Beijing half-marathon organizers investigating whether competitors let Chinese runner win
CBSN
Authorities have opened an investigation after video from the finish line at a the Beijing half-marathon raised questions about whether other athletes let a Chinese runner win the race.
A now-viral video shows Kenyan runners Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat and Ethiopian runner Dejene Hailu running in a pack with Chinese runner Jie He, 25. At one point, the runner closest to He appears to wave him over, and He cross their path. They stick in a pack until the very end, when He beats the rest by a mere second.
He received the the first place medal, while the three other runners tied for second place, BBC Sport reports. Social media users in China criticized the results of the race, prompting officials to open an investigation.
Cape Town, South Africa — Rescue teams searching for dozens of construction workers missing after an apartment complex collapsed in South Africa brought out more survivors Tuesday as they entered a second night of desperate work to find anyone alive in the wreckage. At least seven people have been confirmed dead.
Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukrainian counterintelligence investigators have foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top military and political figures, Ukraine's state security service said Tuesday. Two colonels in the State Guard of Ukraine, which protects top officials, were detained on suspicion of enacting the plan drawn up by Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, a statement said.
Paris — Ukrainian double European champion weightlifter Oleksandr Pielieshenko was killed in the war against Russia, the Ukrainian weightlifting federation announced Monday. Pielieshenko, 30, won European gold in 2016 and 2017, and narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics where he came fourth in the 85kg category.
New Delhi —Afghanistan's top diplomat in India resigned days after she was reportedly caught by airport authorities smuggling nearly $2 million worth of gold into the country. Zakia Wardak, the Afghan Consul-General in India's financial capital Mumbai, posted a statement on social media announcing her resignation.
Israel's military ordered Palestinians in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip city of Rafah to evacuate Monday ahead of a ground offensive long promised by the Jewish state's leaders. The message was delivered with fliers, phone calls, messages and media broadcasts in Arabic after a weekend that saw hope for a new cease-fire in the seven-month Israel-Hamas war dashed yet again.