Squiz Today – Monday, 17 January

THE SQUIZ
Three Federal Court judges spent their Sunday at work considering Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to cancel world men’s #1 tennis champ Novak Djokovic’s visa. The result: they found Hawke acted lawfully when he ordered Djokovic’s deportation late on Friday citing “health and good order grounds”. Yesterday’s decision was unanimous, and Djokovic was ordered to pay the government’s legal costs. Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” but “I respect the Court’s ruling, and I’ll co-operate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country.” And last night, he flew out of Melbourne, ending 11 drama-filled days.

WHAT DID EACH SIDE ARGUE?
Team Djokovic – That Hawke produced no evidence to back his claim that “good order” is under threat due to Djokovic’s presence in Oz and that it could stir up anti-vaccination sentiment. They argued that deporting Djokovic could whip up the same feeling. They were also critical of Hawke’s reliance on a BBC article on what Djokovic had said about vaccines, given the quotes come from before the COVID jabs were available.

Team Aussie Government – There’s ample evidence of Djokovic’s “well-known stance” on vaccination, they said. Exhibit 1: the fact he is unvaccinated against COVID… They also said Djokovic’s lawyers could not prove Hawke had not considered the possibility that deporting him could stir up anti-vaccination sentiment – and even if he didn’t, so what.

SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Djokovic is now en route to Dubai and says he will “now be taking some time to rest and to recuperate, before making any further comments beyond this.” He wished “the players, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and fans all the best” for the Aussie Open, which starts today. Someone who will need luck is 150th ranked Salvatore Caruso – he will replace Djokovic in the men’s draw after winning 2 of his 3 qualifying matches last week. That didn’t stop a hometown hero and someone who looks very familiar from putting up their hands for the spot in the draw. Now on to the main business of the Aussie Open – c’mon Ash Barty…

Tonga covered in ash

A massive underwater volcanic eruption about 30km southeast of Tonga’s Fonuafo’ou island on Saturday afternoon has been described as a one-in-1,000-years blast. The eruption from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano shook the earth for several minutes, and a sonic boom could be heard as far away as Alaska. The extent of the damage has been hard to gauge with communications to Tonga remaining cut, but a severe tsunami hit Tongatapu – the island where the capital is located. Reports also say Tonga has been covered with ash making it look “like a moonscape” and contaminating the water supply. A tsunami warning was in place for NSW, Queensland, Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands yesterday, and parts of the east coast received their highest tsunami waves in 60 years. Several South Pacific islands, New Zealand, Japan, and the US were also affected. Australia will partner with New Zealand sending supplies and personnel to support Tonga’s recovery. And more eruptions from the volcano are expected this week.

9yo girl missing in the Blue Mountains

Police say mild conditions have increased the chances that a young girl missing for 4 nights in NSW’s Blue Mountains might still be alive. Charlise Mutten disappeared from celebrity wedding venue Wildenstein Garden at Mount Wilson on Thursday, where she’s been staying with her family on holiday from Queensland. Police were informed on Friday, and 100 emergency services personnel have been out searching for her in rugged bushland. Yesterday, reports said police are investigating it as a possible homicide, and a boat and a ute have been seized for forensic examination. Charlise lives with her grandmother on the Gold Coast but was away with mother Kallista Mutten and her fiancé Justin Stein, whose family owns Wilderstein. It’s not suggested that the couple are involved in the girl’s disappearance. “We won’t rule anything in, and we don’t rule anything out,” said Blue Mountains Police Chief Inspector Garry Sims, adding they have grave concerns for her safety.

Harry wants to pay for police protection in the UK

Prince Harry has gone to the High Court in an attempt to overturn a ruling from the UK Government that has blocked him from paying for police protection when Team Sussex is in Old Blighty. They lost access to taxpayer-funded police security when he and Meghan ‘stepped back’ from royal duties in 2020. The US-based Duke wants to visit his home country but says his private security team doesn’t have the authority to work abroad. A statement released by his legal team says “Prince Harry inherited a security risk at birth, for life” – and that’s ongoing, particularly in the UK. Meanwhile, Harry’s uncle Prince Andrew is preparing to defend himself against allegations of sexual assault in a civil trial in the US. His lawyers have filed documents that show his legal team will question a psychologist who treated his accuser Virginia Giuffre, claiming she might “suffer from false memories”. That trial is set to go ahead at the end of the year.

Pig heart transplant recipient has a dark past

Last week, we brought you the story of a very sick man receiving a genetically modified pig’s heart via experimental surgery to save his life. It turns out the recipient, David Bennett Snr, had years earlier been jailed in 1988 for stabbing a man. The victim Edward Shumaker was confined to a wheelchair for 19 years before dying of a stroke a week before his 41st birthday. Shumaker’s sister Leslie had initially read the story favourably until a friend told her to double-check the patient’s name. “I wish, in my opinion, it had gone to a deserving recipient,” she said. More than 106,000 Americans are on the national list for organ transplants, and 17 people die each day waiting. Some commentators believe that people convicted of violent crimes shouldn’t receive organ transplants given the shortage. What an ethical minefield…

Kohli steps down as Indian cricket captain

Few jobs are trickier than being the national captain in the cricket-obsessed nation of India. And on Saturday, superstar batsman Virat Kohli shocked his country and the sporting world by abruptly resigning as captain. “It’s been seven years of hard work, toil and relentless perseverance every day…. Everything has to come to a halt at some stage and for me as Test Captain of India, it’s now,” he tweeted. Under Kohli, India became the world’s top Test cricket nation, a significant improvement on 7th when he took it on in 2014. The 33yo hasn’t said what he’ll do next. Meanwhile, Australia crushed England on in the last Ashes Test in Hobart. Like, really crushed ‘em… Aussie debutant Cameron Green ripped through England’s batsmen last night, and Australia won the match by 146 runs, taking the series 4-0.

Baby Shark, the insidious earworm of a kids song, has hit another milestone – it’s the first YouTube video to hit 10 billion views. That’s a lot of parental headaches…

If you’ve ever seen this image of the perfect private library and admired it, here’s the background. The sad news is it doesn’t exist anymore, but it lives on via social media.

Talking about resurrecting something long gone, we knew it would be a slippery slope when time was called on skinny jeans’ era of domination last year. Pundits said it was all about high-rise/straight-cut. And now it’s time to say hello to low-rise. Gasp…

From 11.00am (AEDT) – The Australian Open begins in Melbourne. Watch out for Naomi Osaka at 12.15pm, and Ash Barty at 7.00pm – broadcast on Nine

1.30pm (AEDT) – Cricket – 5th Ashes Test – Australia v England – Hobart, Tasmania

ABS Data Release – Building Approvals, November 2021 (Additional Information)

Martin Luther King Jr Day

International Mentoring Day

Birthdays for Aussie netball legend Liz Ellis (1973), actor Jim Carrey (1962) and former First Lady Michelle Obama (1964)

Anniversary of the start of the 13-year-long prohibition on alcohol in the US (1920)