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TOPIC: olympics

Future

Beyond Ukraine, How To Defend Against Drones As A Weapon-Of-Choice For Terrorists

The war in Ukraine has shown how civilian drones can be effectively used as weapons. Meanwhile in Paris, with preparations on to host the Olympics in 2024, the city is testing some unlikely solutions to make sure the devices can't be employed by terrorists.

PARIS — Police in Paris are busy walking through the worst-case scenarios. One is a drone appearing out of nowhere, undetected because it flies low and emits no radio waves thanks to its autonomous navigation. The reason? They've been tasked with protecting two major events being organized in France: the Rugby World Cup in September and October 2023, and then the Olympic Games in July and August 2024.

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This Happened—November 12: Nadia Comăneci, Perfection From Romania

Romania's Nadia Comăneci is credited with popularizing the sport of gymnastics worldwide, getting her successful start at a very young age.

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Biden-Putin Summit In Limbo, Australia Reopens, Ye’s Beef

👋 Adishatz!*

Welcome to Monday, where Russia denies reports of upcoming Biden-Putin summit, the Queen has COVID and Kanye West is making a list of beefs. Meanwhile, we look at how China’s "great health wall" is making life for foreign businesses and foreign workers more and more difficult.

[*Occitan - France]

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China’s Zero COVID Policy Starts To Scare Away Foreign Business

For almost two years, the country where COVID-19 emerged has been living virtually cut off from the rest of the world. And in the realm of business, China's zero COVID policy has had serious consequences on foreign workers and companies, which may last beyond the pandemic.

It is 4:30 a.m. as the ambulance cuts through the Shanghai night on its way to a hospital in the Pudong district. Disembarked in an isolated building, the Frenchman was first sprayed with a disinfectant before undergoing two serological tests, a PCR test in the nose, another in the mouth and then a lung X-ray.

There is no face in front of him. The staff is masked, visor in front of the eyes and dressed in a full protective suit. There were few words exchanged, but the young man understood that he had tipped into another dimension.

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Society
MacIntosh Ross and Eva Pila

Beijing 2022, An Olympics Mental Health Disaster

This year’s Winter Games has exposed how little the IOC cares about the health and well-being of competitors, and its active role in the promotion of a psychologically damaging sociopolitical context for competition.

As the Beijing Winter Olympics draw to an end after two weeks, pictures of the Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva have made international news. The Russian athlete, who was considered the clear favorite for the gold medal in the women's single event, broke down in tears after ending up fourth following multiple falls during her routine.

Some argue the doping controversy surrounding the 15-year-old, who was cleared to compete despite testing positive for a banned heart drug , put her under tremendous pressure while others expressed concerns for the teenager's mental health.

But as MacIntosh Ross and Eva Pila write, Valieva wasn't the only athlete who faced an unusually stressful experience during these Games.

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In The News
Lorraine Olaya, Jane Herbelin and Anne-Sophie Goninet

G7 Meet On Ukraine, Polio In Africa, Giant Strawberry

👋 안녕*

Welcome to Friday, where G7 leaders meet for crunch talks on Ukraine, Africa sees its first case of polio in five years and wow that’s one big strawberry. We also take a look at the way some countries around the world are dealing with witch hunts (the literal kind) both past and present.

[*Annyeong - Korean]

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In The News

Le Weekend ➡️ Information Is Power, Among Enemies And Friends

February 12-13

  • Talking Tolkien in COVID times
  • Gender fluid in Cuba
  • Tinder for cats
  • … and much more!
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In The News
Hannah-Steinkopf-Frank, Jane Herbelin and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Macron-Putin Revelation, Another Mexican Journalist Killed, Orca Narcos

👋 Γειά σου!*

Welcome to Friday, where that super long table of the Putin-Macron table is explained, the fifth journalist is killed in Mexico in five weeks and Spanish police bust orca-inspired drug smugglers. Les Echos’ U.S. correspondent Benoît Georges goes for a tour of Fender’s factory as electric guitars are back in fashion thanks to the pandemic.

[*Yassou - Greek]

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China
Frédéric Schaeffer

China's Ski Boom Is Bigger Than The Olympics

In 10 years, skiing has exploded in China. The Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and the growing middle class have served as springboards for this craze. Are we seeing the beginnings of a great skiing nation or should we put on the breaks?

GUANGZHOU — Chunli traded in her bare feet for snowboarding boots: "I saw some videos on Douyin [TikTok in Chinese] and it made me want to try it. It looks so cool!"

With her board between her mittens, the young student valiantly heads for the snowy slopes. In Douyin, it is -6°C (21°F) all year long and the snow is always there. No wind or sun. As for the mountains, they are only displayed on the walls.

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In The News

Le Weekend ➡️ Sergio Or Sanremo? Searching For Change In The Old Country

February 5-6

  • China’s Olympics of the absurd
  • The healthcare sector burn out
  • Mother of all sushi rolls
  • … and much more!
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Geopolitics
Hannah Steinkopf-Frank

Games Of The Absurd: Beijing’s Olympics Of Politics And Pandemic

With both fans and diplomatic dignitaries missing, it’s an Olympics that recalls politically combustible Games of the past. COVID-19, like it did for the Summer Games in Tokyo, will also help haunt the premises. The good news is that the athletes will most likely take over our attention as soon as they hit the ice and snow.

-Analysis-

The Olympic script includes the invoking of the spirit of friendly competition as a respite from geopolitics.

Yet the global sporting event has long struggled to separate itself from the biggest social and political events of the day: from the 1936 Berlin Games during Hitler's rise to power to the Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico City Games to the PLO killings of Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972. There were also major tit-for-tat U.S. and Soviet boycotts of the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games.

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In The News
Jane Herbelin and Anne-Sophie Goninet

Controversial Olympic Kick Off, Ukraine Attack Plot, Message In A Bogey

👋 你好*

Welcome to Friday, where Xi and Putin meet as the Beijing Winter Olympics kick off, South Africa develops its own Moderna vaccine, and a 95-year-old message in a bottle is found on a Scottish golf course. We also look at what is making Latin America change its mind regarding coworking.

[*Néih hóu - Cantonese]

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