Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, has declared a laser incident involving a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft last week is an “act of intimidation” by China. Australia’s defence department reported a laser emanating from a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel illuminated a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft last Thursday when the Chinese ship was sailing east through the Arafura sea. On Sunday, the prime minister characterised the episode as “a reckless and irresponsible act that should not have occurred”. Thursday’s incident in waters to the north of Australia followed days of…
Day: February 19, 2022
Beijing Olympics: Why Mikaela Shiffrin Stumbled, and Why We All Stumble
Watching a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist skier stumble — not once, not twice, but three times — at the Beijing Olympics was both extraordinary and painfully ordinary. No matter how well we prepare ourselves, how focused we are, what mental exercises we do to get ready, the reality is: These things happen. Mikaela Shiffrin herself seemed baffled as she talked to reporters after tripping on a gate and failing to finish the women’s Alpine combined race on Thursday, her third disastrous mishap at the Games. “I didn’t feel…
Australia accuses China of shining laser at warplane
Australia has accused Beijing of interfering in its domestic politics, banned Chinese telecom giant Huawei from building Australian tech infrastructure and called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19, first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. BBC
‘Openly British’ Kenworthy signs off with criticism of IOC over human rights
The British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, said on Saturday the International Olympic Committee should take a host nation’s stance on human rights issues into consideration when awarding the Games. Rights groups have long criticised the IOC’s choice of Beijing as 2022 host and several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, mounted diplomatic boycotts to protest against China’s treatment of its minority Muslim Uyghur population, which the US deems to be genocide. China denies allegations of human rights abuses. “I am absolutely a…
See Pivotal Moments From the Beijing Winter Games
In a Winter Olympics full of unexpected victories and losses, decisive moments often happened in just a fraction of a second. These are some of the most visually stunning high-speed scenes captured by New York Times journalists. Women’s Figure Skating Short Program Karen Chen, 22, of the United States, competed in both the women’s short program and the free skate event. Throughout her career, Chen has worn sparkling skate dresses meticulously sewn by her mother. She won a silver medal in the team event. Photographs and composite image by Jeremy…