Al-Jazeera journalists pardoned by Egypt's President
New York: The Egyptian government says it will grant the Australian Al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste a full pardon, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said after an informal meeting with the Egyptian delegation at the United Nations in New York. 
As world leaders and diplomats gathered in the UN's General Assembly hall waiting for the pope to give his address on Friday morning, Ms Bishop approached Egypt's president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, to express Australian concerns at Greste's case.
"Foreign Minister Shoukry informed me that there was a technical or legal hurdle because he [Greste] was not present in Egypt for the trial ??? however, he made it clear that he would either change the law or the president would consider being able to use his power to achieve the same result.
"But the conversation was in the presence of President al-Sisi."
No time frame was given for the pardon.
Ms Bishop then ran into Greste outside the UN building and was able to pass on the news in person.
"He was very pleased at the optimism I showed that we should be able to get that resolved." 
Greste was among three Al-Jazeera journalists convicted for news reporting that was "damaging to national security". Greste was jailed and then released and deported to Australia pending a retrial, which confirmed the convictions, though he remained in Australia.
His colleagues, the Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy and his Egyptian colleague Baher Mohamed, have already been pardoned and walked free on Wednesday.