Plus: Celine Dion's comeback and rare twin elephants' birth ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Germany is hosting UEFA Euro 2024, which kicks off later on Friday. Nick Beake is in Munich, reporting on whether the football tournament can lift the country's fractured mood. In Las Vegas, Emma Vardy hears from superstar Celine Dion on how she's planning her comeback after learning how to manage her autoimmune disease. Finally, the rare birth of twin elephants is celebrated in Thailand, where the animals are considered sacred. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Can football lift German spirits again? | | In 2006, Germany were knocked out in the semi-final against Italy, the eventual World Cup winners. Credit: Ullstein Bild/Getty Images | Germans fondly remember the summer of 2006, when they hosted the men's World Cup, as “Sommermärchen” - a summer fairytale. For the first time in decades, Germans shed their discomfort in waving flags and displaying national colours - a legacy of the country’s troubled 20th Century. The country badly needs another summer like that, writes Nick Beake. Germany’s ruling three-way coalition has passed key legislation, but is unpopular. At last weekend’s European Parliament elections, the far-right anti-immigration party AfD scored an unprecedented success, with a particularly strong showing in the east. The Euros also take place at time of increased tensions internationally and within Germany, which has seen a number of politically motivated attacks recently. Excitement may not yet be at fever pitch, but veteran journalist Philipp Köster says: “If anything can bring Germany, the people here back together, it is football.”
Players to watch: Who will be the tournament's breakout stars? BBC Sport takes a closer look at 24 promising footballers from across Europe.
Opening match: Germany faces Scotland in Munich. Our live page covers the mounting anticipation for the game. For more football coverage, consider signing up to our sister newsletter Football Extra.
Away game: A club in the English county of Yorkshire has been offered their football back, after a ball labelled "Nafferton YFC" was found on a beach on the north east coast of the Netherlands, 400 miles away. | |
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| Celine Dion is ready to perform again | | The singer made a rare appearance at the Grammy Awards earlier this year. Credit: Getty Images | Since announcing in December 2022 that she was suffering from Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), Celine Dion has kept a low public profile. After finding a treatment to help her manage the life-long neurological condition, the queen of power ballads is ready to return to the stage. |
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| | Emma Vardy, LA Correspondent |
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| | As the sun sets behind the mountains in an exclusive neighbourhood 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, I can hear a recognisable voice singing behind a closed door. "Is that Celine?" I ask. Her security man guarding the hotel suite nods. I am about to interview a musical megastar, and it sounds like she is in a cheerful mood. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | From the boxing ring to the war zone |
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| | | Vitali Klitschko (right of his brother Wladimir) entered politics as mayor of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, in 2014. Credit: Sky Documentaries | Ukraine's Klitschko brothers dominated boxing for a decade, both becoming heavyweight champions. After Russia's invasion, the brothers found they could use their fame to drum up support for Ukraine's war efforts - a story told in a new documentary by director Kevin Macdonald. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Keeping it cool | US cities are fighting extreme heat as the planet warms up. | |
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And finally... | A 36-year-old Asian elephant in Thailand surprised herself and her caretakers when she gave birth to a set of twins last week, a male and a female. Staff at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal have described the arrival of twins, which occurs in just 1% of elephant births, as a miracle. | |
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