Tokyo: The first resident of the Olympic Village has tested positive for COVID-19, Tokyo Olympic organizers said on Saturday.
Officials said it was not an athlete with the the Games opening in just under a week on July 23.
Tokyo officials including Seiko Hashimoto, the president of the organizing committee, confirmed the case and said the positive test was Friday.
Organizers say for confidentiality purposes they can only offer a vague description and few details.
In the current situation, that positive cases arise is something we must assume is possible, said Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the Tokyo organizing committee.
The person is identified simply as a games-concerned personnel. The person is also listed as a non-resident of Japan. Tokyo officials said the person was placed in a 14-day quarantine.
The Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay will house about 11,000 athletes during t.....
New Delhi: From olive wreaths to recycled metals sourced from old cell phones and electronics, the reward for winning at the Olympics, the most sought-after achievement in an athlete's life, has come a long way, much like the Games itself.
Made of recycled electronic devices and pebble-like in appearance, the medals in the upcoming Tokyo Games will measure 8.5 centimeters in diameter, featuring the flying image of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory.
But, unlike previous years, these will be produced from gold, silver and bronze (in this case, copper and zinc) that has been stripped from over 79,000 tons of used cell phones and other small electronic devices donated by the Japanese population.
During the ancient Olympic Games, athletes who emerged victorious were awarded 'Kotinos' or olive wreaths, which were considered a sacred prize in Greece, representing the highest honour.
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New Delhi: India's coal import rose 20.4 per cent to 19.92 million tonnes (MT) in the month of May.
The country had imported 16.54 MT of coal in May last fiscal, according to data compiled by mjunction Services.
"On a year-on-year basis, however, India's coal and coke imports in May 2021 were up 20.4 per cent as against 16.54 MT clocked in May 2020," it said.
Import volumes of dry-fuel, it said, are expected to remain subdued in the ongoing monsoon season on account of lower demand, firm prices and high freight rates.
India's coal import also rose 25.4 per cent to 42.19 MT in the first two months of the ongoing fiscal, against 33.63 MT of coal imported in the corresponding period of previous financial year, it said.
Of the total import in May, non-coking coal was at 13.64 MT, against 10.54 MT imported in May last financial year. Coking coal import was at 4.41 MT, up agains.....
Toronto: An important debate is brewing about free speech at the Olympics. After years of the International Olympic Committee restricting the free expression of athletes at the Games, some prominent athletes are calling for the unlimited right to speak freely including the right to protest.
The advocates include Canadian decathlete Damien Warner, an Olympic bronze medallist in 2016, who has said: If there's something on their mind, then athletes should be allowed to speak. The IOC, he said, is on the wrong side of history.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Olympic Advisory Committee takes a similar view.
In response, the IOC has relaxed its Rule 50 on advertising, demonstrations and propaganda to allow free speech in interviews and meetings, but has stood firm on the prohibitions against political statements on the field of play and during ceremonies. The committee threatens to pun.....
Two partnerships representing 13 local governments combined have been selected as Western Australia's first Regional Climate Alliances.
The $500,000 Regional Climate Alliance pilot program is part of the Western Australian Climate Policy, and encourages regional local governments to work together to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The pilot received eight applications, collectively representing a total of 51 regional local governments across the State.
"The Regional Climate Alliance program empowers local governments to band together to achieve important environmental innovations that would not otherwise be possible. I look forward to seeing the difference these alliances make to tackling climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their local communities," said Environment and Climate Action Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.
The successfu.....
Sydney: Australia will send 472 athletes to the Tokyo Olympics, the second-largest team sent overseas by the country since the 2004 Athens Games.
The Australian Olympic Committee said Monday that 254 women and 218 men would travel to Tokyo for the games which begin July 23. At Athens, Australia sent 482 athletes.
No. 1-ranked women's tennis player Ash Barty will be one of 16 Indigenous athletes on the Australian team.
The Australians will compete in 33 sports, including fielding athletes in four new Olympic sports karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing.
Team chef de mission Ian Chesterman said the selected athletes had endured the uncertainties of a one-year postponement, disrupted competitions, qualifying opportunities and access to training venues.
"This has been extremely difficult for every athlete and each has their own individual story to tell. But they ha.....
Lisbon (Portugal): Countries across Europe are scrambling to accelerate coronavirus vaccinations and outpace the spread of the more infectious delta variant, in a high-stakes race to prevent hospital wards from filling up again with patients fighting for their lives.
The urgency coincides with Europe's summer holiday months, with fair weather bringing more social gatherings and governments reluctant to clamp down on them. Social distancing is commonly neglected, especially among the young, and some countries are scrapping the requirement to wear masks outdoors.
Incentives for people to get shots include free groceries, travel and entertainment vouchers, and prize drawings. The president of Cyprus even appealed to a sense of patriotism.
The risk of infection from the delta variant is high to very high for partially or unvaccinated communities, according to the European Centre for.....
Hong Kong: Hong Kong is still China's wealthiest, most capitalist city. Its vistas of skyscraper and sea framed by dragon-backed emerald peaks are as stunning as ever.
But a year after Beijing imposed a harsh national security law on the former British colony, the civil liberties that raised hopes for more democracy among many of its 7 million people are fading.
The June 30, 2020, rollout of the law accelerated a rolling back of freedoms promised to Hong Kong when China took over in 1997. That process was punctuated earlier this month with the shutdown of the city's last pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily.
The authorities first came for Apple Daily's outspoken billionaire founder Jimmy Lai. He's in jail serving a 20-month sentence and facing charges of foreign collusion to endanger national security.
Last week, some 500 police officers raided the newspaper's headquarters.
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New Delhi: Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday slashed India's growth projection to 9.6 per cent for 2021 calendar year, from its earlier estimate of 13.9 per cent, and said faster vaccination progress will be paramount in restricting economic losses to June quarter
In its report titled 'Macroeconomics India: Economic shocks from second COVID wave will not be as severe as last year's', Moody's said high-frequency economic indicators show that the second wave of COVID-19 infections hit India's economy in April and May. With states now easing restrictions, economic activity in May is likely to signify the trough.
"The virus resurgence adds uncertainty to India's growth forecast for 2021; however, it is likely that the economic damage will remain restricted to the April-June quarter. We currently expect India's real GDP to grow at 9.6 per cent in 2021 and 7 per cent in 2022," Moody.....
The McGowan Government's Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Bill 2021 has today passed State Parliament, boosting protections for subcontractors in the building and construction industry.
The Government has acted swiftly to improve security of payment laws across the Western Australian building and construction industry.
An extra $6.9 million in funding has also been allocated for implementation of the legislation, industry education and compliance, taking the total implementation funding over four years to $9.8 million.
The Bill, which complements measures already delivered through the expanded use of Project Bank Accounts on government projects, introduces a mandatory retention trust scheme.
The Bill gives contractors a right to claim minimum monthly progress payments to ensure subcontractors are not left with large outstanding invoices. It also delive.....
United Nations: India received USD 64 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2020, the fifth largest recipient of inflows in the world, according to a UN report which said the COVID-19 second wave in the country weighs heavily on the country's overall economic activities but its strong fundamentals provide optimism for the medium term.
The World Investment Report 2021 by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), released Monday, said global FDI flows have been severely hit by the pandemic and they plunged by 35 per cent in 2020 to USD 1 trillion from USD 1.5 trillion the previous year.
Lockdowns caused by COVID-19 around the world slowed down existing investment projects, and prospects of a recession led multinational enterprises (MNEs) to reassess new projects.
The report said in India, FDI increased 27 per cent to USD 64 billion in 2020 from USD 51 billion in 2019,.....
Science Minister Roger Cook has congratulated local organisations who have been awarded $600,000 of funding to develop technologies that will support future space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Three Western Australian-led projects will each receive $200,000 as part of the Australian Government's Moon to Mars Demonstrator Feasibility Grants program.
The funding will be used to develop technologies needed for future space missions.
"As home to some of the most innovative organisations in the world, we are committed to harnessing opportunities that grow our space sector, which is key to diversifying our economy and creating new high skilled jobs across the State," said Science Minister Roger Cook.
A total of 20 organisations across Australia each received up to $200,000 of funding to conduct feasibility testing and transfer their projects from concept to next generation space .....