Kenya has 83 athletes competing in six different fields at the Paris Olympics, a sign that the government’s recent investment in sport is paying dividends. Now there are hopes that the economic, social and health benefits will eventually trickle down to the entire population. France 24’s Olivia Bizot sent this report from Nairobi.
Revenge is a powerful motivating force and one that will be driving his main rival Zhang Boheng after China's late collapse in the team final. The Zhang-led China had Monday's final in the bag, leading by over three points with only the horizontal bar remaining. But disaster struck when Su Weide fell twice. Tokyo bar champion Hashimoto, the last Japanese man to go, then held his nerve to produce a flawless title-clinching routine. Up to that moment, double world all-around champion Hashimoto had looked a long way from his brilliant best. Читать дальше...
In a marked departure from its historic position, France moved on Tuesday to recognise Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara, dealing a blow to the the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which claims it is an independent state.
Tatjana Smith took South Africa's first gold of the Paris Olympics on Monday and added the 100 metres breaststroke title to the 200 metres she won at Tokyo 2021 under her maiden name of Schoenmaker.
Ugandan authorities have charged 36 members of an opposition party with "terrorism" after they were deported from neighbouring Kenya, one of their lawyers said on Monday, denouncing a "witch hunt".
France's meteorological agency has issued a weather warning for Paris and the surrounding areas with storms and highs of 35 degrees Celsius expected on Tuesday as it hosts the Olympic Games. The agency put in place a "yellow alert" -- the second of four levels -- for the capital as a heatwave brings searing temperatures to other Olympic venues across France.
The Israeli military said Monday it was holding nine soldiers for questioning following allegations of “substantial abuse” of a detainee at a shadowy facility where Israel has held Palestinian prisoners throughout the war in Gaza. Israeli media reported that military police officers who arrived at Sde Teiman in southern Israel to detain the soldiers were met with protests and scuffles. Later, dozens of protesters who had come to show support for the soldiers burst through the facility's gate, waving... Читать дальше...
At least one person died Monday in Venezuela as security forces tried to break up protests triggered by a hotly disputed election result that gave Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a third term in power, an NGO said. France 24's Kethevane Gorjestani takes a closer look.
Russia is turning a fresh page in their propaganda playbook in a bid to influence public opinion ahead of the 2024 US presidential election by employing both witting and unwitting Americans as well as commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation, top intelligence officials said on Monday.
Beijing is racing to achieve its goal of five percent annual growth in 2024, a target considered ambitious by many experts as the world's second-largest economy faces headwinds including an indebted real-estate market, flagging consumption and high youth unemployment. Tuesday's gathering of the Communist Party's powerful Politburo of senior officials was billed as a chance for top leaders to take stock of the current economic situation and set out policy directions for the second half of the year. Читать дальше...
Landslides in southern India caused by monsoon rains on Tuesday killed at least 36 people, while hundreds were believed to be trapped under the rubble, according to the local authorities. While monsoon rains occur frequently throught the summer months and are vital for agriculture and replenishing water supplies, they also cause destruction in the form of floods and landslides, which experts say have increased in recent years due to climate change.
In a blow to Olympic officials who have repeatedly vowed that the Seine would be safe for athletes to swim in, organisers said the men's event would be delayed by 24 hours and take place immediately after the women's race on Wednesday. A joint statement from Paris 2024 and World Triathlon blamed the excessive pollution on the heavy rain that deluged the French capital on Friday and Saturday. "Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes," the statement... Читать дальше...
The southern coastal state of Kerala has been battered by torrential downpours, and the collapse of a key bridge at the disaster site in Wayanad district has hampered rescue efforts, according to local media reports. "Thirty-six deaths have been confirmed in connection with the landslide in Wayanad," district official D.R. Meghasree told reporters. Kerala state health minister Veena George told the Press Trust of India news agency that "many" others had been injured and were being treated in hospital. Читать дальше...
More than 1,000 Hindu faithful visit the Chilkur Balaji temple each day in the belief that the divine presence inside can bless worshippers with a successful visa application. Those seeking a shot at the American Dream are instructed to pray for their permission to travel abroad, and to return to give thanks when they receive it. "Every single member of my family who is in the US has come here," Satwika Kondadasula told AFP while walking around the temple's sanctum. The 22-year-old said that moving to New York was a longstanding dream. Читать дальше...
Venezuela was braced for more unrest on Tuesday in the wake of President Maduro's disputed election victory after at least one protester died. The opposition says it has proof that Edmundo Gonzales Urrutia won more than twice as many votes as Maduro and invited supporters to gather peacefully at 11am to celebrate the results.
In an attempt to mitigate the effects of the water crisis, the Italian government in early May declared a state of emergency for the southern island, unblocking funds to purchase water tanker trucks, drill wells and renovate pumping and desalination stations. But ensuing months of continued high temperatures have done nothing to ameliorate the already dire conditions, with farmers giving up on their harvests and now wondering how they'll feed and water their animals. "There's no hope, because... Читать дальше...
"I woke up to the pleasant surprise of Vivian Kong (winning)," Lloyd told AFP on Monday at a fencing school in Central District, Hong Kong's commercial heartland. The 30-year-old Kong on Saturday became only the third Hong Kong athlete in history to have a gold medal draped around her neck when she beat France's Auriane Mallo-Breton in front of a fiercely partisan crowd at the Paris Games. She won 13-12 in the most thrilling fashion, a sudden-death final point securing victory in the nail-biting... Читать дальше...
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the men's triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympics has been postponed to Wednesday due to poor water quality levels in the River Seine, Olympic officials announced. The E.coli levels remained too elevated for athletes to safely compete.
While last week's US inflation report further stoked optimism that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at least once this year, traders became more cautious after Monday's rally. The US central bank is expected to stay put on monetary policy Wednesday, but its post-meeting statement will be pored over in hopes of confirmation it will lower borrowing costs in September. Boss Jerome Powell ramped up bets on a move earlier this month when he said officials did not need to see inflation hit their two percent target before cutting. Читать дальше...
Simone Biles is tipped to win her first Olympic gymnastics gold since 2016 on Tuesday, while Paris organisers postponed the men's triathlon by a day over pollution in the Seine just hours before it was due to start.
Joe Biden unveiled plans for comprehensive US Supreme Court reforms, calling for 18-year term limits and an enforceable ethics code. Stung by controversial rulings and scandals, Biden aims to restore public confidence despite Republican opposition.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI pardoned three journalists, as well as an activist and a historian on Monday to mark his 25th anniversary as monarch. Rights groups criticised the journalists' detentions as repressive tactics to silence critics. In total, 2,476 people were pardoned.
Lebanon braced on Monday for a possible large-scale counterstrike after Israel's security cabinet authorised a military response to the weekend rocket attack from Lebanon that killed 12, all teenagers and children. Diplomats engaged in extensive last-minute efforts to avert a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hundreds of protesters filled the streets of Venezuela's capital Caracas on Monday after the national electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of the election, a result widely criticised for alleged fraud. Security forces responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.
The Park Fire outside of Chico in the state's north has been raging since Wednesday in a rural region about three hours' drive northeast of San Francisco. It has now ravaged more than 370,000 acres (149,700 hectares) according to the Cal Fire agency, making it one of the largest fires in state history. No casualties have been reported so far, and firefighters benefitted from a slight drop in temperatures over the weekend that allowed them to make some progress, with the fire now 12 percent contained. Читать дальше...
