Author: News Desk

Tokyo : China have become the first Olympic champions in the women’s 500m double canoe, taking gold over the Ukraine, said dpa international. The pair of Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya, crossed the line in 1 minute 55.495 seconds in the discipline’s Olympic debut. The defending world champions set an Olympic best time in the event, and won China’s first medal in a women’s canoe sprint event. Ukaraine’s Liudmyla Luzan and Anastasiia Chetverikova took silver, while Canada’s Laurence Vincent-Lapointe and Katie Vincent claimed bronze.

ATHENS : Flames swept through a residential town outside Athens overnight as wildfires burned across Greece for a fifth day on Saturday, and hundreds of people were evacuated by ferry from the island of Evia east of the capital. The fire on Mount Parnitha on the outskirts of Athens has forced the evacuation of thousands of people since late Thursday, with emergency crews facing winds and high temperatures as they battle to contain its spread. Wildfires have erupted in many parts of the country amid Greece’s worst heatwave in more than 30 years, tearing through tens of thousands of acres…

Tokyo : Turns out that first major championship was just a start for Nelly Korda. Now she’s an Olympic champion and left little doubt Saturday about who’s the best in women’s golf. Korda held her nerve during a chaotic chase for medals and a one-hour storm delay at the end, calmly taking two putts from just inside 30 feet for a one-shot victory. The 23-year-old Korda gave the Americans a sweep of gold medals in golf. Xander Schauffele won the men’s competition last Sunday. “With sports it’s so different because you’re constantly looking ahead for your next event,” Korda said.…

Australia : An Australian Army soldier suffered serious head and chest injuries after being mauled by a crocodile that attacked him late on Friday,  with a colleague who came to his rescue in Queensland’s far north also bitten. Two Australian Defense Force personnel have been attacked by a crocodile, but it is not clear whether they were on duty when the reptile struck them in far north Queensland. A soldier has suffered head, chest and arm injuries after a crocodile crushed him and an army colleague who had gone to his aid. The two are being treated at Cairns Hospital…

United Kingdom : British Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not need to self isolate even though a member of his staff on a recent trip to Scotland tested positive for the coronavirus, his Downing Street office said. A member of Johnson’s staff who accompanied him to the police college and travelled with him on a plane tested positive for coronavirus. “The Prime Minister regularly visits communities across the UK and all aspects of visits are carried out in line with COVID guidance,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The Prime Minister has not come into close contact with anyone who has…

China :  Tencent said it would investigate the functions of its popular social messaging app WeChat’s “youth mode”, after Beijing prosecutors initiated a civil public-interest lawsuit against a subsidiary of the company. Prosecutors had said the “youth mode” on WeChat does not comply with laws protecting minors. “We will earnestly inspect and check the functions of WeChat Youth Mode, accept user suggestions humbly and sincerely respond to civil public interest litigation,” the company WeChat team said. Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment. WeChat’s “youth mode”, when turned on, limits young users’ access to some games and…

Australia : Australia experienced record daily number of new coronavirus cases on Saturday. New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland recording a total of 361 cases of the highly infectious Delta variant. Around t 15 million people in the three states which is  60% of Australia’s population, even  under a strict lockdown, nation  reported five coronavirus-related deaths. New  South Wales suffered its worst pandemic day, reported 319 new COVID-19 cases. Sydney and other regional centres spanning 200 km (120 miles) of coastline under a stay-at-home order for six weeks already. There are 345 people admitted to hospital in New Soth Wales …

Saudi Arabia ;  The first edition of the International Falcon Breeders Auction (IFBA) kicked off yesterday at Saudi Falcons Club Grounds in Malham, North of Riyadh. The auction is organised by the Saudi Falcons Club, with a broad participation of falconers. The CEO of the Saudi Falcons Club, Hussam bin Abdulmohsen Al-Huzaimi, stressed the leadership’s keenness to support the Saudi heritage, especially the falcon that accompanied the ancestors, as the discovered antiquities proved that the people of the Arabian Peninsula domesticated falcons thousands of years ago, according to the drawings and rock inscriptions on the land of Saudi Arabia. On…

Tokyo ; The mighty favourites United States overcame another slow start at the Tokyo Games to defeat France 87-82 on Saturday and win a fourth consecutive Olympic gold in men’s basketball, said dpa international. Superstar Kevin Durant led the Americans with 29 points, 21 in the first half, to get vengeance over a French side that upset them with a shock defeat in the group stage. The US again started cold – shooting 2/10 from the floor, including 0/5 from the three-point line – in the first six and a half minutes, before shots slowly started falling. The Americans closed…

Japan : A man with a knife stabbed at least 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo on Friday and was arrested by police after fleeing, fire department officials and news reports said. NHK public television said one passenger was seriously injured. It said the suspect left his knife behind as he fled and was later arrested in Tokyo. The Japanese capital is currently hosting the Olympics, which end Sunday. The Tokyo Fire Department said nine of the 10 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, while the tenth was able to walk away. All of those injured were…