- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
- Israel bombs Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon after wave of deadly blasts
- Bank of England freezes rate after jumbo US cut
- Playing Nadal is 'kind of a nightmare', says Alcaraz
- Portugal tackles last of deadly northern forest fires
- Ton-up Ashwin lifts India to 339-6 against Bangladesh
- Departing NATO chief warns US against 'isolationism'
- Coming winter 'sternest test yet' for Ukraine energy grid
- Evacuations as tail of Storm Boris floods northeast Italy
- Lebanon's Hezbollah reeling after second wave of deadly blasts
- Taiwan recognises same-sex marriages between Chinese, Taiwanese
- Stock markets rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Gabon's ousted leader Bongo says renouncing politics for good
- Lebanon device blasts: what we know about deadly attacks
- Equity markets rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Late Harrods owner Al-Fayed accused of rape: BBC
- Hong Kong man sentenced 14 months for wearing 'seditious' T-shirt
- Lebanon's Hezbollah in disarray after second wave of deadly blasts
- Equity markets, yen rally after jumbo US rate cut
- Meta and Spotify blast EU decisions on AI
- Hasan takes three as Bangladesh rattle India in first Test
- Two killed during police operation in New Caledonia
- Flood-hit region leaders to meet in Poland to discuss EU aid
- Sri Lanka to vote in first poll since economic collapse
- Hong Kong probe finds Cathay Airbus defect could cause 'extensive' damage
- AI development cannot be left to market whim, UN experts warn
- All Blacks primed for 'hell' of a Wallabies clash
- Japan firm says no longer makes radio reportedly used in Lebanon blasts
- Zoom fatigue? Try some nature in your background: study
China's bubble bullet trains start Winter Olympics venue dash
China on Friday launched a special bullet train service to speed athletes to Winter Olympics venues in a bubble separating them from the rest of the population.
With the Beijing Games starting on February 4, international delegates, media personnel, and some athletes have already begun arriving.
Boasting ski storage, some braille areas for Paralympic athletes, and a live television studio in one carriage for the state broadcaster, the trains will shuttle attendees at speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour (217 miles per hour).
"The layout of carriages is different from that in ordinary trains," conductor Lu Pan of the China Railway Beijing Group told AFP.
Multiple carriages are within a "closed loop" separated from the others by an empty isolation cabin, she said.
There are also limited seats outside the sealed areas for regular commuters.
China is sticking to a strict zero-Covid policy, to reduce any chance of the coronavirus spreading.
The high-speed trains will ferry participants along a 174-kilometre track between venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou -- a resort city hosting several events.
The designated services officially run from Friday to March 16, state media reported.
One of the dozens of dedicated train services has a carriage repurposed into a studio, allowing state media to broadcast as it zooms through snowy landscapes -- with help from hundreds of 5G base stations installed along the line.
The line cost about 58.4 billion yuan ($9.2 billion) to build, according to The Beijing News, and started operations in 2019, cutting the usual travel time to Zhangjiakou from around three hours to around 50 minutes.
Tensions are running high ahead of the Games, with local Covid-19 cases reported among the community in Beijing, and authorities cancelling plans to sell tickets to the public, allowing only invitees to view the action.
Unlike last summer's pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games, where for example media were able to leave the bubble after two weeks, nobody will be able to leave the "closed loop" during the Games.
From the moment people arrive at Beijing's airport to the moment they leave they will be shuttled between venues, including on dedicated roads within the capital.
F.Pavlenko--BTB