Briefly

FRANCE

Shock after Macron slapped in the face

French President Emmanuel Macron was slapped in the face while greeting a crowd in southeastern France on Tuesday, in a shock incident he shrugged off as "isolated" but which drew widespread condemnation in a tense political climate. Video footage on social media shows Macron shaking hands with voters when a man in a green T-shirt takes hold of his forearm and slaps him. Someone can be heard in the video shouting an old French royalist battle cry, and "Down with Macronism". His bodyguards quickly intervened and two people were detained after the incident in the village of Tain l'Hermitage.

JAPAN

Govt edges toward local fans only for Games

Japan is leaning toward allowing domestic spectators at the Tokyo Olympics despite the COVID-19 pandemic, media reported on Wednesday, with organizers planning to monitor the movements of foreign media to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. More Japanese government officials and 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizers are in favor of holding the Games with domestic spectators as COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out and case numbers decline, the Asahi newspaper reported, without citing sources.

Xinhua - Agencies