The virus strain behind the latest clusters of COVID-19 cases in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has been identified as the highly infectious Delta variant, local authorities said Tuesday. The recent spike in infections in the city can be attributed to the special location of the outbreak and the highly contagious nature of the strain, said Ding Jie, vice director of the city's center for disease control and prevention, at a press conference. Nanjing, a mega-city with a population of more than 9.3 million, has seen daily increases of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since

One of the mantras Tokyo Olympic officials are pushing is ``Sport appeal, not sex appeal.'' Head of broadcasting Yiannis Exarchos says his team is trying to banish overly sexualized images of female athletes, so viewers won't see close-ups on parts of the body. German gymnasts protesting uniforms they believe exploit their sexuality are competing in Tokyo wearing unitards that cover their legs to the ankle. Earlier this month, Norwegian women refused to play in bikini bottoms at a European beach handball event and were fined for wearing shorts instead. Singer Pink is offering to pay their fin

About 57-hundred athletes took part in the parade during the colourful opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics.Some opted to skip it because of early competitions tomorrow or to avoid risk of exposure to COVID-19.Moments before the parade, a wooden set of Olympic rings was displayed at the centre of the stadium.They were crafted from pine and spruce trees that grew from seeds that athletes were asked to bring to the 1964 Tokyo Games.Some of seeds came from Canada.

American beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb is out of the Olympics after four positive COVID-19 tests, and Tri Bourne will take his place as the partner of four-time Olympian Jake Gibb when the competition begins this weekend. Crabb confirmed his withdrawal Thursday in a statement to The Associated Press, noting that he was vaccinated and tested negative before he left the United States but tested positive when he arrived in Japan.U.S. gymnast in isolation after testing positive U.S. gymnast Kara Eaker is in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, while teammate Leanne Wong is in qua

Tokyo's coronavirus infections have surged to a six-month high, with the Olympic host city logging 1,832 new cases just two days before the Games open. Only 23 per cent of Japanese are fully vaccinated and Tokyo is currently under its fourth state of emergency. It will last until August 22nd, covering the entire duration of the Olympics that start Friday and end August 8th. The Tokyo metropolitan government's expert panel member says average daily cases could hit around 26-hundred in two weeks if they continue at the current pace. Japan has recorded about 84,800 infections and more than 15,0

British police have opened investigations into the racist abuse of three Black players who failed to score penalties in England's shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final. The Metropolitan Police has condemned the ``unacceptable'' abuse of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka and says they will be investigating the ``offensive and racist'' social media posts published soon after Italy won Sunday's shootout 3-2 following a 1-1 draw. The English Football Association says it is ``appalled'' by the ``disgusting behavior.'' It adds that social media companies should take

Denis Shapovalov's run at Wimbledon has ended, with the Canadian losing in straight sets to top-seed Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Djokovic edged the 22-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5 at the All England Club today to secure his seventh final at the grass-court Grand Slam. Shapovalov, the tournament's 10th seed, pressured Djokovic but won just 1-of-11 breakpoints and committed 36 unforced errors. Djokovic saved all five break points he faced in the second set before Shapovalov double-faulted again to hand him a 6-5 lead. Djokovic broke again for 6-5 in the third set a

A moment of silence marked the end of the search for survivors of a South Florida condominium collapse. The ceremony last night came after authorities said the rescue mission would now shift to an effort to recover remains from the rubble of the condo tower in Surfside, just outside Miami. A former Montrealer is the first Canadian victim identified. Ingrid ``Itty'' Ainsworth, who was 66, died in the collapse in late June along with her 68-year-old husband. Officials say the death toll stands at 54 with 86 people, including three Canadians, still unaccounted for.

England has broken through its semifinal ceiling at major soccer tournaments. A title match awaits for the first time in 55 years. Harry Kane converted the rebound after his initial penalty was saved in the 104th minute to give England a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Denmark in extra time at Wembley Stadium in the European Championship semifinals. England will return to its national soccer stadium on Sunday to play Italy and will be competing in its first final since the 1966 World Cup. That remains England's only international title. England had to rally for the win after Mikkel Damsgaard sc