Tokyo Olympics torch relay, delayed a year by COVID and still shrouded in coronavirus doubt, kicks off in Japan
CBSN
Tokyo — The Tokyo Olympics torch relay kicked off on Thursday after a one-year delay. The relay was to take place under extreme antiviral restrictions, but officials are hoping it can boost sagging enthusiasm for the beleaguered Summer Games in the four months left before Opening Day.
Shortly before the ceremony began, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, the first such provocation in a year. While the missiles landed outside Japan's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the aggression violated U.N. Security Council resolutions and "threatened the peace and security of Japan and the surrounding region." The torch relay got underway with a brief morning ceremony featuring schoolchildren in Japan's Fukushima region. They sang "Hana wa Saku," (Flowers Will Bloom), an anthem composed after the devastating triple disasters of 2011, when a massive earthquake sparked a tsunami and then a nuclear crisis.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.
Jerusalem — Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating the country's new ban on Al Jazeera. The Qatari satellite channel is among thousands of clients that receive live video feeds from the AP and other news organizations. The AP denounced the move.