THE Paris Olympics is officially underway after a stunning opening ceremony on the River Seine. For the first time ever, the ceremony took place outside of a stadium. 4 The Olympics have kicked off in ParisCredit: Getty It has been estimated that was over 600,000 people in attendance to watch the highly-anticipated spectacle. And instead of everyone flocking to a stadium, attendees got to watch the opening ceremony happen on the Seine River in Paris. Organisers revealed that it took place when dusk was due to fall at the time of the event so that spectators could watch it during the day and night. Who lit the Olympic flame in Paris? The Olympic flame has been lit by two French superstars – judoka Teddy Riner and sprint legend Marie-Jose Perec. Both stars have three Olympic gold medals to their names. Perec, 56, sealed 400m gold in Barcelona 1992 and the 400m/ 200m...

A massive and explosive wildfire whipped through the small rural community of Forest Ranch, California, on Thursday, bringing back dark memories in a region that has withstood several devastating wildfires in recent years. The Park fire has grown into the state’s largest this year, destroying buildings and forcing the evacuations of thousands in one of the state’s most wildfire-hardened regions. The blaze started on Wednesday on the outskirts of Chico, a tree-lined university town of about 110,000 people in the Sacramento Valley. By Friday morning, the blaze had burned more than 178,000 acres (72,034 hectares) across Butte and Tehama counties. Fueled by steady winds and hot weather, the flames have been particularly ferocious, licking above the tree line as the fire ballooned in size. By Friday evening, the blaze had burned 239,000 acres and spread into Plumas and Shasta counties, CBS News reported. One official told CBS the fire was...

CELINE Dion has had one of the biggest careers in music and is set to open the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The All By Myself singer has had hits on both sides of the Atlantic leading fans to wonder just how many languages she can speak and where the hitmaker grew up. 2 Celine has recorded some of the biggest songs in the worldCredit: Getty Images 2 Celine has three sons with her late husbandCredit: Getty Images Is Celine Dion French? Celine Dion is a Canadian singer, who is from the French speaking part of Canada. She was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, which meant she grew up speaking both French and English. The iconic songstress is not from France, but was named after a French singer. Her parents named her after the song “Celine” by Hughes Aufray, which was recorded two years before she was born. Music was a big...

LLOYDS is offering new customers £175 to switch to its packaged bank accounts, but you’ll need to be quick. The offer ends on July 30, and you’ll need to have completed the switch by the deadline. 1 You can get free cash to your bank account with a quick move To get the offer, you need to open a Club Lloyds, Club Lloyds Silver or Club Lloyds Platinum Account. All three accounts have fees, but the Club Lloyds account waives them if you meet certain conditions. To get the bonus, you’ll need to use the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) to transfer a minimum of three active direct debits and close your current account held with another bank. The switch service does all the work for you, you just need to let the banks know you want to switch, which takes minutes. You won’t be eligible if you’ve received an...

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Vandals target France’s high-speed rail network Vandals targeted France’s high-speed TGV network with a series of coordinated actions that brought major disruption to some of the country’s busiest rail lines before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The state-owned railway operator said arsonists had targeted installations along the lines connecting Paris with the country’s west, north and east and that traffic would be severely disrupted during the weekend. “Last night, the SNCF was victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern and Eastern high-speed lines. Fires were deliberately set to damage our installations,” the SNCF said in a statement. Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra condemned the vandalism. “It’s completely appalling,” she told BFMTV. “To target the games is to target France.”. Reuters Share Updated at 08.26 BST “France’s live-action experiment in the great man theory of history...

SUPERSTAR Adele has secretly got engaged to American sports agent Rich Paul, The Sun can reveal. Despite months of speculation that they had wed already, Rich actually proposed last Thursday. 5 Adele has secretly got engaged to American sports agent Rich PaulCredit: Getty 5 Adele was seen out in London with Rich wearing a huge ring on her fingerCredit: Click News and Media Make You Feel My Love singer Adele immediately said “Yes” — then FaceTimed friends and family to share the happy news. Pals expect the pair to host an elaborate bash towards the end of next year. Last night, a source said: “Rich planned for the proposal to be in her hometown, and gave her an incredible four carat diamond ring. “They celebrated with champagne at Chiltern Firehouse the following evening.” Adele, 36, sparked rumours among fans by referring on stage to 42-year-old Rich as her husband and...

New York prosecutors ask judge to uphold Trump’s hush-money conviction Prosecutors have asked a judge to reject Donald Trump’s appeal of his conviction in New York on charges related to falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments, the Associated Press reports. Lawyers for the former president earlier this month appealed his conviction, saying a recent supreme court decision shielding presidents from prosecution for official acts applies to his conviction in the case brought by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg. In a response filed today, prosecutors said that was not the case. Here’s more, from the AP: The Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a court filing that the high court’s opinion “has no bearing” on the hush money case and does not support vacating the jury’s unanimous verdict or dismissing the case. Prosecutors said Trump’s lawyers failed to raise the immunity issue in a timely fashion and that, even so,...

DRIVERS have been warned by the DVLA over a sneaky scam that could see their personal details stolen and used to “commit fraud”. An influx of misleading websites, fake email addresses and suspicious text messages have led to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) reminding road users what to look out for. 4 The DVLA have warned drivers of misleading websites, fake email addresses and suspicious text messagesCredit: Getty 4 They’ve explained to users what to look out forCredit: Alamy In a recent post, the DVLA warned of the tricks thieves try to steal unknowing users’ personal information and data. According to the warning, drivers could be duped into handing over bank details, driving licence information or even passwords To combat this, the DVLA have encouraged drivers to check they are using the official DVLA site at all times when trying to access services. Posting on social media, the...

PRESIDENT Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office for the first time since announcing his decision to drop out of the race for the White House. Biden, 81, explained his rationale for dropping out after weeks of believing that he was the only candidate to beat former President Donald Trump. 7 President Joe Biden addressed the nation for the first time after dropping out of the race 7 Biden’s family was present at the Oval Office while he gave his speechCredit: AP 7 Biden hugging his daughter, Ashley Biden, as his daughter-in-law, son, and wife stand on the sideCredit: AP 7 Hunter Biden, his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, Howard Krein, Ashley Biden, and Jill Biden watch on during the President’s speechCredit: Getty “The defense of democracy is more important than any title,” Biden said. “I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people. But this sacred...

‘History in your hands’: Joe Biden says ‘time for younger voices’ as he urges Americans to unite to save US democracy In a speech marking both the conclusion of his re-election campaign and the beginning of the end of his more than five decades in politics, Joe Biden warned America that the fight for democracy was far from finished. While he never said Donald Trump’s name aloud, his speech focusing on the accomplishments of his term and vows to keep fighting for his priorities was heavy on references to what he believes is the existential threat the Republican candidate poses to the country’s values. “It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake I think, is more important than any title,” Biden said, and noted that when he took office, the country was recovering not just from...