman gave them the assessment that plastic surgery is a form of ‘aggression’ against the female body ‘like a burqa made of the flesh.’

The paper, which made headlines over the weekend, says that plastic surgery for elective reasons has been linked to eating disorders and depression.

“Plastic surgery that is not medico-therapeutic can be aggressive toward the feminine identity, showing a refusal of the body in as much as it is a refusal of the ‘season’ that is being lived out.”

 10. Parents took three years to decide child’s name

A judge has ruled that warring parents must make a “genuine effort” in future ­decisions after they fought for over three years about what to name their son.

The father wanted to name the boy after a well-known sports player, while the mother preferred an entirely different first and last name.

For 3 ½ years they each called their son their preferred name and no birth certificate was filed.

The Herald Sun reports that the relationship ended soon after the mother fell pregnant; the boy had been living with his mother since birth but the father recently applied to the court for equal parental responsibility.

According to the reports he also sought orders – which were thrown out  – banning the boy having soft drinks, and forcing him to wear a helmet when riding a bike or scooter.

There was also a dispute over where to send the boy to kindergarten.

The judge ruled that equal custody wasn’t in the child’s best interests because disagreements showed day-to-day decisions would become “fraught with difficulty”.

He ruled the mother should have responsibility for decisions about the child’s education, health, and religious and cultural upbringing. The order states that she must write to the father to outline her views, and both must make a “genuine effort” to reach joint decisions.

“If no agreement is reached between the parties, then within 14 days the mother shall make the final decision and advise the father in writing of the decision about any such issue,” the judge ruled.

The boy’s name was finally settled through mediation.

 11. Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray

Novak Djokovic has won his fifth Australian Open crown against Andy Murray in the Australian Open last night.

He beat the Scot 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0 in three hours and 39 minutes.

Djokovic has now won the most men’s singles titles at the Australian Open.  The world number one now moves past Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, who had both won four titles.

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