Japan's Paralympics joy marred by COVID anxiety as surging cases fill hospital beds
CBSN
Tokyo — The 13-day Tokyo Paralympics was in full swing Monday, featuring a record number of disabled athletes — more than 4,400 this year — competing in over 500 events. The U.S. was ranking third in the medals table. To many people in Japan, however, the massive sporting event may as well be taking place in a parallel universe. The Paralympics have been playing out as Japan grapples with one of its worst COVID-19 surges since the pandemic began.
Across 22 sports, from basketball to swimming, the Paralympics has been highlighting elite athletes and shattering stereotypes of disability as they break records. The latest in assistive technology has been on display, including advanced curved running blades and wheelchairs customized for everything from fencing to rugby.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.