Plus: Ukraine awaits F-16s delivery, and a champagne shipwreck is found ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. France's rail operator has reported a "massive attack" on its infrastructure, disrupting travel hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Our live page team has the latest news. In Ukraine, the delivery of long-awaited F-16 fighter jets is expected with both anticipation and concern, Abdujalil Abdurasulov and Chris Partridge report. We're also summing up three days of congressional hearings in the US on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and, finally, we explore the discovery of a boozy shipwreck. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Fires cause widespread disruption | | SNCF has warned rail passengers who can postpone their trip to do so. Credit: Reuters | A series of fires have hit French high-speed rail lines, hours before the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony. As Hugh Schofield reports from Paris, fires were started at three points on TGV lines running west, north and east of the French capital. A fourth arson attack on the line running south to Lyon and the Mediterranean was foiled. France's state-owned rail company SNCF described them as a "massive attack aimed at paralysing the network”, with an estimated 800,000 passengers expected to be affected by delays or cancellations that could last the whole weekend. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said security forces are looking for the perpetrators of the "acts of sabotage" that were carried out in a "prepared and coordinated manner".
Opening ceremony: More than 300,000 spectators are expected to attend the event in the heart of Paris that will see thousands of Olympic athletes sailing down the River Seine.
Get the latest: Crowds have begun to form at stations in Paris and also at the Eurostar hub in London's St Pancras station. Follow real-time updates.
More Olympics news: For BBC Sport's build-up to the Games, follow the live coverage here. | |
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WORLD HEADLINES | | War in Gaza: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met US President Joe Biden and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice-President Kamala Harris, who called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama has publicly endorsed Ms Harris. | | Mexico's Sinaloa cartel: US federal agents in Texas have arrested two of the world's most powerful drug lords, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. | | North Korea cyber-crime: State-sponsored hackers are attempting to steal nuclear and military secrets from governments and private companies around the world, the UK, US and South Korea have warned. | | Papua New Guinea: Officials have launched an investigation into a gang attack in a remote area of the country in which at least 26 people, including 16 children, were killed. | | Jasper, Alberta: Firefighters are trying to save as many buildings as possible from huge, fast-moving wildfires that have destroyed up to half of the historic Canadian town, a popular tourist resort. | |
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| Hopes and fears over F-16s arrival | | Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has been waiting for the F16s for a year and a half. Credit: Ukrainian Presidency | After many months of preparation and pilot training, the first F-16 fighter jets are set to arrive in Ukraine from Nato member states. Russian forces have been preparing, too. Some fear there may be insufficient protection for the US-built planes. |
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| | Abdujalil Abdurasulov, correspondent, and Chris Partridge, weapons analyst |
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| | There is no indication that the F-16s have yet arrived in Ukraine, although Kyiv-based aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynsky suggests Russian forces are already “probing” Ukrainian airfields. If Ukraine can protect its F-16s on the ground, the hope is that they could play an important part in pushing back the Russian aircraft to a point where the glide bombs can no longer target Ukrainian ground forces. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Trump shooting: The plan and botched response |
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| | | The FBI say they do not think Thomas Matthew Crooks had any help in planning the assassination attempt. Credit: Getty Images | The aftermath of the 13 July shooting at Donald Trump's rally reveals a detailed plan hatched in the days before - and a series of security failings that allowed its execution. Three congressional hearings this week have added to what was known about the shooting that killed one bystander and injured two others. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | A weird history of outages | Sharks, tractors and an old woman with a spade have all taken down the internet. | |
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And finally... | Divers have discovered the wreck of a 19th Century sailing ship, "loaded to the sides" with bottles of champagne, wine and mineral water, in the Baltic Sea. The leader of the team that made the discovery reckons the goods may have been bound for the table of Russia's Tsar Nicholas I. Lauren Turner hears the fascinating theory - and finds out whether it's worth opening a bottle or two. | |
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Medal Moments | Your daily newsletter guide to the Paris Olympics, from global highlights to heroic stories, throughout the Games. | |
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