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  • World number one Djokovic wins legal battle to remain in Australia

    World number one Djokovic wins legal battle to remain in Australia

    An Australian judge ruled on Monday that Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic be released from immigration detention immediately, finding the government’s decision to revoke the tennis star’s visa to enter the country was “unreasonable”.

    Judge Anthony Kelly ordered Djokovic be freed within 30 minutes and his passport and other personal documents returned to him, rekindling the world number one’s bid to win a record 21st Grand Slam title at the upcoming Australian Open.

    Kelly, who earlier in proceedings had criticised the hours-long questioning of Djokovic at Melbourne’s airport when he landed on Wednesday, said both the interview and the visa cancellation “was unreasonable”.

    Djokovic was not given enough time to speak to tennis organisers and lawyers to respond fully after he was notified of the intent to cancel his visa, the judge said.

    Lawyers for the federal government told the court the country’s immigration minister was reserving the right to exercise his personal power to again revoke Djokovic’s visa.

    After confirming that such a step, if taken, would bar Djokovic from the country for three years, Kelly warned the government lawyers that “the stakes have now risen, rather than receded.”

    Spokespeople for the minister, Alex Hawke, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Djokovic’s plight has been closely followed around the world, creating political tensions between Belgrade and Canberra and sparking heated debate over national vaccination mandates.

    Djokovic, 34, has been held in an immigration detention hotel alongside long-term asylum seeker detainees since Thursday. He was at his lawyers’ chambers on Monday to hear the ruling, which included the government being ordered to pay his costs.

    His lawyers argued that a recent Covid-19 infection qualified Djokovic for the medical exemption from a requirement for non-Australian citizens entering the country to be double vaccinated.

    The Australian government, however, had argued non-citizens had no right of guaranteed entry to Australia and questioned his claimed exemption.

  • ‘Rules are rules’, Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa, #BoycottAustralianOpen trends

    ‘Rules are rules’, Australia cancels Novak Djokovic’s visa, #BoycottAustralianOpen trends

    Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has had his visa to enter Australia dramatically revoked on his arrival in Melbourne.

    The world number one was held on the city’s airport for several hours before border officials announced he had not met entry rules and would be deported.

    Djokovic was then taken to a government detention hotel. His lawyers have launched an urgent appeal in court.

    The decision follows a massive backlash over a vaccine exemption Djokovic said he got to play in the Australian Open.

    The Serbian player has not spoken about his vaccination status, but last year said he was “opposed to vaccination”.

    As per reports, Tennis Australia said his medical exemption had been granted by two independent medical panels, but border officials said he had “failed to provide appropriate evidence” for entry after arriving on Wednesday from Dubai.

    “Non-citizens who do not hold a valid visa on entry or who have had their visa cancelled will be detained and removed from Australia,” the Australian Border Force (ABF) said in a statement.

    The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has reported that two other people were now having their medical exemptions reviewed.

    Meanwhile, The Federal Circuit Court adjourned Djokovic’s legal challenge after two brief administrative hearings.

    “Rules are rules,” the Australian PM said, about Novak Djokovic being deported.

    Djokovic is now at a hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton which is used for immigration detention. The facility has been the site of Covid-19 outbreaks and a recent fire.

    Outside the hotel, supporters of Djokovic were angry at his treatment. His fans took to Twitter and expressed their anguish over the decison.

    One of the user said: “Australia denied entry to Djokovic, the defending champion, even though he provided medical exemption as they requested.

    “Other players have to decide whether to participate or boycott the tournament. A choice between eternal shame or honor,” he added.

    https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/1478855930485878785?s=20

    While several people Tweeted on a trend #BoycottAustralianOpen.

    https://twitter.com/zmajdragacevac/status/1478884906650546178?s=20
    https://twitter.com/mikiwieczorek/status/1478994659103985664?s=20

    The 34-year-old Serb was Australian Open champion in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021. His hopes of another title in 2022 were derailed after his visa was cancelled.

  • Man falls in love with robot, hopes to marry her

    Man falls in love with robot, hopes to marry her

    Fed up after years of searching for a human spouse, an Australian man has planned to marry a robot.

    Geoff Gallagher, from Queensland, Australia, couldn’t find a loving woman in real-life and he ordered a robot to develop a connection and spend time with.

    “At almost AUD $6,000 (£3,225) each, they weren’t cheap. But the robots were very lifelike. They could talk, smile and move their head and neck. Their skin even warmed up like a real human,” Gallagher told 7 News.

    “After browsing the website, I decided on a robot called Emma. With pale skin and beautiful blue eyes, I thought she looked lovely.”

    “I didn’t know how I would afford a robot-like Emma, but then the business owner offered me a discount in return for publicity. It sounded like a great deal.”

    For making Emma adjust to his life, Geoff tried to know her a bit better with time.

    “She couldn’t stand on her own, so most of the time I left her sitting on the chair,” he said.

    “I talked to her as much as possible so she could get used to my voice. Emma, what’s the weather like?’ I’d ask, as I got ready for work.”

    “With each conversation, she became smarter, soaking in the information and learning new words.”

    “I’ve given up hope of finding love with a woman but Emma is the next best thing. Even though we’re not legally married, I think of Emma as my robot wife,” he said.

    “She wears a diamond on her ring finger and I think of it as an engagement ring. I’d love to be the first person in Australia to marry a robot.”

    He further added: “I think robots are the future and I hope my story inspires others to consider a cyborg companion.”

  • BBL 11: Fakhar’s Heat and Shadab’s Sixers match postponed after Covid chaos

    BBL 11: Fakhar’s Heat and Shadab’s Sixers match postponed after Covid chaos

    Covid chaos has again rocked the Big Bash League (BBL) with a clash between the Pakistani batter Fakhar Zaman’s Brisbane Heat and all-rounder Shadab Khan’s Sydney Sixers called off after 12 Brisbane players tested positive to the virus.

    “Twelve Heat players today returned positive PCR tests for Covid-19 and are currently isolating,” the BBL confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

    “Despite its best endeavours, the club was unable to recruit enough replacement players in the 24 hours since the first case was identified to make up the required squad of 13 for tonight’s match.”

    The earlier game between the Adelaide Strikers and the Hobart Hurricanes at the Adelaide Oval will go ahead, but the time has been pushed back a little given that the play will go late in the Test at the SCG.

    The development came on the back the crisis that has seen the Melbourne Stars forced to field a second string team with skipper Glenn Maxwell, the latest player to test positive in their camp.

    The post also read that the league will advise a new date for the match and ticket holders will be contacted for the refunding process.

    More than half the BBL’s teams have now reported positive cases.

  • Don’t go back on your commitment: Ben Cutting urges Aussies to tour Pakistan

    Don’t go back on your commitment: Ben Cutting urges Aussies to tour Pakistan

    Australian cricketer Ben Cutting has said that Aussies should not back out from a Pakistan tour and visit the country as there are no security issues.

    The 34-year-old stated that people in Pakistan are passionate about the game and hoped that Australia won’t go back on their commitment to tour the country.

    “I hope the Aussie boys get to tour there,” Cutting told AAP. “The locals would certainly love that . They’re just so passionate. They get massive crowds for games and if one of the best teams in the world, like Australia, are playing, they’d absolutely love it.”

    Cutting has regularly visited Pakistan, over the past few years, with stints in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and also being a part of the World XI side for the exhibition series in 2017.

    “Not once have I been worried about the security side of things,” he said. “The second visit [during PSL] I was more worried about Covid than anything else because that was kicking off.”

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already announced the details of Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998, which will take place in March and April 2022, and comprise three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I.

    The Tests will be held in Karachi (March 3-7), Rawalpindi (March 12-16) and Lahore (March 21-25), while Lahore will host the four white-ball matches from March 29 to April 5.

  • Jaffer roasts Vaughan, digs out old ‘India 92 all out’ tweet after England defeat

    Jaffer roasts Vaughan, digs out old ‘India 92 all out’ tweet after England defeat

    Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has teased former English cricketer Michael Vaughan after England’s defeat in the Ashes.

    Jaffer got the opportunity today (Tuesday) to hit back at Michael Vaughan who had mocked Men in Blue in 2019.

    English team was bowled out for 68 on the third day of the Melbourne Test, handing a 3-0 victory to Australia in five-match Ashes series.

    The Joe Root side failed to live up to the expectations in the third Test after losing the first two matches and succumbed to Australian bowling.

    Jaffer got the opportunity today to hit back at Vaughan who had mocked the Men in Blue when they were bowled out for their lowest-ever ODI total (92) in New Zealand in 2019.

    “92 all out India… Can’t believe any team would get bowled out for under a 100 these days !!!” he had tweeted.

    The former Indian batter took to Twitter and said: “England 68 all out @MichaelVaughan [See-no-evil emoji] #Ashes.”

    In the video, Wasim Jaffer can be seen opening the Twitter app and winking towards the camera.

    Vaughan too responded to the tweet and said: “Very good Wasim.”

    Meanwhile, in another tweet, Vaughan lauded the Australian team saying “well done Australia .. Far too good for England.”

  • ‘Enjoyed playing in Australia’: Shadab Khan is excited to be part of Sydney Sixers in BBL

    ‘Enjoyed playing in Australia’: Shadab Khan is excited to be part of Sydney Sixers in BBL

    Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan is excited to be a part of defending Big Bash League (BBL) champions Sydney Sixers. He said that he is hopeful to contribute to his team’s success.

    Taking to Twitter, Shadab wrote: “I have always enjoyed playing in Australia and the @BBL , these are different and tough conditions so you get to learn a lot. Really excited to be part of the @SixersBBL. Hopefully I can contribute to my team’s success.”

    Shadab will be playing the remainder of the season in a timely addition for the injury-hit Sixers, who have lost off-spinner Ben Manenti to a season-ending neck injury while Australia’s Steve O’Keefe is currently on the sidelines with a calf strain.

    He has returned to the BBL after a brief three-match stint with Brisbane Heat in the 2017-18 season.

    The 23-year-old cricketer impressed everyone with his performance at the recent T20 World Cup with nine wickets from six games, including 4 for 26 against the winners Australia in the semi-finals. Shadab, however, was wicket-less in his past two T20Is against West Indies earlier this month.

    As the lower-order batter, Shadab averages 18.33 with a strike rate of 136.81 from 64 T20Is and has also scored three half-centuries in his six-Test career.

    Shadab is the fifth Pakistani to sign in this season’s BBL and joins Melbourne Stars’ trio Haris Rauf, Syed Faridoun and Ahmad Daniyal, and Sydney Thunder’s Mohammad Hasnain.

  • ‘Should we keep her?’: Wasim Akram after Shaniera comes home

    ‘Should we keep her?’: Wasim Akram after Shaniera comes home

    Former Pakistan cricket team captain Wasim Akram has posted a picture with his wife Shaniera Akram on his social media after she came back to Pakistan after a long time. He asked his fans a question about ‘keeping his wife’.

    The veteran cricketer wrote: “Look what I found on sea view this morning, should we keep her?”

    Earlier in September, the cricketer reunited with his wife Shaniera and daughter Aiyla after 10 long months in Melbourne, Australia.

    Wasim shared a beautiful video clip on Twitter of the reunion with his daughter and we can’t stop thinking about how cute it was.

    In the video, Aiyla was seen rushing towards the door to meet her father. She opens it and joyfully jumps into her father’s arms for a long hug.

  • Examinations will be held on time despite new covid variant: Shafqat Mahmood

    Examinations will be held on time despite new covid variant: Shafqat Mahmood

    Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said on Monday that the government has no plans to suspend educational activities. He said that examinations will be taken on time and the full curriculum will be covered in it, reports Geo.

    When he was asked about the policy of the education department regarding precautionary measures against the Omicron variant, the federal minister said, “I don’t know about the new variant of coronavirus in detail, but the government wants to continue educational activities.”

    The new variant named Omicron, which was first discovered in South Africa is spreading drastically into various parts of Europe including Canada and Australia. On Saturday, Pakistan imposed a complete ban on direct/indirect inbound flights from six African countries and Hong Kong.

    Moreover, while talking about the smog situation in Lahore, Shafqat Mahmood said it will decrease by the closure of private and government schools thrice a week.

  • Australia announces squad for the Ashes

    Australia announces squad for the Ashes

    The T20 World Cup winners Australia is set to host the Ashes this winter. Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced the squad for the clash with England at home.

    As per details, the Aussies named a 15-player squad for the first two Tests of this summer’s Men’s Ashes, alongside an extended player list from which an Australia A team will be selected for a tour match against the English Lions.

    Read More – ‘Too old and slow’: David Warner’s wife Candice slams trolls after Australian star helps team lift WC title

    This will be Australia’s first Test series since last summer’s Border-Gavaskar campaign, Usman Khawaja and Jhye Richardson both return to the team.

    Chair of selectors George Bailey indicated Marcus Harris would open the batting with David Warner, retaining his spot as the incumbent.

    Australia:

    Tim Paine (captain), Pat Cummins (vice captain), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

    Additional Australia A players:

    Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Henry Hunt, Josh Inglis, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street

    On the other hand, team England’s Test specialists were to fly out to Queensland on November 4, with five players involved in the T20 World Cup – Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Woakes and Wood – will be joining them after completing their quarantine.

    The squad includes10 players who have never played a Test in Australia. Ben Stokes has made himself available for the five-Test series that starts in Brisbane on December 8, giving a massive shot in the arm to the chances of Joe Root’s team regaining the Ashes over the coming weeks.

    England’s 2021-22 Ashes squad

    Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

    Men’s Ashes fixtures

    First Test: December 8-12 – The Gabba, Brisbane

    Second Test: December 16-20 – Adelaide Oval

    Third Test: December 26-30 – Melbourne Cricket Ground

    Fourth Test: January 5-9 – Sydney Cricket Ground

    Fifth Test: January 14-18 – Perth Stadium