Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony kicks off under a cloud of controversy
CBSN
Beijing — The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony officially kicked off the Games on Friday, but not without controversy. China has received widespread criticism over human rights abuses, including the treatment of democratic activists and ethnic minorities in the country.
But for the hundreds of athletes who've been sealed inside Beijing's tight anti-coronavirus Olympic "bubble" for days already, the focus was on winning, and it has been for days: The actual sporting events began days ago, before the opening ceremony.
As CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports, the Chinese National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest," was filled on Friday with athletes from all over the world. But it was short on diplomats: The U.S., Australia, Canada and the U.K. all refused to send the customary diplomatic delegation to Beijing in protest of China's human rights violations.
Noumea — France's president held a flurry of meetings with local representatives in the restive Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Thursday, urging calm after deadly rioting, and vowing thousands of military reinforcements will stay in place to quell what he called an "unprecedented insurrection."
Kathmandu — Nepali climber Phunjo Lama on Thursday reached Mount Everest's summit in 14 hours and 31 minutes, smashing the record for the world's fastest ascent of the mountain by a woman. Climbers usually take days to reach the top of the 29,032-foot mountain, spending nights on its different camps to rest and acclimatize.
New Delhi — Indian justice officials have changed course amid outrage over the bail terms set for a teenager accused of killing two people while driving a Porsche at high speed while drunk and without a license. The 17-year-old son of a wealthy businessman had been ordered to write a 300-word essay and work with the local traffic police for 15 days to be granted bail — a decision that was made within 15 hours of his arrest.
Zurich — A woman jogger was killed by a naked man who was screaming and attacking people in a lakeside park in Switzerland, police said Wednesday. The attack happened Tuesday evening in Mannedorf on Lake Zurich, around 12 miles southeast of Switzerland's biggest city, the Zurich cantonal police said.
Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they are recognizing a Palestinian state in a historic move that drew condemnation from Israel and jubilation from the Palestinians. Israel immediately ordered back its ambassadors from Norway and Ireland and appeared ready to do the same with its ambassador to Spain.