Novak Djokovic, who is fighting deportation from Australia, tested positive for COVID-19 on 16 December, according to court documents. The world tennis number one is in immigration detention after having his visa cancelled when he arrived in Melbourne on Thursday. Djokovic said in his court application that he had a valid visa and medical exemption
World
Legendary Hollywood actor and first black man to win an Oscar, Sir Sidney Poitier, has died at the age of 94, a Bahamian government official has said. In 1964, he made history by clinching the Academy of Motion Pictures statuette for his work in Lilies of the Field, and went on to appear in dozens
Kazakhstan’s president says he has ordered security personnel to open fire on “terrorists” without warning amid extremely violent protests in the former Soviet nation. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said up to 20,000 “bandits” had attacked the financial capital Almaty and were destroying state property, adding he had authorised the use of lethal force against them. In a
A former Australian Open quarter-finalist has warned that “caged” Novak Djokovic would be a fearsome opponent on court if he makes it out of quarantine. Like the Serbian superstar, Tennys Sandgren is not jabbed against COVID, but the American has chosen to miss his first Australian Open in a decade because of his vaccination status.
Novak Djokovic will have to wait until Monday to discover whether he can play in the Australian Open after being denied entry to the country over COVID vaccination rules. Djokovic faces deportation after his visa application was cancelled – having thought he could enter Australia through a medical exemption to avoid COVID vaccination. A court
Novak Djokovic has been denied entry to Australia by the country’s border force and faces deportation after his visa was cancelled amid a row over his medical exemption from COVID-19 vaccination rules. But the tennis world number one and defending Australian Open champion is filing a federal injunction to try to stop the deportation, it
North Korea has been detected firing a suspected ballistic missile into the sea, the first such launch in around two months. Picked up by South Korea and Japan’s militaries, the move further emphasises Pyongyang‘s disinterest in rejoining denuclearisation talks anytime soon – instead preferring to focus on boosting its weapon arsenal. Last week, North Korean
A state of emergency has been declared in Kazakhstan following major protests over fuel prices. It includes a curfew running from 11pm to 7am, restrictions on movement, and a ban on mass gatherings, according to documents on the president’s website. It has also been announced that a price cap controversially removed on New Year’s Day
Tesla has been criticised for opening a new showroom in Xinjiang, the Chinese region where authorities are accused of widespread abuse against Uyghur Muslims. The US-based electric car maker, led by Elon Musk, announced the opening in Urumqi, Xingiang’s capital, on Friday, declaring on social media: “Let’s start Xinjiang’s all-electric journey.” But the move drew
Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has said doctors are assessing whether he needs surgery after being admitted to hospital with abdominal discomfort. Mr Bolsonaro said in a Twitter post that he had started to feel unwell after lunch on Sunday and was admitted to hospital in Sao Paulo at 3am local time (6am in the UK)
Sudan’s prime minister has announced his resignation from the country’s military-controlled government following the reported deaths of two pro-democracy protesters. Abdalla Hamdok’s resignation comes less than two months after he was reinstated into power after signing a power-sharing agreement with the country’s military following the 25 October coup that derailed Sudan‘s transition to democratic rule.
An unidentified person has crossed the demilitarised zone into North Korea. The person was spotted using surveillance equipment on the eastern portion of the heavily fortified border on Saturday night, but South Korean troops failed to capture them. The DMZ stretches from coast to coast on the Korean peninsular. It is about 2.5 miles (4km)
A fire has broken out at South Africa’s parliament in Cape Town. Flames could be seen and a column of smoke rose into the sky early on Sunday morning. The blaze began in third floor offices and spread to the National Assembly chamber, local fire service spokesman Jermaine Carelse said. No one has been injured,
Tributes have been paid at the state funeral in South Africa of Archbishop Desmond Tutu – described as a “giant” in the anti-apartheid struggle who “lit up the world”. Tutu, who died aged 90 on 26 December, helped spearhead the fight against white minority rule and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 in recognition
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has warned of a “great life-and-death struggle” for his nation as he marked the end of his 10th year in power. In a New Year speech, Kim spoke of a need to “push forward” with national defence build-up plans “without any delay”. But, in summaries of the speech published
Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and tens of thousands of residents evacuated as wildfires spread across part of the US state of Colorado. At least one first responder and six others were injured after the flames took hold following an extremely dry autumn in the region and a winter that has so far not
Vladimir Putin has warned Joe Biden that new sanctions against Russia over Ukraine would be a big mistake, according to the Kremlin. The Russian leader spoke with the US president for 50 minutes over the phone on Thursday. A build-up of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops and military equipment on the Ukrainian border has sparked
China has banned footballers who play for the country’s national team from getting tattoos – with those already inked told to get them removed or cover them up to set a “good example for society”. Zhang Linpeng, a defender for the Chinese national team, is one of a growing number of high profile players in
A vocal pro-democracy website in Hong Kong has been shut down after police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested senior staff. Stand News said in a statement that its website and social media were no longer being updated and would be taken down. It said all employees have been dismissed. The outlet was