Opinion: China needs to pick a side, and it just might pick the west

SEOUL, August 5 (AJU PRESS) - For the Kremlin, its "partner of no limits," China, isn't doing enough to aid Russia's war against Ukraine. So, Russia has signed a peace treaty with North Korea, hoping to pressure China into backing Moscow's war effort further. Meanwhile, the west sees China as far too helpful to Russia. The sentiment in the west was best captured on July 10, 2024, during a summit in Washington D.C. Heads of state and government of NATO countries

August 5, 2024

Opinion: Is shallow pool in Paris really slowing Olympic swimmers down?

SEOUL, August 2 (AJU PRESS) - There has been plenty of rain, sweat and tears shed at the Paris Olympics this week. But the pool at the heart of La Defénce Arena has suffered a drought of world records that has athletes and officials scratching their heads. After five days, Paris 2024 has seen only a single world record fall in a swimming event. That compares with six new swimming world records set at Tokyo in 2021 and eight at Rio in 2018. Even the much-hyped women's 400

August 2, 2024

Opinion: Can Olympics survive climate crisis?

SEOUL, August 1 (AJU PRESS) - The 2024 Olympic Games opened on the same week Earth recorded its hottest day ever. A different kind of record-breaking will be animating competitors in Paris, but the climate crisis is making it hard for organizers to keep the tournament on track. A deluge that dumped a month's worth of rain on the opening ceremony and its aftermath strained the city's 200-year old combined sewer system. The resulting discharge of untreated sewage delayed the t

August 1, 2024

Opinion: Hamas leader's killing in Tehran likely to further escalate violence in Middle East

SEOUL, August 01 (AJU PRESS) - Palestinian militant group Hamas says its top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has been killed in his home in Tehran. It blames Israel for the attack, saying it was "a Zionist airstrike on his residence in Tehran after he participated in the inauguration of Iran's new president." Iran has not yet given any details on how Haniyeh was killed, but says it is under investigation. With the war in Gaza showing no sign of abating and the who

August 1, 2024

Opinion: Fewer cities can afford to host Olympics, but Paris 2024 may be clever enough to turn profit

SEOUL, July 31 (AJU PRESS) - Many of the world's best athletes are currently competing in the first Olympic Games to be held in Paris since 1924. The French capital is buoyant with excitement and its local businesses filled with paying tourists from all over the world. Indeed, it's difficult not to be tempted into booking a weekend getaway to see the spectacle up close. But are the Olympics really a good deal for host cities? The evidence suggests a resounding no. Host citie

July 31, 2024

Opinion: Is Paris Olympics' open-water swimming in the Seine safe?

SEOUL, July 30 (AJU PRESS) - Open-water swimming events at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris could be scuppered by the Seine river, where bathing has been prohibited since 1923. Faecal contamination of the Seine, which winds 777 kilometers through northern France, exceeded the bathing quality standard for safe swimming just two days before the men's and women's triathlon races. Athletes testing the waters before making the plunge to compete have become accustome

July 30, 2024

Opinion: Can Israel and Hezbollah be pulled back from the brink of war?

SEOUL, July 29 (AJU PRESS) - The Middle East is on the brink of a possibly devastating regional war, with hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reaching an extremely dangerous level. Washington has engaged in intense diplomacy to persuade the protagonists to pull back from the brink. But U.S. efforts have not paid off so far, given its lack of sufficient leverage with both sides. A grand bargain involving Israel, Hezbollah and their outside supporters is now urgently needed to av

July 29, 2024

Opinion: Paris opening ceremony was tribute to witnessing superhuman feats of the extraordinary

SEOUL, July 27 (AJU PRESS) - There has never been an opening ceremony quite like it. For the first time in Olympic Games history, the ceremony took place outside a stadium arena. Despite a rainy and miserable Paris evening, enormous crowds – most who paid no fee to attend – lined the banks of the Seine to witness this outdoor promenade of history, art and sport as 100 boats carrying 10,500 athletes sailed down the river. Designed to showcase the depth of French culture a

July 27, 2024

Opinion: 83 bottles of wine per person: how experts are calculating Paris Olympics' carbon footprint

SEOUL, July 26 (AJU PRESS) - The 2024 Paris Olympics aim to be the greenest edition on record, and the first compatible with the Paris climate agreement. Talk of "green games" goes back to April 2021. At the time, the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) had even aspired to carbon neutrality by removing more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than those generated by the games. However, the reference to net zero was quietly dropped in subsequent communications.

July 26, 2024

Opinion: Paris Olympics promote sustainability for good reason: Climate change is putting athletes and their sports at risk

SEOUL, July 25 (AJU PRESS) - Europe is in the midst of a heat wave, and while Olympic athletes in Paris for the 2024 Summer Games might be spared the worst of it, the weather will still be hot. As global temperatures have risen, major sporting events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup have had to adapt to high heat and extreme storms to keep athletes and fans safe and allow the games to go on. Olympic organizers have moved events such as marathons to early mornings and even to coo

July 25, 2024