- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- McLaren's Norris sets Singapore pace as struggling Verstappen 15th
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- 8 dead in Israeli strike, source says Hezbollah commander killed
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
- US nuclear plant Three Mile Island to reopen to power Microsoft
- Arteta urges Arsenal to take next step in Man City showdown
- Stock markets fall after Fed-fuelled rally
- Top Hezbollah commander 'killed' in Israel strike
- Poland charges Russian over attack on Navalny ally: prosecutors
- Man City have rest 'advantage' in Arsenal showdown: Guardiola
- Maresca has 'no doubt' in Jackson as Chelsea's number nine
- EU chief announces 35 bn euro loan plan for Ukraine before winter
- From TikTok to Hollywood, the irresistible rise of Italy's Khaby Lame
- Verstappen punished for swearing in Singapore press conference
- Sri Lanka lead by 202 in first New Zealand Test
- Brook 'not too fussed' by England's batting in heavy Australia loss
- India's Ashwin 'happy' to embrace pressure
- A modern 'Trojan Horse': two days of mayhem in Lebanon
- Third of Burundi mpox cases in children under five: UN
- Man Utd appoint Foster + Partners to develop Old Trafford 'masterplan'
Beijing Marathon back after two-year absence with Covid rules in force
About 30,000 runners, some wearing face masks, took part on Sunday in a chilly and smoggy first Beijing Marathon since 2019 after Covid cancelled previous races.
It was the first major sporting event in the Chinese capital since the Winter Olympics in February and took place despite a rebound in infections across China.
China continues to adhere to a strict zero-Covid policy, with harsh lockdowns, quarantines and testing regimens imposed after even the smallest outbreaks.
As a result, only people living in Beijing were allowed to compete in the race, unlike previous editions, which had attracted foreign runners.
"I realised my dream today," 31-year-old participant Gao Lixiang told AFP. "I've been running for about a year now. I haven't stopped preparing for this first marathon."
Some runners kept their face masks on for the race, which Anubaike Kuwan from Xinjiang won in two hours, 14 minutes and 34 seconds with his arrival at Beijing's Olympic Park.
The marathon was meant to resume last year but was cancelled again to avoid any outbreaks of Covid ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
On Sunday, runners went past Tiananmen Square as they completed the race through the streets and highways of the Chinese capital.
The mood appeared festive, with some participants wearing colourful wigs, carrying flags or high-fiving youngsters on the sidelines.
Hundreds of spectators turned out along the route to cheer them on despite cloudy and polluted weather.
"I am very excited because many other marathons have been cancelled," said runner Niu Yaru, a 34-year-old Beijinger.
- Shanghai in sight -
Over the last two decades China had established itself as a major host of world sporting events.
But the country's zero-Covid policy has seen it sharply cut links to the rest of the world since 2020 in a bid to limit outbreaks caused by travellers.
The policy has disrupted the country's ambitions to host major sporting events, with Formula 1 grands prix, golf and tennis all cancelled in recent years.
In recent days China has recorded its highest number of Covid infections since May, though the number is still low by global standards.
More than 4,000 cases were recorded Sunday across the country, including 49 in Beijing.
Several other Chinese marathons are scheduled for this month, with a Shanghai race slated for November 27. That will be the financial hub's first major sporting event since a two-month Covid lockdown in the spring.
M.Thompson--AMWN