Briefs

Bug linked to surgery gear

An elderly woman has contracted a rare and potentially deadly disease after she was exposed in a Sydney hospital to open heart surgery equipment linked to a global outbreak.the woman, in her 80s, is the first confirmed NSW patient infected with Mycobacterium Chimaera, after authorities warned of potentially contaminated open-heart surgery equipment in August last year.the woman, who was operated on in 2015, has been treated with antibiotics and is responding well, NSW Health said. At least 50 patients worldwide have been infected after cardiac surgery and the infection is believed to have caused the death of several patients.

Alleged killer at police HQ

Alleged Bourke Street killer Dimitrious ’Jimmy’ Gargasoulas has been transported to police headquarters after being released from hospital, according to media reports. Gargasoulas was taken to hospital with a bullet wound after he allegedly drove a car into a crowd of people in central Melbourne. He had been under police guard at St Vincent’s Hospital. Five people died in and following the rampage just after lunchtime on Friday. Dozens more were taken to hospital. Gargasoulas is yet to be charged.

Settlements ‘where we want’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told senior ministers he is lifting restrictions on settlement building in East Jerusalem. ‘‘There is no longer a need to co-ordinate construction in the Jewish neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. We can build where we want and as much as we want,’’ Netanyahu said, adding that he intended to allow the start of building in the West Bank. ‘‘My vision is to enact sovereignty over all the settlements.’’ The ministers decided unanimously to postpone discussing a bill proposing the Israeli annexation of the West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim, home to 40,000 Israelis near Jerusalem. Work on the bill would be delayed until after Netanyahu meets the new US President, Donald Trump. Netanyahu said he had been invited to a meeting with Trump in Washington in February.