Italian skies ready to host one of world’s biggest ballooning events

Spectators will be allowed to attend events at this summer's delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Only domestic fans will be granted access to venues, and there are limits on the number of people who may attend.

Global warming, a weakening jet stream and the moon will combine to cause more devastating heat waves and floods in the coming decades.

In the sky above the French region of Meurthe-et-Moselle, more than three hundred hot air balloons rise to the rhythm of the rising sun.

The August 4 blast that thundered through Beirut levelled entire neighbourhoods, killed more than 200 people, wounded 6,500 others and pummelled the lives of survivors. A year later, AFP caught up with some survivors who spoke about the lasting trauma left behind by the explosion.

We turn our eye to the extreme weather conditions in Louisiana, where there are warnings of storm surges and flash floods for the New Orleans area. This comes in the wake of the now weakened Hurricane Ida. It slammed into the Louisiana coast on Sunday, knocking out power for more than a million people, including the whole of New Orleans. Ida comes 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the same area.

Climate change has led to a dramatic increase in droughts and floods around the world over the past 20 years, says the secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, presenting a report on the evolution of water issues related to climate.

Storms, floods and other extreme weather events are massively documented by ordinary people using their smartphones. Much of the material circulating online often includes false images that show similar natural catastrophes at another time in another place. We take a look at some examples from Hurricane Shaheen that struck Oman and Iran two weeks ago.

The governing body of women's tennis took the decision after Peng made an allegation of sexual abuse against a Chinese official. WTA chairman Steve Simon said he worried about player safety at tournaments in China.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited wounded soldiers from the war in Ukraine for the first time on May 25. Following this visit to a Moscow hospital, users claimed that Putin used secret service bodyguards as extras to pose as "'injured soldiers" as he's extremely paranoid about his safety. Is there any truth to these claims? We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

In this edition, we take a closer look at climate change in Asia and its impact on extreme weather events. Whether it be scorching heatwaves in Pakistan or devastating floods in Bangladesh, the likelihood of these events occurring is increasing along with global temperatures.

A five-yearly report by the Australian government said the country's flora and fauna was badly affected by bush fires, drought and global warming. It warned more species could head for extinction.

More than 1,300 people dead, massive food shortages, 3.6 million acres of land destroyed and more than 660,000 people living in relief camps and makeshift homes. These are the latest estimates from Pakistan after the floods that have left the impoverished country's agriculture belt underwater. The authorities are now scaling up efforts to deliver food, tents and other items.