World

There will be no fans, just a handful of VIPs, small parties of socially-distanced athletes and protests outside the stadium – the Opening Ceremony of Tokyo 2020 will feel very different. From the archer in Barcelona in 1992 who fired a burning arrow up into the cauldron of the Olympic flame to the stadium street

Guinea has pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics, citing a “resurgence of COVID variants”. It means five athletes from the African nation will be missing from the delayed Games. Minister of sports Sanoussy Bantama Sow said the decision had been taken because of the continuing coronavirus pandemic. “Due to the resurgence of COVID variants, the

The director of the Olympics opening ceremony has been fired over comments he made about the Holocaust. The remarks were made by Kentaro Kobayashi during a comedy show in 1998 and included the phrase: “Let’s play Holocaust”. Mr Kobayashi’s words resurfaced in news articles ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony, and organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto

Further rain has been forecast until the weekend in China’s Henan province where at least 25 people have been killed in days of flooding. From Saturday to Tuesday, 3,535 weather stations in Henan saw rainfall exceeding 5cm, of which 1,614 had levels above 10cm and 151 above 25cm. Twelve people died and more than 500

Parts of China have been hit by “the heaviest rain in 1,000 years” – with footage showing underground train carriages filling with water. More than 20cm of rain fell on the city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, in a single hour on Tuesday. In the recent European floods, the worst-hit areas of Germany saw 18.2cm over

The Tokyo Olympics – due to begin on Friday – could be cancelled at the last minute because of rising coronavirus cases, the Games’ chief has admitted. Toshiro Muto said discussions are continuing because it is impossible to foresee what may happen with COVID-19 infections. With cases rising in the Japanese capital and a state

At least 35 people are dead after a suicide bomber struck a crowded market in the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad. The bombing in the Sadr City area on Monday also injured more than 60 people, with a number of them in critical condition, according to police. It happened on the eve of the Eid

German officials have defended their anti-flooding measures after torrential downpours submerged towns and villages and killed at least 195 people across the country and Belgium. At least 117 people are confirmed to have died as a result of flooding in the worst-affected German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, 46 in North Rhine Westphalia, one in Bavaria, and

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told her nation that a recovery plan will be in place within days, after visiting some of the areas that were worst affected by the country’s floods. Mrs Merkel, who will stand down as chancellor later this year, visited the village of Schuld, which was devastated, before moving on to

From a bridge in one the most severely flood-hit towns in Germany, we watched as the army moved heavy lifting equipment onto the bypass below. Cars and lorries were visible in the water that covered the road but after a dry, hot day the level had fallen enough for a search and clearance operation to

At least 170 people have now died following “historic” flooding across Germany and Belgium – with fears the death toll could keep rising. The search and rescue operation is continuing as the deadly flood waters recede and debris is cleared. Days of torrential downpours left rivers severely overflowing, leading to waters surging through streets –

Verviers is nicknamed the water capital of its region because the city used the River Meuse to build its wealth in the textile industry. The river flows through the centre of the Belgian town. That’s why there was so much damage when it exploded over its banks a few days ago, turning the streets into

Rescuers are searching for hundreds of missing people after “historic” flooding killed more than 120 people in Germany and Belgium. Thousands have also been left homeless after days of heavy rain hit some of Europe’s most prosperous regions. Cars were upended, power networks went down and buildings collapsed as floodwaters rushed through villages such as

At least 92 people have been killed and dozens are missing after catastrophic flooding across Germany and Belgium, which has left several villages cut off and sparked fears that a dam could burst. Officials have warned that communities in both countries “are still in danger” following Thursday’s catastrophe, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel expecting “many”

Laboratory accidents “happen” and are “common”, the head of the World Health Organisation has said as he called on China to be more transparent about the origins of COVID-19. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been a “premature push” to rule out a theory that the virus escaped from a Chinese government lab

At least 44 people have died and more than 70 are missing after record rainfall triggered severe floods in western Germany and neighbouring Belgium. Forty-two of the fatalities were in Germany, including 18 in the district of Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate state after the Ahr river burst its banks, bringing down six houses and causing widespread