The father of one of three journalists jailed in Egypt says it has been "quite a positive day" after a court ordered a retrial in his son's case.

Peter Greste and two colleagues from the Al Jazeera news station have spent more than a year in prison after being convicted of spreading false news.

They will not be allowed out on bail while they wait for their next court appearance.

But Peter's dad Juris hopes today's decision will help get his son home sooner - despite the complications:

The decision for a retrial was made by an appeals court after a hearing lasting a few minutes.

However, there were mixed emotions among relatives at Egypt's Court of Cassation after the trio were denied bail.

Sue Turton is a correspondent for Al Jazeera, who was tried and convicted in Egypt in her absence, and says in some respects it's not a positive move for the retrial:

Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy, Australian Peter Greste and Egyptian Baher Mohamed have been held since December 2013 in a case that has provoked an international outcry and widespread calls for their freedom.

The arrests followed the ousting of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and their original trial was dismissed as a sham by rights groups.

Fahmy and Greste each received a seven-year prison sentence, while Mohamed got 10 years.

Egyptian authorities had accused the Qatar-based Al Jazeera of acting as a mouthpiece for the Muslim Brotherhood, which had swept to power after the country's 2011 revolution.

Marwa Omara, the fiancee of Mohamed Fahmy, told Sky News the families were disappointed that the journalists had not been released before the retrial gets under way.

She said her fiance was in poor health with hepatitis B, but is in "high spirits".

"He's just a journalist who was doing his job," she said.

"They were accused of being members of the Muslim Brotherhood, fabricating news and harming national security, and calling for a civil war in Egypt.

"All these accusations are faulty and there is no evidence whatsoever - we don't understand why they are in prison."

Greste's mother, Lois, said: "We need some time to process. It's not as positive as we had hoped."

Defence lawyer Negad Al-Borai said after Thursday morning's hearing that he hoped for a "happy end" to the case. There has been speculation that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi could pardon or deport the men.

Originally published 8.28