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North-west Brisbane transport woes could be solved by tunnel, bus network, study shows

artist impression of Gympie Rd transport upgrade

The viability of a tunnel stretching nearly 12 kilometers from Bald Hills to Kedron and costing at least $9.5 billion is being investigated.

The six-lane tunnel, which would connect with the Airport Link, was part of the outcome of a $10 million federally-funded study undertaken over two years by Brisbane City Council.

It found northern Brisbane’s annual congestion and public transport crowding was costing $312 million per year.

That would rise to $538.5 million by 2031 and $859 million by 2041.

The study found significant community opposition towards any surface road or rail development through the North West Transport Corridor, which had been reserved by the state government since the 1980s.

A map showing the North West Transport corridor stretching from Everton Park north to Carseldine.
The North West Transport Corridor runs from Everton Park to Carseldine and is owned by the Queensland Government.(Supplied: Brisbane City Council)

Stretching from Carseldine to Alderley and including the Chermside Hills Reserve, the land was a “significant biodiversity corridor” likely to contain a number of observed threatened species, the study.

The North West Transport Network study investigated several underground alternatives, including a motorway and heavy rail option, as well as complementary above-ground bus and active transport solutions.

Bus network, another tunnel costed

Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Infrastructure Andrew Wines said all levels of government needed to work together on transport solutions for Brisbane’s north.

“This study demonstrates that doing nothing isn’t an option,” Mr Wines said.

“Brisbane is the fastest growing capital city in the country and our northern neighbors in Moreton Bay are also growing quickly.

The study also assessed building a complementary Bus Rapid Transport system along Gympie Road from the Northern Busway at Kedron to Aspley at a cost of between $758 million and $1.1 billion.

A longer-term option of extending the underground motorway with an 11 kilometer tunnel from McDowall to Toowong by 2041 was also considered.

That tunnel was cost at between $7.8 billion and $11.5 billion.

Brisbane City Council Labor leader Jared Cassidy said Brisbane’s LNP council had announced a multi-billion dollar proposal “without saying when it will be funded”.

“It’s a bit rich for [Brisbane Mayor] Adrian Schrinner to put forward a multi-billion dollar proposal when his administration can’t even complete their own projects,” Mr Cassidy said.

“If this LNP administration can’t finish the North Brisbane Bikeway – how can it propose a multi-billion dollar plan for this North West motorway?

He said it was a proposal for a tolled tunnel.

“This is a backflip from the LNP,” he said.

“It is there in black and white – that the North West motorway will have tolled options considered.

“This plan is meant to be a missing link for the motorway network – but this council is missing the mark.”

Call for government cooperation

Mr Wines said the study had been sent to the federal and state governments, as well as Infrastructure Australia, for consideration.

“Clearly what has been put forward in this study is far beyond the means of local government,” he said.

“We are eager to talk further with the state and federal government about these proposals and hear about any other ideas they might have to deal with northern Brisbane’s transport needs.”

He said the study showed the economic cost of north Brisbane’s congestion would be $1.5 million a day within a decade which was “totally unacceptable”.

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WA COVID hospital rules ease as state passes Omicron peak

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson

Mandatory COVID testing of visitors to WA hospitals will soon be scrapped, as the state begins scaling back pandemic protocols and returning health staff to other clinical duties.

The state government has released its plan to shift into a “new phase of pandemic response”, which will begin on August 15, and see the state’s protocols shift from a red alert level to blue.

It will see reduced screening requirements to enter hospitals, targeted testing, and changing mask rules for hospital staff.

“In a time when WA has passed its most recent peak of COVID-19, it makes sense to take practical, reasonable measures to free up some burdens,” health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said.

WA recorded 2,965 new COVID infections on Tuesday, with 358 people in hospital and 11 in intensive care.

The state’s caseload has been trending downwards for weeks after passing a winter peak last month.

Key changes implemented as part of the blue alert level include extending visiting hours, and asymptomatic visitors no longer being required to produce a negative RAT unless visiting high-risk areas or vulnerable patients.

Visitors to hospitals will still need to be vaccinated, or have proof of an exemption, but staff will only be conducting spot checks.

“This is a measured approach to scaling back the COVID response in hospitals, which has been endorsed by the Chief Health Officer, and expert infection control teams from the WA health system,” Ms Sanderson said.

“This is, of course, balanced appropriately with the need to protect our staff, and our most vulnerable patients from serious illness.”

The scaling back of COVID measures comes after WA broke new records in ambulance ramping last month.

Ambulances were parked outside hospitals waiting to transfer patients for 6,983 hours throughout July.

Some COVID measures will remain in place at hospitals, including the two visitors per patient rule, testing of symptomatic patients presenting in emergency departments and for elective surgeries.

A well dressed man and woman wearing face masks walk down a hospital corridor.
Mark McGowan and WA health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson at Rockingham Hospital on Monday. (ABC News: James Carmody)

All staff will also still need to wear at least a surgical mask, but those working in high-risk areas or caring for vulnerable patients will need to wear particulate filter respirator masks.

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COVID-19 cases peak in Victoria.

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Accused perpetrator is husband’s close friend

Accused perpetrator is husband's close friend

He was described as “sloppy” by the builder who rushed to the aid of his alleged victim, but the man accused of stabbing Dover Heights mother Helen Coulston is a close friend of her property developer husband, and is himself a high-flying real estate executive.

What led to the violent incident on the doorstep of Helen and Walt Coulston’s Weonga Road mansion on Monday remains unclear, after the alleged perpetrator was on Tuesday revealed to be Bellevue Hill man Matthew Brian Ramsay – a corporate high-flyer who is facing a charge of petty shoplifting in addition to attempted murder.

Matthew Brian Ramsay has been charged with wounding with intent to murder.

Matthew Brian Ramsay has been charged with wounding with intent to murder.

Walt Coulston, the managing director of real estate management and investment firm CK Property Group, told reporters outside the home on Tuesday that Ramsay was the best man at his wedding and godfather to his daughter.

Ramsay’s LinkedIn profile lists him as a developments partner at property services firm Stanton Hillier Parker, and a former executive at Ray White specializing in commercial property.

Coulston, returning to the family home with takeout on Tuesday, said “we’ve done our best” to explain to his children what had happened to their mother, who is now recovering after her ordeal.

Builder Peter Haramis, who rushed to the home from a nearby construction site after hearing Helen Coulston’s screams just after midday on Monday, said he found her on all fours with a man standing over her.

He said the man froze, giving Coulston – who was bleeding from a stab wound to her chest – time to grab the knife and fling it to the footpath before fleeing inside. Haramis grabbed the knife and called an ambulance as he watched the alleged attacker, dressed in a gray tracksuit and looking “a bit sloppy”, calmly leave the scene in a white Audi.

Helen Coulston's husband returning to the family's Dover Heights home on Tuesday.

Helen Coulston’s husband returning to the family’s Dover Heights home on Tuesday.Credit:Louise Kennerley

Police tracked the vehicle to Campbell Parade in Bondi, where they arrested Ramsay at gunpoint. He was taken to Waverley police station and charged with wounding a person with intent to murder.

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Fremantle’s Spare Parts Puppet Theater cancels all upcoming shows after building deemed unsafe

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre front

The iconic Spare Parts Puppet Theater in the heart of Fremantle has been “condemned” to close, after a decision by the WA government which theater staff claim came suddenly and without warning.

Concerns had been raised about the aging heritage-listed building in Pioneer Park for several years, with the theater company even having to relocate the launch of its Shaun Tan Rules of Summer show in 2017 while work was carried out to make the theater safe.

Despite this, Artistic Director Philip Mitchell said the state’s decision to close the theater came unexpected.

“There was no warning of the closure of the theater [but] we were aware there were problems with the building,” he said.

“While the heritage building is actually quite sound, the exoskeleton that holds up the theater walls, we understand has come to the end of its life.

“We certainly don’t want to be putting our audience in danger. So the state government has condemned the theatre.”

The inside of the Spare Parts Puppet Theater in Fremantle.
The heritage building’s theater has been deemed unsafe by authorities.(ABC News: David Weber)

Mr Mitchell said steps had already been taken to try and save the state-owned building, including presenting plans for a new building in 2015.

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Why Perth’s premium puppet performer steals the show

“The government has been very aware of the problems with the building and we have been banging on their door for a number of years to do something about it.”

The upcoming The Secret Garden show and the remaining 2022 season at the theater have been cancelled.

Mr Mitchell said given shows were planned four years in advance, future performances were up in the air.

“We have got a whole theater load of shows ready to go with totally uncertainty about how we’re going to proceed with those new works.”

He called on WA Arts Minister David Templeman to act.

A man wearing a scarf and a jumper stands next to some puppets on strings.
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s artistic director Philip Mitchell wants the state government to help. (ABC News: David Weber)

“Right now, we need just a rebuild of the theatre,” he said.

“I’m sure David [Templeman] will come to the party and be the knight in shining armor that we need him to be.”

Quest for new home for puppets

Erin Gauntlett, the acting director general at the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, said closing part of the building was an “incredibly unfortunate” but necessary decision.

“When we get structural engineers saying that it’s a risk to public safety and it’s a risk to performers, the staff and the general public – we were in the very unfortunate position of having to make that difficult decision but a very necessary decision to close that building.”

The Velveteen Rabbit puppets
The theater company was founded to share the magic of puppetry in Western Australia.(720 ABC Perth: Lorraine Horsley)

She said the department had been planning remediation works, but was told last week the repairs wouldn’t be possible.

“When it comes to the time that you’re told that it’s a risk to the safety of the public…we had no choice.”

Ms Gauntlett said the department was committed to working with the company on short- and long-term solutions and all options were on the table.

“We’ll support them through this and that will include financial assistance as well as finding alternative venues for the short term.

“No decisions have been made yet about longer-term decisions.”

WA Arts Minister David Templeman has been contacted for comment.

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COVID in WA: Hospitals wind back COVID-19 screening to free up staff as State passes peak

COVID in WA: Hospitals wind back COVID-19 screening to free up staff as State passes peak

West Australian hospitals will scale back their COVID-19 screening protocols in a bid to free up staff and allow more visitors.

Public hospitals will shift from “red alert” to a new blue alert level from August 15, bringing an end to several months of heightened precautions.

Patients presenting at emergency departments will only be required to undergo rapid antigen tests upon arrival if they are symptomatic.

The testing requirement will also be removed for asymptomatic visitors unless they are visiting a high-risk area or vulnerable patients.

Visitors must still show proof of vaccination but staff will conduct spot checks rather than mass inspections.

The medical system is on its knees at the moment … our system does not have enough beds to allow this to go up much more,

Healthcare workers who had been required to wear N95-style masks across all clinical areas will now only need to do so when caring for vulnerable patients or working in high-risk areas. Surgical masks must be worn elsewhere.

The changes come as hospitals continue to struggle with getting patients through emergency departments and into beds.

Ambulances spent a record 6982 hours ramped outside hospitals in July.

Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson says the changes will help ensure effective patient flow and free up frontline health staff.

“This is a measured approach to scaling back the COVID response in hospitals, which has been endorsed by the chief health officer, and expert infection control teams from the WA health system,” Ms Sanderson said on Tuesday.

“In a time when WA has passed its most recent peak of COVID-19, it makes sense to take practical, reasonable measures to free up some burdens, and support healthcare workers and families supporting their loved ones in hospital.”

WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson (file image)
Camera IconAmber-Jade Sanderson says the COVID screening changes will free up frontline health staff. Credit: AAP

A limit of two visitors per patient will remain but may be extended by staff under certain circumstances.

Visiting hours will be extended at every hospital and essential visitors will be allowed to visit outside the standard hours.

WA Health on Tuesday reported 2,965 new COVID-19 cases. There were 358 people in hospital including 11 in intensive care.

Australian Medical Association WA president Mark Duncan-Smith last month warned changing the screening protocols would make it easier for the virus to spread in hospitals.

“The medical system is on its knees at the moment … our system does not have enough beds to allow this to go up much more,” he said.

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Young adult researchers with Down syndrome hoping to change the narrative

Two women, a mother and daughter, both wear glasses and smile.

A new study of young adults with Down syndrome has found they often have high aspirations, usually grounded with a sense of realism.

“One of the things I loved seeing was this zest [for] life, the joy and enthusiasm in so many things,” University of Queensland Associate Professor Rhonda Faragher said.

“And a really important finding is that they don’t like to be treated differently. They don’t want to be singled out. They don’t want to be, perhaps, patronized.

“We know a good quality of life is not only possible. It’s common.”

The study ‘Stepping out in the world: the new adulthood for Gen Zs with Down syndrome’ involved interviews with 27 people around Australia as part of a National Disability Research Partnership grant.

“When I was growing up, there weren’t people with Down syndrome around — they were usually taken at birth to live in institutions, often with a short life span,” Dr Faragher explained.

“And we became intrigued by the idea that these young people who had left school were leading very different lives to what people had in the past.”

‘I feel proud’

Six women and two men stand together in a group.
Members of the research team Mia Johnston, Dr Rhonda Faragher, Alana Pettigrew, Bobby Pate, Ruth Faragher, Dr Jan Lloyd, Rebecca Flanagan and Michael Cox.(Supplied: University of Queensland)

The project employed four people with Down syndrome as research assistants who helped with the interviews and took part in the focus groups.

“We don’t do work on people with Down syndrome, we do it with and by,” Dr Faragher said.

Two adults with Down syndrome served on the project’s steering committee, Bobby Pate and Dr Faragher’s daughter, Ruth.

“I got involved in the research with my mum, basically because I’ve got Down syndrome, so I am really good at things,” Ruth Faragher explained.

Research assistant Mia Johnston says she feels like she’s achieved something.

“My family is proud and I feel proud for myself,” she said.

Study participant Catherine Mullany from Brisbane said she told the researchers she has a good life.

“I am 23 years old. I have a job at coffee roasters — and get paid,” she said.

“My dream is to keep my job, get gold medals for swimming, things like that… I love my dreams.”

‘We are people just like everyone else’

A man speaks on stage as four women and one man stand behind him.
Michael Cox and members of the research team present the findings at the University of Queensland.(Supplied: University of Queensland)

The project was carried out by the University of Queensland’s Down Syndrome Research Program, which began in the late 1970s and is believed to be the world’s oldest and longest study of people with the genetic condition.

Dr Faragher first made contact with the program after Ruth was born in 1996.

“I knew a little about Down syndrome, but not much,” she said.

One of the directors of the center at the time was Dr Anne Jobling.

“When I first met Rhonda, she was an anxious mother, and we had much data we could share about developmental progress that was contrary to the literature at that time,” Dr Jobling said.

Dr Faragher was a mathematics teacher when Ruth was born, but she later became an academic and eventually director of the Down Syndrome Research Project.

“What a lovely turn of the circle,” she said.

“Going from when I was receiving the information as a new mother, that came out of the research studies, to now being able to contribute to that work.”

Dr Jobling says stepping out into the adult world is still an enormous challenge for people with Down syndrome, but she’s seen a remarkable change in her lifetime.

“It is absolutely amazing to me that we have been able to come so far,” Dr Jobling said.

Speaking at the release of the Gen Z report at UQ, research assistant Michael Cox said it was a wonderful opportunity to spread an important message.

“We may have disability. We may have Down syndrome but people do forget that we are people just like everyone else,” he said.

Watch this story on 7.30 on ABC TV and ABC iview.

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Diagnosed with PTSD and depression, ex-serviceman William considers himself one of the ‘lucky’ ones

Diagnosed with PTSD and depression, ex-serviceman William considers himself one of the 'lucky' ones

A 2015 military deployment to Egypt changed former soldier William McCann’s life.

Frozen by the constant sound of alarms and gunfire while on deployment there, he feared he would die.

On his return to Australia, that fear and distress spilled out when he met his newborn son for the first time.

“I sort of regret it a little bit today that my first words to him, I don’t know why I said this was, ‘I didn’t think I would get to see you’,” he told the Royal Commission into Defense and Veterans’ Suicide.

“[They] were my first words to my son. It was probably an indicator then [of post-traumatic stress disorder] too, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

Mr McCann said he became so overwhelmed by the noise of “rounds landing, rounds firing and alarms constantly resounding” in Egypt that it triggered his fight or flight response, resulting in him freezing and laying on the ground for an undetermined amount of time.

That incident, and a combination of shame and embarrassment around his reaction, led to a severe deterioration in his mental health.

“I started to realize I was really lacking a lot of confidence… I felt like I really didn’t belong,” he said.

“I felt like I was failing at every step along the way, and I got to feel that my motivation was gone; I just didn’t have that spark I had once before.”

He also started having daily thoughts about taking his own life.

Mr McCann was initially diagnosed with depression upon his return but was diagnosed with PTSD two years later in 2018.

He was eventually medically discharged in early 2019, exactly 13 years after he joined the Australian Defense Force.

Initially feeling like he had been “left in the lurch” by the Army when he was discharged shortly after receiving the diagnosis, Mr McCann quickly turned his focus to getting as much support as possible before he left.

“I didn’t want to be a financial burden on my family,” he said.

He completed multiple PTSD short courses and began the arduous process of finding a new psychologist — something he said was much more difficult outside of the ADF.

A screen inside the royal commission shows the Australian Government logo and signage.
The commission will finish its Hobart hearings on Wednesday.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)

One of the ‘lucky’ ones

Mr McCann said he was inspired to give evidence at the royal commission to bring awareness to the struggles that people who experienced less support than he did had faced during and after their careers.

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Bunbury Outer Ring Road last-minute Federal Court challenge fails, construction in Gelorup to resume

An aerial shot of cleared land next to a highway

A last-minute legal challenge against the construction of a controversial bypass highway in WA’s south has failed in its bid to stop bulldozers from clearing native bushland.

On Friday, construction was halted at the southern and final leg of the $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road when an eleventh-hour injunction was granted by the court.

But the court today agreed with government lawyers that the legal challenge “had no legs”, and dismissed the injunction, clearing the way for construction to resume today.

Judge Craig Colvin was not satisfied with the opponents’ legal argument about the legitimacy of the federal process Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek took to grant environmental approval.

Work to clear 71 hectares of native habitat for the road began last week, prompting protests from members of the local community who have said the impact on the critically endangered western ringtail possum would be too great.

At least five people were arrested for trespassing onto the site and locking themselves on to machinery and trees.

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Adelaide man, 47, dies from cardiac arrest after waiting 40 minutes for ambulance to arrive

A green and white ambulance with a blurred street behind it

A 47-year-old man has died while waiting more than 40 minutes for an ambulance in Adelaide.

The man, who was suffering chest pain, called triple zero at 5:19 pm on Monday, after pulling over on Anzac Highway at Plympton.

The state’s Ambulance Employees Association said 35 minutes later, bystanders noticed the man was unresponsive and began giving him CPR.

The union said the case was upgraded to a priority one, and the first paramedic arrived at 6:01pm, 42 minutes after the initial triple zero call.

The patient was unable to be resuscitated.

The SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) has been contacted for comment and is expected to release a statement about the case.

The union said at the time of the case, the SAAS had declared an “Opstat White” – with 20 urgent cases left uncovered across the metropolitan area.

It said ambulance crews had been ramped for three hours at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and for six hours at the Flinders Medical Centre.

Chady Hamra - witness
Chady Hamra, who witnessed the man’s death say something needs to be done. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall )

Witness Chady Hamra was working across the road when he saw the man going into cardiac arrest.

“We couldn’t really see what was happening… we could see people standing around someone,” Mr Hamra said.

“I think something needs to be done about it, someone’s life just got taken.

“It’s pretty tragic to wait that long, and it’s not far [ambulance units] from here.

“We’re not out in the country, we are in the city… you’d expect within five or ten minutes if that.

“It was terrible, my wife was in tears when we heard.”

Premier says death is ‘beyond tragic’

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the circumstances of the case were “beyond tragic”, and that an investigation would be conducted.

“A man, a relatively young man, has tragically lost their life under circumstances that might have been preventable,” Mr Malinauskas said.

A man in a blue suit speaks into media microphones at a podium with a banner behind him with the SA logo
The Premier Peter Malinauskas said the circumstances of the case were “beyond tragic”.(ABC News: Ben Pettit)

“I think every South Australian knows that my government has made it clear that addressing ambulance ramping, which has consequences in terms of ambulance response times, is a priority of ours which is why literally as we speak, we are dramatically ramping up the resources within the ambulance service so they don’t spend their time ramped up and spend their time responding to call-outs as quickly as possible.

“We saw over the course of the last four years ambulance response times collapse. In no small part, that was a function of ramping, which is why we’ve got a policy to reduce ramping.”

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Australian man Robert Pether’s health deteriorating 16 months after ‘arbitrary detention’ in Iraq began

Robert Pether surrounded by his three children at a table as they celebrate a birthday with a cake.

There are serious fears for the health of an Australian man languishing in an overcrowded Baghdad jail, with doctors arguing he needs urgent surgery to treat multiple suspected skin cancers.

Robert Pether, 47, has been behind bars in Iraq since April last year, found guilty of what his family and legal team described as trumped-up fraud charges.

United Nations investigators have raised concerns Pether, and his Egyptian colleague, Khalid Zaghloul, have been exposed to torture techniques while imprisoned.

Pether’s family spent nine months trying to get him access to medical experts in Iraq, after a photo of injuries on his back was sent to a doctor in Italy.

“His doctor was absolutely appalled at the state of him,” Pether’s wife Desree told the ABC.

“He’s got so many new moles on his back, he’s got a new mole on the same ear that he had a melanoma before, and it has changed significantly in the last few months.

“It’s displaying the same aggressive behavior as the melanoma that he had.”

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Australian engineer Robert Pether’s wife Desree says she fears he won’t live another six months

He now needs to have seven potential cancers cut out but there is no guarantee he can access the care he needs in Iraq.

“Our doctors stated that he looks 74, not 47, and he looks very frail, like a frail old man,” she said.

“He’s completely grey, and his skin tone is grey.

“There’s also [the risk of] post-operative infection when he’s in a 14-foot cell with 22 other men.”

A computer design of a large building next to a river at sunset
Pether’s firm was managing the construction of the Central Bank of Iraq’s $1 billion new headquarters.(Zaha Hadid Architects)

Pether’s doctor has gone so far as to write to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Ms Pether said her husband was “absolutely terrified” about the situation, and his mental health was deteriorating.

“He’s in a really dark place,” she said.

“It’s really, really hard to be in a position where you have to talk him off of a ledge quite frequently.

“And for our 19-year-old son to get off the phone and be in tears because of the way his dad’s talking, and thinking that his father’s going to do something drastic, it’s really difficult.”

Pair face further charges

Pether, an engineer, had been working on the construction of the new $1 billion Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) headquarters in Baghdad, when he was arrested alongside his colleague Zaghloul.

In August last year, an Iraqi court found the pair guilty of deception charges which carried a $16 million fine and five years in jail.

Since then, the two men have been hit with further charges as CBI has tried to enforce further ends for delays in the project.

The case has been put off until later this month.

Ms Pether had been highly critical of the Morrison government’s approach to her husband’s case, saying her family felt abandoned.

She said there had been a “marked difference” in the approach of the new government.

“It’s chalk and cheese,” Ms Pether said.

“I’m hoping that they’re able to do something a little bit more significant … in respect to trying to get him out.”

Peter Khalil and Linda Burney, who's out of focus, sit next to each other and look toward the left.
Peter Khalil is hopeful the Iraqi government might grant Robert Pether clemency due to his ill health.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

In June, Mr Albanese spoke to his Iraqi counterpart, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

An official transcript of the conversation from the Iraqi government did not mention Pether’s case but sources have told the ABC the matter was raised.

The ABC has contacted Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office for comment.

Diplomats working ‘around the clock’

Last week, Labor MP Peter Khalil took to his feet in federal parliament to raise Pether’s situation.

“The strain on Robert is terrible, but so is the pain of his family — the pain they’ve had to endure for over 16 months — his wife, Desree, and his children, Nala, Oscar and Flynn,” he told the House of Representatives.

“The Pether family have sold a property to help pay for Robert’s legal fees, and, I think, a car as well. All they want is Robert to return home safely.

“His daughter, Nala, draws pictures of what she plans to do with Dad when he gets out and is back home. Desree tells me it’s hard to keep the kids’ and Robert’s hopes up.”

Mr Khalil said diplomats were working “around the clock” on the case, and hoped the Iraqi government might grant him clemency based on his deteriorating health.

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