- Italy extends surrogacy ban to couples seeking it abroad
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- 'Clear indications' India violated Canada's sovereignty: Trudeau
- World champion Springboks to host Italy in 2025, Moerat to miss November tour
- Trump claims to be 'father of IVF' at all-female campaign stop
- WHO demands space to finish Gaza polio vaccination
- Mitchell left out of England squad for Autumn internationals
- Real Madrid back Mbappe amid Swedish rape investigation reports
- Middle East crisis top-of-mind at first EU-Gulf summit
- Israeli minister criticises Macron over France defence show ban
- Global stock markets diverge as markets focus on earmings
- Who said what on Tuchel's appointment as England manager
- Amazon bets on nuclear power to fuel AI ambitions
- Zelensky plan will be 'on table' at NATO talks this week: Rutte
- Harris steps into lion's den with Fox interview
- Macron riles Netanyahu with jab on Israel's creation
- Britain bounce back in America's Cup as New Zealand suffer
- Turkey shuts down radio station in Armenia genocide row
- Global stock markets diverge as tech fears linger
- Tuchel targets trophies as England manager
- War piles pressure on roads, services in crisis-hit Beirut
- Israeli booths, equipment barred from defence show in France
- Tuchel hopes to deliver 'missing trophies' to England
- England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan
- Britain off the mark in America's Cup as New Zealand suffer
- Lufthansa fined 'record' $4 mn for barring Jewish passengers
- First migrants arrive in Albania under contested Italy deal
- Zelensky rules out ceding Ukrainian land in Victory Plan, urges NATO invite
- Global stock markets fall as tech fears weigh
- Musk's X escapes tough EU competition rules
- Thomas Tuchel: Abrasive but effective
- Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook
- Indian airplane forced to divert after latest bomb hoax
- Tuchel 'has to' win World Cup for England, says Shearer
- Duckett half-century as England make brisk reply to Pakistan's 366
- Israel strikes Hezbollah strongholds after rejecting Lebanon ceasefire
- India issues flood warnings as rain pounds south
- Saudi crown prince in Brussels for first EU-Gulf summit
- Thomas Tuchel appointed England manager: Football Association
- 'Age of Electricity' coming as fossil fuels set to peak: IEA
- Markets struggle after Wall Street losses as tech fears weigh
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- UK inflation hits three-year low, fuelling rate-cut hopes
- Pakistan tail frustrates England to reach 358-8 at lunch
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- World heading into 'the Age of Electricity': IEA
- Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad
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Jill Biden, royalty but no Putin: top guests at the Paris Olympics
France is preparing to welcome over a hundred heads of state and government, royalty and US First Lady Jill Biden for the Summer Olympics which begin with a dazzling ceremony on the river Seine on Friday.
No Russian official representing Vladimir Putin's government has been invited due to the Kremlin's war against Ukraine, while an Israeli delegation will be heavily protected as tensions rage over Israel's continuing bombardment of Gaza.
"We are ready to welcome the world," said Samuel Ducroquet, France's ambassador for Sports.
- Europeans but no Russia -
Russia, long a Summer Olympics powerhouse, has been banned from the Paris Games in response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, but a tiny squad of neutral athletes will represent the country.
War-torn Ukraine has yet to announce whether President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the three-hour ceremony.
The new British prime minister, Keir Starmer, who is keen to strengthen ties with France, will be in the stands overlooking the Seine to watch the spectacular river parade.
Paris 2024 "is a big event for France but also for the UK," said Menna Rawlings, the British ambassador to France, adding that around 500,000 tickets had been sold in Britain.
Other European leaders expected to attend include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italy's president Sergio Mattarella and Finland's Alexander Stubb, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
- US first lady -
US President Joe Biden, 81, who has announced he is dropping his re-election bid and is recovering from Covid, will not fly to Paris, but US First Lady Jill Biden has confirmed her presence at the Olympics.
The closing ceremony will be attended by Douglas Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now in the running for the White House.
- Israeli delegation -
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will attend the ceremony, under heavy protection, despite protests from Tehran, which called on Tuesday to ban Israel from the Olympics because of the unrelenting bombardment of Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attacks.
The head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, will represent Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
- Gulf states -
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- popularly known by his initials MBS -- and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have kept their plans under wraps.
But the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was seen in Paris at the traditional pre-Games session.
- Argentina's Milei -
Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip the Paris edition and be represented by Vice President Han Zheng.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has entrusted his wife Rosangela with representing the nation, but Argentine leader Javier Milei and Colombia's Gustavo Petro have confirmed their attendance.
The participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is uncertain, as is that of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- African leaders -
Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon and Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic will both be present, but the attendance of Cameroonian leader Paul Biya has not been officially confirmed.
The new Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, will be there but South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa will skip the occasion.
The opening ceremony will coincide with the first anniversary of a coup that ousted Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum, and the country will be represented by sports ministry official Abdoulaye Mohamadou.
- Royalty -
Britain's Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, and Prince Albert of Monaco arrived on Monday to attend the IOC meeting -- both are IOC members.
The King of Spain Felipe VI is also expected. Denmark will be represented by King Frederik X and Queen Mary, as well as Princess Benedikte, the sovereign's octogenarian aunt.
- Ceasefire call -
Wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places are not expected to stop, but the Olympics will be an opportunity for intense diplomatic activity.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to call on nations to "lay down their arms", and Macron has also called for "an Olympic truce".
L.Davis--AMWN