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Three athletes positive for Covid inside Beijing Olympic bubble
AFP
Three athletes attending training events for the Beijing Winter Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19, Chinese officials said Thursday, with the country on high alert against the coronavirus ahead of the Games.
Beijing 2022 organisers have left nothing to chance with the games set to start in February, restricting entry to the capital and insisting on daily virus tests for thousands of athletes who will be kept within a “closed-loop” bubble.
One of the athletes, a foreign luger, tested positive at the airport when entering the country and was sent to a quarantine hotel along with another infected teammate as they had no symptoms, officials said last week.
But a third person has now tested positive — another luger and a close contact of the earlier cases, Zhao Weidong, an Olympics organising committee member, said on Thursday.
The latest patient is asymptomatic and has also been transferred to a quarantine facility for “medical observation,” Zhao said at a press conference.
Authorities are continuing to “test people, materials and the environment, as well as conducting health monitoring and disinfecting the environment,” Zhao added.
China is gearing up to tackle one of the largest challenges to its zero-Covid strategy as thousands of athletes are expected to descend on Beijing for the games, which will be held from February 4 to 20.
City authorities this week imposed strict new rules on inbound travellers, requiring all visitors to Beijing to show a negative Covid test result from the past 48 hours and cancelling flights from higher risk areas within the country.
China has kept its domestic case numbers far lower than in most countries, through mass testing, aggressive lockdowns and border controls that left some families separated and many unable to return to work from outside the country.
The Olympics will test the country’s ability to ward off the pandemic, with organisers promising nearly empty stadiums and banning spectators from outside China.
All participating athletes and venue staff must be vaccinated, while tens of thousands of workers in higher-risk industries across the city are being tested multiple times a week.
The Beijing Winter Games organisers have said the coronavirus is the biggest challenge in the lead-up.
The event is also facing boycott calls from international campaigners over human rights concerns in China’s Xinjiang region as well as in Hong Kong and Tibet.
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Energy chief says U.S. will restore Gulf oil shipments and refill strategic reserves
The United States is making progress in restoring oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, with approximately 7 million barrels of oil and fuel now passing through the critical maritime route each day, according to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Speaking at the Bloomberg Energy Security Executive Briefing in Houston on Friday, Wright said the United States is committed to fully reopening the waterway, regardless of whether Iran cooperates with those efforts.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transit corridors, experienced severe disruptions at the onset of the conflict with Iran. According to Wright, nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day were initially affected when traffic through the strait was largely halted.
While some shipments were redirected to alternative ports outside the Persian Gulf, roughly 14 million barrels per day remained stranded, creating what Wright described as a major disruption to global energy flows.
“That was a significant interruption of supply,” he said, emphasizing that the United States intends to restore normal shipping operations independently if necessary.
Industry analysts noted that the recovery of approximately 7 million barrels per day has exceeded many market expectations. Dan Pickering, chief investment officer at Pickering Energy Partners, said the faster-than-expected return of supply has helped explain why oil prices have remained lower than some analysts had predicted.
Wright also reiterated his goal of rebuilding the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which has been used in recent years to help cushion the impact of supply disruptions linked to geopolitical conflicts and market volatility.
In addition, the Energy Secretary dismissed the possibility of imposing restrictions on U.S. energy exports, arguing that maintaining open markets remains essential for both domestic energy security and global supply stability.
The comments underscore Washington’s determination to restore confidence in international energy markets and ensure the uninterrupted flow of oil through one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes.
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Trump renews criticism of Pope Leo XIV amid tensions over Iran
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, renewed his criticism of Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday night, urging that “someone tell him” that Iran has “killed at least 42,000 innocent protesters” and insisting that it is “unacceptable” for the country to possess nuclear weapons.
“Can someone please inform Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 completely unarmed, innocent protesters over the past two months, and that it is absolutely unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear bomb?” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The statement comes amid an escalating public dispute between Trump and the pontiff over the conflict in Iran and the broader Middle East. The US president concluded his message with the phrase “AMERICA IS BACK.”
Pope Leo XIV, who was born in the United States, has repeatedly spoken out—both directly and indirectly—against Washington’s stance toward Tehran, while calling for peace in the region.
On Monday, Trump openly criticized the pope, describing him as “weak” and “terrible on foreign policy.”
Speaking aboard a flight to Algeria, the first stop of his trip to Africa, the pontiff said he was “not afraid” of the Trump administration and would continue to raise his voice against the ongoing conflict.
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Tehran engulfed in toxic cloud after strikes on fuel facilities
Tehran woke up under a sky that shifted from gray to black following strikes on fuel infrastructure, as the city has become engulfed in a toxic cloud that is turning daily life into a public health and environmental emergency.
Residents warn that what is falling from the sky is no longer just rain, but a mixture of oil and pollutants. Attacks on fuel depots have triggered prolonged fires, releasing thick plumes of smoke that continue to spread across the العاصمة.
For several days, facilities have remained ablaze, while a dark layer has settled over streets, homes, and even water reserves. Authorities have urged the population—more than nine million people—to remain indoors, especially vulnerable groups.
The extreme toxicity is linked to mazut, a dense petroleum byproduct with high sulfur content still used in Iran due to industrial limitations and sanctions. When burned, it releases hazardous particles that, when combined with moisture, result in contaminated rainfall.
The situation is worsened by Tehran’s geography. Surrounded by mountains, the city is affected by a temperature inversion phenomenon that traps pollutants near the ground, preventing their dispersion and creating a stagnant layer of toxic air over the population.
Residents have reported symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, headaches, and respiratory difficulties. Emergency agencies have also warned of potential chemical burns caused by acid rain.
Long-term concerns are mounting, as prolonged exposure to fine particles and heavy metals could lead to serious health conditions, including lung damage and cancer.
Contamination is also spreading to water sources and agricultural land, threatening the food supply in a country already facing water scarcity.
At a regional level, the environmental impact is expanding, with oil spills reported in the Persian Gulf, affecting marine ecosystems and fishing communities.
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