Syrian athletes train twice as hard for Olympics due to COVID-19 restrictions, sanctions

'We don't think Syria is in any way a safe place,' says UNHCR spokesman After a Syrian journalist was arrested in Jordan this month some media freedom advocates linked the case to a recent thaw in Jordan-Syria relations, suggesting Syria had asked Jordan to silence opposition voices.

A video distributed by the International Olympic Committee is not enough to reassure the tennis world. The Women's Tennis Association is suspending all tournaments in China until it is sure that doubles star Peng Shuai is safe and sound, following the 35-year-old Peng's quickly deleted post on Chinese social media last month denouncing sexual assault by a former vice premier. How far will the ripple effects go?

The two leaders talked via videolink amid a tense standoff over Ukraine. US officials said Russia would face severe sanctions if troops crossed the border into Ukranian territory.

South Korea garnered early success in battling COVID-19. But as the country has begun to open up, daily case numbers have hit new highs. The government is considering reimposing restrictions. For businesses already struggling, that is not good news.

China warned Western nations on Thursday they would "pay the price" for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

For thousands of migrants, hitching a ride on a freight train is the fastest way to get to the USA. But this route is also one of the most perilous.

IOC senior member Dick Pound told German radio that China would allow athletes to speak freely during news conferences. He said politics does not factor into decision-making on events.

Archery is becoming one of the interesting, competitive games and recreational activities in the country. Introduced officially in Nigeria in 1997 after the Nigerian Archery Federation was founded, it got affiliated to the World Archery in the same year. Since then, professional archers and team coaches in Nigeria have been training new archers in order to get the country represented at international championships. Currently, the organisation has its eye set on the 2024 Olympics game in Paris.

Government officials in Bangladesh denounced US sanctions but activists hailed them as a step forward for human rights in the country. The measures were implemented over rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.

The US Commerce Department sanctioned Chinese surveillance and biotechnology companies over rights abuses. The Biden administration expressed concern that US technology could be used in abusing Uyghur people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the European Union to act swiftly, as concern grows over Russia's military buildup on the border to Ukraine. Coming up with a sanctions policy after an invasion would be too late, he said.

The United States has announced a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing over China’s “egregious” rights abuses, a move the Chinese government has said would be met with “resolute countermeasures”.