Headlines
A deadly typhoon strikes Taiwan and the Philippines. Following protests, factories and businesses in Bangladesh reopen. Security concerns are raised by more North Korean trash balloons.Endengered Turtles in Cambodia.
The Paris Olympics kick off on Friday evening with a stunning ceremony on the Seine River. The figures behind the event are staggering: billions of dollars, millions of tourists, thousands of athletes, and security forces. Aside from severe weather and political upheaval, the city’s first Olympic Games in a century faced a number of serious roadblocks in the lead-up, including COVID-19 threats and strike action.
International criticism of Israel’s West Bank settlement policy is growing. Despite Israel’s ongoing settlement expansion, the International Court of Justice ruled last week that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is illegal.
Thousands of people protested outside the US Capitol on Wednesday, denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his country’s war against Hamas while he was addressing both chambers of Congress.
In an attempt to undermine promises to make these Games the most inclusive ever, rights groups accuse French authorities of “social cleansing” ahead of the Paris Olympics by uprooting migrants, sex workers, and others from the capital.The government says it’s simply trying to address a longstanding problem.
The UN’s most recent figures for Malawi show that over 15% of children under the age of 18 are orphans, partly because of the high rate of HIV and Aids-related deaths in the country. Currently, a group called Zoe Foundation is working to provide these at-risk children a future.
In Paris, France, breakdancing makes its debut as a new Olympic sport. VOA’s Heather Maxwell talks to B-Girl Fatima Zahra El Mamouny and B-Boy Bilal Mallakh ahead of of their major game participation.
A movement has developed from what began as young Kenyans using social media to voice their concerns over a government tax bill through digital activism. As a result, President William Ruto was forced to drop the bill and sack almost his whole cabinet. Experts say the uprising of young people in Kenya could have ripple effects across Africa, the world’s youngest continent.
Exercises are conducted in the South China Sea by China, Russia, the US, and the Philippines.Taiwan says it will commit to bolstering own defenses. Thailand authorities investigate hotel poisoning deaths. Rare whale washes ashore in New Zealand.
In Pakistan, sixty-four percent of people are under thirty. While there aren’t many opportunities for this population to play sports,they barely exist for the country’s girls.