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.

“They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here” – ZABIHULLAH MUJAHID, TALIBAN

SPOKESMAN

END OF THE MERKEL ERA

On Sunday 26th September, Germans will elect the lower house of the federal parliament, the Bundestag. Although voting in person takes place on the day, postal voting has already begun. Some 60.4 million Germans over the age of 18 are eligible to vote. Although the winning party becomes clear on the night, the make-up of the next government is only known once the winner is able to form an absolute majority in parliament with one or two other parties. So the next chancellor will not be known immediately. Latest opinion polls suggest three main parties are in the race to win enough seats to lead a coalition government. Christian Democratic Union - Mrs Merkel’s conservative CDU has dominated German politics for decades along with its sister party in Bavaria. Social Democratic Party - The centre-left SPD has been in coalition with the conservatives and is running neck and neck in the polls with them. Finally, the Greens - The left-wing party are focusing on climate change and social justice and earlier this year was leading the polls.

AIR POLLUTION CAUSES SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS

Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increased severity of mental illness, according to the most comprehensive study of its kind. The research, involving 13,000 people in London, found that a relatively small increase in exposure to nitrogen dioxide led to a 32% increase in the risk of needing community-based treatment and an 18% increase in the risk of being admitted to hospital. The researchers said the findings were likely to apply to most cities in developed nations, and cutting air pollution could benefit millions of people.

AFGHANISTAN’S ECONOMY IN CRISIS

The Taliban are in control of Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years. But while they no longer have any military opposition, they now face an economy on the brink of collapse, which threatens to worsen an already devastating humanitarian crisis. When the militant group seized power on 15 August, Afghanistan’s internal banking system froze up. Long queues have formed outside banks, many of which are closed, and ATMs that aren’t dispensing money. With limited access to cash, people are becoming increasingly desperate. The economy was already extremely fragile, heavily dependent on aid. A nation is considered aid-dependent when 10% or more of its gross domestic product (GDP) comes from foreign aid; in Afghanistan’s case, about 40% of its GDP was international aid, according to the World Bank.

WILDFIRES RAGE HITS SOUTHERN EUROPE

Southern Europe was on fire as sizzling temperatures swept across the region, causing raging wildfires in several countries. Experts have linked wildfires to record-high temperatures. Europe is in the midst of its worst heatwave in a decade due to the heat dome which is a high-pressure bubble that traps heat within a certain area. Temperatures in Siracuse, Italy, reached 48.8 degrees Celsius. The World Meteorological Organization said that it would be investigating the validity of this temperature report. If verified, it would become the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe. Greece has been one of the badly affected countries, with more than 100,000 hectares of forestry and farmland burned in less than two weeks.