A “devastated” Nick Kyrgios will not take part in the Australian Open, citing a knee injury.
Kyrgios confirmed the news with a “mixture of emotions” alongside his physiotherapist on Monday afternoon, the day before he was due to play his first-round match against Roman Safiullin.
That wasn’t the only bad news for Kyrgios – the world no. 21 is facing a please-explain from Victoria police and potential fines for riding an electric scooter in Melbourne without wearing a helmet and with a passenger aboard.
Top news
Search for missing NT woman | A large-scale search and rescue mission continues in central Australia for 30-year-old Angie Fuller, who has been missing for a week amid claims she and her boyfriend were shot at by a gang before fleeing into the bush. “We believe Ms Fuller is alive,” Acting Supt Rob Engels said Sunday.
Two stung by deadly jellyfish in Cairns | A primary school-aged boy and a woman in her 40s were hospitalised after being stung by deadly irukandji jellyfish at Palm Cove, north of Cairns. The irukandji is a small, highly venomous species of box jellyfish about 2cm in diameter, making it difficult to notice in the water. Both the woman and the boy were discharged on Monday.
Victoria high country murders | Greg Lynn, the 56-year-old accused of murdering elderly couple Russell Hill and Carol Clay in Victoria’s high country in 2020, faced a Melbourne magistrates court today for a committal hearing. A witness told the court that Hill was a “grumpy old bugger” who was seen speeding into a remote part of the area.
Spanish traveller fined for charcuterie | Pancetta and goat cheese from Spain might make for excellent hors d’oeuvres, but only if you declare it. A 20-year-old Spanish visitor had his visa cancelled and was slapped with a $3,300 fine after being caught with the undeclared goods in his luggage.
Australia’s top 1% getting richer | The nation’s wealthiest pocketed $150,000 a minute over the past decade and are 61% richer than they were before the pandemic. That’s according to Oxfam’s new report on global inequality, which shows a super-rich gobbling up new wealth while much of the world reels from a cost of living crisis.
Wallabies coach sacked | Dave Rennie will not be coaching Australia to the world cup in France in less than eight months. Rennie’s tenure was ended with immediate effect by Rugby Australia following a disappointing run of results. He has been replaced by former England coach Eddie Jones.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian man at checkpoint | Ahmad Kahleh, a 45-year-old man who was driving with his son to their construction jobs, was shot dead by Israeli troops at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. Kahleh is the 13th Palestinian to have been killed by Israeli forces so far this year.
Fifty women kidnapped in Burkina Faso | Suspected jihadists kidnapped the women as they were picking fruit “because there is nothing left to eat”, according to one resident. The landlocked West African country is one of the world’s poorest and has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency since 2015.
UK protest crackdown | Australia’s not the only country cracking down on protests. Rishi Sunak’s government plans to give police powers to shut down protests before any disruption begins, sparking outrage from civil liberties campaigners.
Full Story
David Marr on the life and legacy of Cardinal George Pell
A must-listen episode on David Marr’s reflections on Pell, and how the cardinal should be remembered. Marr, an award-winning journalist, penned an explosive book on the child sex abuse allegations surrounding Pell.
What they said …
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“The reckless thing to do would be to maintain the status quo. The most sensible and effective thing to do to reign in extreme inequality is to tax the super-rich.” – Anthea Spinks, Oxfam Australia’s director of programs
In numbers
And 2023 is shaping up to be even worse with Israel’s new far-right government. Columnist Simon Tisdall questions why western governments have been quiet on the new “ultranationalist, hard-right religious coalition government in Jerusalem that includes racist, anti-Arab ministers determined to annex all the Palestinian territories”.
Before bed read
The Qing dynasty ruled China from the 17th to the early 20th century, and its isolationist policies were widely blamed for the country’s downfall. But that history is now being revisited.
The recent promotion of a historian – who spearheaded a rehabilitation of the period – to the highest levels of Chinese society has led to speculation that the past is being reinterpreted to bolster President Xi Jinping’s ideological and political authority.
“Under Xi, be it history, literature or music, everything has to serve the purpose of patriotism, and Xi personifies the state … If history doesn’t dovetail with Xi’s rhetoric, that’s unpatriotic,” says Prof Steve Tsang, the director of the SOAS China Institute.
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