Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony director fired for past Holocaust joke

The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee fired the director of the opening ceremony on Thursday because of a Holocaust joke he made during a comedy show in 1998.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/olympic-opening-ceremony-holocaust-1.6112360?cmp=rss

Police fire tear gas, water cannons at protesters decrying Greece vaccination mandate

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters who gathered Wednesday in Athens to oppose coronavirus vaccination requirements proposed by the Greek government.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/police-fire-tear-gas-water-cannons-at-protesters-decrying-greece-vaccination-mandate-1.6112260?cmp=rss

4th Canadian victim of Florida condo collapse identified

A fourth Canadian victim has been identified nearly four weeks after the June collapse of a 12-storey condo tower in Surfside, Fla., that killed more than 90 people.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/miami-condo-collapse-fourth-canadian-victim-identified-1.6112011?cmp=rss

Biden nominates David Cohen as pick for ambassador to Canada

U.S. President Joe Biden has nominated David Cohen, a tech executive who once served as chief of staff to the mayor of Philadelphia, to be his ambassador to Canada.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/biden-nominee-us-ambassador-canada-david-cohen-1.6111926?cmp=rss

Liverpool, U.K., becomes 3rd site stripped of UNESCO world heritage status

The English city of Liverpool was removed from UNESCO's list of world heritage sites on Wednesday because new buildings undermined the attractiveness of its Victorian docks, making it only the third site to be removed from the prestigious list.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/liverpool-unesco-world-heritage-status-stripped-1.6111958?cmp=rss

Taliban appear to have 'strategic momentum' in Afghanistan, U.S. general says

The Taliban appear to have "strategic momentum" in the fight for control of Afghanistan as they put increasing pressure on key cities, setting the stage for a decisive period in coming weeks as American forces complete their withdrawal, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-general-afghanistan-taliban-strategic-momentum-control-1.6111610?cmp=rss

Britain says trade rules with European Union 'cannot go on'

The British government said Wednesday that post-Brexit trade rules it negotiated with the European Union "cannot go on" and need a major rewrite, especially around checks on some goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K., straining already tense U.K.-EU relations.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/britain-eu-post-brexit-trade-rules-1.6111372?cmp=rss

Weinstein pleads not guilty to sexual assault charges in L.A. court

Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday to four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts. 

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/weinstein-pleads-not-guilty-california-1.6111458?cmp=rss

U.S. life expectancy saw biggest single-year drop since WW II

U.S. life expectancy fell by a year and a half in 2020, the largest one-year decline since the Second World War, public health officials said Wednesday. The decrease for both Black Americans and Hispanic Americans was even worse.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-life-expectancy-2020-cdc-1.6110769?cmp=rss

Jazz legend Jerry Granelli, of Charlie Brown Christmas fame, dies at 80

Drummer Jerry Granelli, a giant of jazz and a gifted music teacher, died in Halifax Tuesday morning at the age of 80.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/jerry-granelli-jazz-musician-dies-at-80-1.6110699?cmp=rss

China builds world's fastest train, going 600 km/h

China has unveiled a maglev train capable of a top speed of 600 kilometres per hour, state media said.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/china-fastest-train-1.6110819?cmp=rss

Floods in China kill at least 25, military blasts dam

China's military has blasted a dam to release floodwaters threatening one of its most heavily populated provinces, as the death toll in widespread flooding rose to at least 25.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-flood-dam-july21-1.6110723?cmp=rss

Coronavirus: What's happening around the world on Wednesday

Tokyo's COVID-19 infections hit a six-month high Wednesday with the Olympic host city logging 1,832 new cases just two days before the Games open. The update came as the WHO chief noted that the Games shouldn't be judged by case numbers but by how cases are handled once they are identified.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-world-july21-2021-1.6110660?cmp=rss

Hong Kong police arrest former Apple Daily senior editor, report says

Hong Kong police arrested the former executive editor-in-chief of the now-closed pro-democracy Apple Daily tabloid on Wednesday, local media reported, the latest arrest in a national security investigation of media tycoon Jimmy Lai's newspaper.

source https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/apple-editor-arrested-1.6110625?cmp=rss