Thursday's news in under 5 minutes.

We’ve rounded up all the latest news from Australia and around the world – so you don’t have to go searching.

1.  Mothers caught up in hepatitis B scare.

More than 650 Melbourne patients, including mothers who had a caesarean section at a Melbourne hospital in the last three years may have been exposed to the hepatitis B by an infected healthcare worker.

The Department of Health has launched an investigation after an unnamed healthcare worker was recently diagnosed with hepatitis B.

Yesterday Victoria’s acting chief health officer Dr Roscoe Taylor said that 654 patients were being contacted by the Health Department as a precautionary measure so they could be tested for the virus.

This includes Melbourne mothers who had a caesarean section.

One woman told The Herald Sun “The only procedure I’ve ever had was an emergency C-section three years ago … I know exactly which hospital it was,” she said.

“The Health Department wouldn’t give me any specific information about who it could have been, but told me to go straight away and get a blood test.

“Now I’m devastated, waiting for my results, I haven’t stopped crying and I can’t sleep.”

Dr Taylor said only patients who have been contacted directly by the Health Department need to take any action, they would not name the hospital.

According to The Age 150 people have already responded to the letter and there have been no reports so far of any patient contracting hepatitis B from the worker.

People wanting information or support in relation to viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and hepatitis C) can contact Hepatitis Victoria’s Infoline on 1800 703 003

2. 60 Minutes: Judge says, “no way the charges will be dropped”.

The judge does not view the recovery as a kidnapping, but rather as a mother trying to reunite with her children. Image via Nine News and Avaaz petitions.

Judge Rami Abdullah, presiding over the 60 minutes case in Beirut has told media that the charges will go ahead.

His comments come after Tara Brown, her producer camera operator, and soundie along with Sally Faulkner and two members of Child Abduction Recovery International appeared before court in Beirut.

They are facing charges of kidnapping and being members of a criminal gang, which can attract maximum sentences of up to three years and 10 years respectively.

"There is no way the charges will be dropped," he told the media at the end of the proceedings.

"There was a violation of the Lebanese authority by all these people, it's a crime."

As Mamamia reported last night Sally Faulkner and estranged husband, Ali Elamine, have been ordered to reach an agreement over their children in a move that could aid the 60 Minutes crew.

“We are finding a solution that will resolve all of the problems. The solution is an agreement between her and her husband. It will not be a private agreement but one the court will accept. They are talking now, a couple of times,” Faulkner’s lawyer Ghassan Moghabghab said.

The ABC reports that judge does not view the recovery as a kidnapping, but rather as a mother trying to reunite with her children. According to the report if that view is accepted it could be good news for the 60 Minutes crew and the recovery team

But, the ABC writes, it may present Ms Faulkner with a dilemma, to accept that her children will remain living in Lebanon in order to help resolve the matter.

3. Investigator says they believe they have found the real killer of JonBenet Ramsey.

The real killer of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, who was found in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado just one day after Christmas in 1996 is a 26-year-old local whose family owned a junkyard in the city it has been claimed.

InTouch reports that private investigator, Ollie Gray, who was initially employed by the Ramseys claims Michael Helgoth, 26 had told acquaintances he was going to make money from a great deal.

Helgoth committed suicide in 1997.

The claims of the private investigator were backed up by John Kenady, a man who used to work for Helgoth, who told the magazine “There was a tape recording made by Helgoth. And in it, he said he killed JonBenet.”

Gray told the magazine there was no doubt Helgoth committed the murder.

“Based on what we know now, I believe Helgoth and his accomplices committed the crime.”

Kenady said a month before the little girl was murdered Helgoth told him that he and a partner were going to make a “great deal and they each will bring in around $50,000 or $60,000”

“I will never forget they were walking toward his house and he said, "I wonder what it would be like to crack a human skull."

“I was amazed. I thought it was a very odd thing to say.”

JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled with her skull cracked hours after she was reported missing by her parents.

4. Hospital ethics committee was “divided” on six-year-old Oshin's cancer treatment .

Court documents have revealed that Princess Margaret Hospital's ethics committee was "divided" on whether a six-year-old boy should have treatment to attempt to cure his brain cancer.

A WA Family Court has ruled that, against his family’s wishes Oshin Kiszko must undergo chemotherapy for brain cancer, and soon radiotherapy.

Fairfax Media reports that PMH's Ethics Committee twice attempted to mediate and was "divided" on whether there should be active therapy.

Some felt the 'burdens and benefits equation' clearly fell in favour of active treatment.

Others felt palliative care was an ethical option, though this would likely include some conventional therapy and active symptom management.

Oshin's mother Angela Kiszko asked the committee to delay treatment to allow her to trial nutrition-focused therapy for six to eight weeks to help Oshin recover from surgery.

She was granted this but in a second meeting she and Oshin's father Colin Strachan actively withheld consent.

Fairfax Media reports that the committee understood Ms Kiszko did not believe nutritional therapy would cure her son but it noted that a family friend who appeared in support of Ms Kisko had “absolute belief in curative natural therapy and doubted this attitude would be helpful.”

The ethics committee said that while consenting adults were free to have such beliefs it was "ethically indefensible to impose such irrational beliefs on the lives of others".

5. Turnbull’s first visit to China as PM.

The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull’s visit to China will focus on “the full range of issues”

Mr Turnbull will join about 1000 business leaders, three federal ministers and two state premiers on the two-day visit, which includes talks and banquets with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

Mr Turnbull's chief focus will be on Australia's adjustment to the economic slowdown in China.

“I'm looking forward to continued, very constructive discussions with my Chinese counterparts and they will cover the full range of issues,” he said yesterday.

6. 13-year-old boy’s tribute to father who drowned trying to save him.

A young teenager has paid tribute to the father who died after saving him and his brother from a rip at a beach in NSW.

Stephen Dick, 53, drowned while saving his sons Jacque and Liam from a rip at Boomerang Beach on the mid-North-Coast on Sunday.

Jacque told Nine News that his father had pushed him back to shore.

“He pushed me back to shore, saying, ‘swim, go to Mum’,” he said.

“I didn’t get to say thank you. He saved me, and Liam. He’s my hero”.

Marianne Bonnay said family was the important part of her husband’s life.

She said that family was everything for the father of six.

"He always told me that, ‘I will give my life for my family’, and he eventually did give his life for his family.”

Acting Inspector Anthony Atkinson said Mr Dick’s actions in saving his son’s life at the unpatrolled beach was “heroic”.

"Saving the life of his son, (it's) a heroic act, and we'll make recommendations for bravery awards to go through surf life-saving," Insp Atkinson said.

7. Gay couple lose bid to marry in China.

A same-sex couple made legal history in China by having their case for gay marriage heard in court yesterday, but were thwarted in their attempts to be allowed to marry.

Sun Wenlin, 27, and 37-year-old Hu Mingliang, from Changsha in Hunan Province, had their case dismissed by the judge.

After three hours the judge ruled the couple did not have a case to answer and that in law, marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

"I am very upset," Sun Wenbin told media outside the court. "But I still hope that we will be married while we are still alive."

They now hope their case can pave the way for others.

Last year the couple tried to register their proposed union with the Civil Affairs Bureau in Changsha, but when they were refused they decided to sue.

Sun and Hu had been told by several lawyers that their case would be dismissed out of hand but they were pleased that it made it to court.

"I was not so concerned about the outcome of the case, the fact we made it to court shows there is progress," Sun Wenlin told media.

8. Perth’s “female friendly” car parks trial.

The City of Perth is trialling a female friendly car park that included 28 “pink” bays, close to the entry/exit points of the car to help make women safer.

While the City of Perth say men won't be fined if they park in the bays, they are 'encouraged to support' the trial reports Fairfax Media.

Radio 6PR news director Lisa Barnes said that she visited the car park and found a bunch of tradies needing a ground level spot wondering if they should move their vehicles.

"They park here because it is close to the ground and they have to move their tools around. They suggested we need some tradie bays.

"If the issue is security, why don't we just make the whole car park secure?

"As one woman driver pointed out to me when she was parking her car, she actually feels like it might make us a little bit more unsafe because you're just directing the undesirables straight towards where the women are."

The three-month trial begins next week.

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