GLOBAL DIARY
“We will not be deterred by terrorists. We will hunt you down and make you pay” – JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT
SIX ATHLETES OF REFUGEE PARALYMPIC TEAM A Refugee Paralympic Team is competing in Tokyo with six athletes taking part in a range of sports including athletics, swimming, canoeing and taekwondo. Alia Issa and Abbas Karimi lead the squad during the athlete’s parade at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo games. The Refugee Olympic Team made its first appearance at the 2016 games. Ten athletes, hailing from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo took part in the Rio event five years ago. And now, for the first time, a Refugee Paralympic Team is competing in Tokyo. The athletes, one woman and five men, competing in a range of sports including athletics, swimming, canoeing and taekwondo. Club thrower Alia Issa becomes the first female to be named part of a refugee team at the Paralympic Games. The team is completed by taekwondo star Parfait Hakizimana, canoeist Anas Al Khalifa and swimmer Abbas Karimi.
YOUNGEST WOMAN TO CIRCLE THE GLOBE SOLO Zara Rutherford (19), left Belgium on 26th August and plans to complete her journey by early November, after soaring over 52 countries on five continents. She was about 20 minutes into a flight from Iceland to Greenland when her tiny plane lost radio contact with the outside world. As she flew about 480 meters above the Denmark Strait, staying low to dodge clouds, she listened to a podcast in which a YouTube celebrity argued that the only certainty in life is death. “I was like, well, that’s kind of what I’m anxious about,” Ms. Rutherford said. “That was quite funny and it made me laugh. If only she knew!” Ms Rutherford began her journey in Europe and entered U.S. airspace on the morning of the 26th. She plans to return to Belgium after soaring over 52 countries on five continents. If she does, she would overtake Shaesta Waiz to become the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe solo in a single-engine aircraft.
LIONEL MESSI SIGNS TWO-YEAR PARIS STGERMAIN DEAL Messi left Barca (34) - the only club he has played for - as they were unable to afford a new deal under La Liga’s financial fair play rules. “I am impatient to start a new chapter of my career in Paris. The club and its vision are in perfect harmony with my ambitions,” said the Argentina star. “I know how talented the players and staff are here. I am determined to build, alongside them, something great for the club and for the fans. I can’t wait to set foot on the Parc des Princes pitch.” PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi said: “I am delighted that Lionel Messi has chosen to join Paris StGermain and we are proud to welcome him to Paris, with his family. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Messi scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for Barca, the club he joined as a 13-year-old.
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