"It`s going to be a beautiful success," says Claudine Vacelet confidently of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, before pausing. "Well, with the security issues, I suppose we`ll only see whether it`s a success at the end." After years of planning, the Olympic spotlight is set to finally fall on the French capital on Friday (26 July) evening at 7:30 pm (1730 GMT), when a wildly ambitious opening parade on the river Seine begins. Vacelet, 77, a retired orthodontist from southwest Paris, is like many residents who are confident about the artistic flair and ability of France to put on a memorable show, but are also slightly anxious about the outcome.

US President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and called on the Israeli leader to swiftly finalize a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages. "President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza," according to a White House readout, which added they

The death toll from landslides in a remote region of southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, the United Nations said Thursday (25 July), warning that the number of victims could soar to up to 500. Rescuers are pressing on with the grim search for bodies and survivors in the stricken locality of Kencho Shacha Gozdi, with crowds of distraught locals digging through a sea of mud often using just their bare hands and shovels. "The death toll has risen to 257," as of 24 July, the UN`s humanitarian agency OCHA said in statement citing local authorities. "The death toll is expected to rise to up to 500 people."

President Joe Biden delivered a solemn Oval Office address Wednesday (24 July) that laid out in the clearest terms yet why he abandoned his reelection campaign. He wanted to send an unmistakable warning about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump while anointing Vice President Kamala Harris as his natural successor, without invoking an overtly political tone that would have been out of step in the official setting of the White House. He was determined to show that he would not act like a lame-duck president, outlining an ambitious agenda that underscored his resolve to continue building on his legacy.