Saturday's news in less than two minutes

‘Undersize’ sharks caught within hours of drumlines being set off Perth coast

Two sharks have been caught within hours of baited drumlines being set up off the coast of metropolitan Perth. The 1m and 2.6m tiger sharks were released by Department of Fisheries officers as they were below the 3m catch limit. The Department Fisheries said in a statement: “The Department of Fisheries has advised that where practicable, it will release any non-targeted species that is still alive further out to sea, having due regard to not compromising the survival of the shark and of remaining within state waters.”

The drumlines formed part of the WA Government strategy to keep sharks away from the Perth coast. Baited hooks and drumlines have been set up 1km from shore. The policy has been met with much controversy, with protests against the “shark cull” occurring across the country this weekend.

Scott Morrison faces Senate inquiry into Operation Sovereign Borders

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has refused to say whether he has read the asylum seeker documents protected by “public interest immunity” during a Senate inquiry into the government’s asylum seeker policies yesterday. Morrison refused to comment on how many asylum seeker boats have entered Australian waters in the past month. Morrison also asserted that there had been no “arrivals” since December 19, however the Operation Sovereign Borders definition of an “arrival” only refers to an asylum seeker who has been transferred into Australian immigration authorities.

Amanda Knox’s ex found near Italian border

Amanda Knox’s ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito has been found in a hotel near the Italian border after he and Knox were convicted for a second time in the death of English student Meredith Kercher. Sollecito was near Italy’s border with Slovenia and Austria when he was discovered by police. Knox and Sollecito have been sentenced to 28.5 and 25 years in prison, respectively.

Man takes NASA to court for failing to investigate life on Mars

A California man has filed papers to take NASA to court for failing to properly investigate the ‘jelly doughnut rock’ that some believe serves as evidence for there being life on Mars. Rhawn Joseph wrote in his petition for a writ of mandamus that, “NASA’s rover team inexplicably failed to perform the basic demands of science, which is research, look again.” The doughnut-shaped rock made headlines last month when it mysteriously appeared on the planet’s surface within the space of two weeks.

UN calls for Egypt to release foreign journalists

The UN has called for Egypt to release a group of 20 journalists, including Australian Peter Greste. The group of 20 journalists from the al-Jazeera network are being held in Cairo on suspicion of airing “false news” said to be in the service of Islamist group, The Muslim Brotherhood. The UN HIgh Commissioner for Human Rights spokesman Rupert Colville said that the “vague” nature of the charges was of concern.

Man claims to have survived 16 months adrift in the Pacific

A man whose boat washed up in the remote Marshall Islands has said that he spent 16 months at sea after veering off-course while travelling from Mexico to El Salvador. Jose Ivan told Norwegian researchers on the remote atoll that he left Mexico for El Salvador in September 2012 with a companion who died at sea. Ivan claims that he survived in the 7.3m fibreglass boat by eating turtles, birds and fish and drinking rainwater and turtle blood.