Ukrainian ambassador calls for Novak Djokovic's father to be banned from Australian Open over Russian flag incident

Ukraine's ambassador to Australia has called for Novak Djokovic's father to be banned from the Australian Open, after he posed with a group holding the Russian flag.

Key points:

The Ukrainian ambassador is calling on Tennis Australia to impose sanctions on Srdjan Djokovic

Russian and Belarusian flags are banned from the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic's management has been contacted for comment

Footage shared to YouTube showed Srdjan Djokovic outside Melbourne Park standing with a group displaying a Russian flag superimposed with Vladimir Putin's face.

The incident took place at Melbourne Park on Wednesday night following Novak Djokovic's quarterfinal win over Russian Andrey Rublev.

One of the men in the video was wearing a T-shirt with the symbol "Z" — an emblem representing support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian and Belarusian flags were banned from the tournament after a Russian flag was waved during the opening round.

The YouTube video was posted by a user identified as Simeon Boikov.

NSW Police has confirmed it is seeking Boikov's arrest on an unrelated matter.

Incident 'a disgrace for the tournament', ambassador says

Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko said the flag was a symbol of the invasion of Ukraine, and called on Tennis Australia to ban Srdjan Djokovic for the remainder of the tournament.

"It's unacceptable, it's a disgrace for the tournament," he said.

"There must be sanctions imposed."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-27/australian-open-tennis-sport-novak-djokovic-father-russian-flag/101898320

China’s CCP forcing students to sign ‘loyalty pledges’ before studying abroad

China is using government scholarships to effectively turn students around the world into agents of the Chinese Communist Party, with loved ones back home facing consequences if they show any disloyalty.

Contracts signed by tens of thousands of Chinese scholarship recipients instruct them to “protect the honor of the motherland,” hone their “ability to follow orders,” and obey Chinese laws even while abroad, Radio Free Asia reported.

If any student “behaves extremely badly,” quits school, or moves to another country, China would force their designated “guarantors” back home to pay back a portion of their scholarship, according to the contracts.

“The Western media have reported many cases of Chinese students and scholars stealing high-tech military technologies, and besieging protesters who supported Hong Kong’s anti-extradition protests,” commentator Wang Longmeng told RFA. “A lot of people who have been awarded Chinese government scholarships to study abroad have basically been recruited by the state, and these agreements are the best proof of that.”

READ MORE: Chinese spy gets 8 years in prison for spying while student in Chicago

China aimed to send 27,000 students overseas with state scholarships in 2021, according to a document reviewed by RFA. The document stated their scholarships depended entirely on loyalty to the CCP and included a pledge to “come back and serve their country” after graduation.

“If you take public money in China, you are one of them, and you are theirs, the party’s,” Sweden-based writer Wan Zhi told RFA, adding, “This has always been the Communist Party’s trick.”

RFA revealed the extent of the practice after the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported earlier this month about 30 Chinese doctoral students arriving in the country, having signed pledges to serve China’s interests while staying in Sweden.

Since then, Sweden’s Uppsala and Lund universities have ended their relationship with the China Scholarship Council, the main organization China awards scholarships through. The Royal Institute of Technology, the country’s largest technical university, is “in discussions” with the council, RFA reported.

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2023/01/chinas-ccp-forcing-students-to-sign-loyalty-pledges-before-studying-abroad/

Former President of Venezuelan Supreme Court Indicted on Charges of Accepting Bribes to Resolve Court Cases

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/former-president-venezuelan-supreme-court-indicted-charges-accepting-bribes-resolve

Injuries Reported After Explosion At USC Science Building

An explosion occurred at a three-story Science building on the University of Southern California campus on Thursday. At least one person was injured and is being evaluated, fire officials said.

The building was evacuated, and the individual met with the LAFD outside on their own. The cause of the explosion is currently unknown.

The building is being evacuated and the LAFD HazMat task force has been requested to conduct a thorough investigation.

There is no active fire hazard at this time, LAFD said.

https://breaking911.com/developing-injuries-reported-after-explosion-at-usc-science-building/