Thousands stage pro-Palestinian protests worldwide, on eve of 7th October attack that triggered Gaza war
Paris, France Reuters Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in cities around the world on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the deadly 7th October Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. Demonstrations were held in major cities from Jakarta to Istanbul to Rabat, and followed protests on Saturday in […]
Thousands around the world protest Middle East war as 7th October anniversary nears
Paris, France/ Washington DC, US Reuters Thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities around the world on Saturday demanding an end to bloodshed in Gaza and the wider Middle East as the start of Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary. About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London […]
France’s “beautiful dream” fades as Games give way to political deadlock
Paris, France Reuters The Paris Olympics delivered a dazzling summertime success that charmed the world and reaffirmed French national pride. But the hangover will be tough. With Sunday’s closing ceremony over, President Emmanuel Macron must now deal with a self-created political crisis that he had swept under the carpet until the Games were over. French […]
Bittersweet Olympic experience for some in Paris suburb, home of Games
Saint-Denis, France Reuters After enduring years of construction work on the Olympic Village opposite her block of flats, 15-year-old schoolgirl Enda Fofana had hoped for a free ticket to see the Paris 2024 Games. It never materialised. The teenager lives in Seine-Saint-Denis, a gritty, racially mixed suburb reaching northeast away from the capital, where the […]
Vatican saddened by Olympic ceremony skit resembling ‘Last Supper’
Vatican City Reuters The Vatican said on Saturday it had been saddened by a skit at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony appearing to parody Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting. “The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in […]
Pouring rain disrupts Games after drenched opening ceremony
Paris, France Reuters Pouring rain in Paris on Saturday forced the men’s Olympics street skateboarding competition to be postponed and tennis matches were also delayed, while athletes had mixed feelings about how to cope with the unexpectedly wet weather. On Friday, a dazzling but soaked opening ceremony for the Summer Games saw thousands of athletes […]
As Olympics get underway, French Catholics hold prayer vigil for athletes
RNS On Thursday, hundreds of French Catholics gathered in the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis, the northern Paris suburb hosting the Olympic Village, to pray and bless athletes before the competition’s Friday opening. Joseph Green, a 22-year-old track-and-field runner from Guam, broke into tears as the crowd massed around him in a prayer chain. “It got […]
Flotilla on Seine, rain and Celine Dion mark start of Paris Olympics
Updated: 8am (AEST) Paris, France Reuters French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Olympic Games open on Friday after a soaking wet ceremony in which athletes were cheered by the crowd along the Seine, dancers took to the roofs of Paris and Lady Gaga sang a French cabaret song. France’s three-time Olympic gold medallists Marie-Jose Perec […]
Saboteurs hit French railways hours before Olympic ceremony, heightening security concerns
Paris, France Reuters Saboteurs struck France’s TGV high-speed train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks that caused chaos on the country’s busiest rail lines and heightened security concerns ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in Paris later on Friday. The coordinated sabotage took place as France mounted a massive security operation involving tens […]
Paris to kick off 2024 Games under tight security
Paris, France Reuters France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympics opening ceremony through the heart of Paris, officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions. Some 45,000 police, 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 private security staff will ensure the safety of the parade […]