The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics is underway, with a flotilla of boats taking the athletes down the River Seine as an accordionist plays Piaf on a bridge. The rain has for now abated, sparing the hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered on the quays and bridges. Meanwhile, the French intelligence services are hunting those who disrupted the Olympic festivities by sabotaging the high-speed rail lines into Paris -- also affecting locals setting off for the summer holidays. Hospital staff in Bangladesh say plain-clothes police have taken away three leaders of the recent student prot ..read more

The French rail network has been disrupted by a series of acts of sabotage, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers - just hours before the Olympic opening ceremony gets under way in Paris. Also on the programme, a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Ethiopia's troubled Tigray region; and, a crisis for Japanese deer as tourists behave inappropriately. (Photo: A SNCF railway worker carries cable wires at the site where vandals targeted France's high-speed train network with a series of coordinated actions that brought major disruption, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, in ..read more

President Biden is meeting the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. Mr Biden has previously criticised Israel for the number of Palestinian civilians killed during its war against Hamas. He has made clear that he wants to ensure that a deal to end the war and free the hostages will be delivered during his last six months in office. We speak to Jonathan Dekel-Chen, whose son, Sagui Dekel-Chen, who was captured by Hamas on October 7th and has been held in Gaza for the past 10 month ..read more

In his first address to the nation since he pulled out of the presidential race, President Biden said saving democracy is more important than personal ambition. Also in the programme: Rescue teams in Taiwan race to save the crew of a sunken ship in the wake of Typhoon Gaemi; and will Deadpool and Wolverine revive Marvel’s fortunes? (Photo: Biden in the Oval Office. Credit: Reuters ..read more

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed both chambers of the US Congress in a bid to bolster support for his country's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Also on the programme: Germany bans an Iranian-linked group accusing it of promoting extremism; and we hear from the scene of two landslides in a remote region of Ethiopia, which have killed more than 200 people. (Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the US Capitol. Credit: Getty Images ..read more

Some 200,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults suffered abuse while in social care in New Zealand over the last 70 years, a landmark investigation has found. New Zealand's prime minister says it's a "dark day" for the country. We'll hear from a survivor of abuse in the system about the impact it's had. Also in the programme: Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the US Congress in Washington DC today amid protests, and ahead of the Olympics in Paris, there is a spy-drone scandal. (Photo shows survivors of the care system looking emotional in New Zealand. Credit: Getty ..read more

Kamala Harris, buoyed up by high profile Democratic endorsements and a massive influx of donations from ordinary supporters, takes to the US campaign trail in Wisconsin. Also in the programme: why is the UK facing what some are calling a national emergency of violence against women and girls? And scientists push for a game-changing drug that prevents HIV infection to be made cheaply and globally available. (IMAGE: US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at West Allis, Wisconsin, USA, USA, 23 July 2024 / CREDIT:Jeffrey Phelps/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock ..read more

What do we know about US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is thought most likely to win the Democratic Party nomination after the withdrawal of Joe Biden? What are her strengths - what are her weaknesses - and does she have a path to victory? Also in the programme: the battles between the Mexican state and the drug cartels claim yet another victim - Mexico City's police intelligence chief; and a BBC investigation tracks down one of South Africa's most notorious serial killers – Louis van Schoor – who shot dead dozens of black men and boys in the late eighties, but was controversially rel ..read more

Many leading Democrats in the United States have followed Joe Biden's lead by backing his vice president, Kamala Harris as the party's new presidential nominee for the November elections. It follows Mr Biden's decision to withdraw from the election process. Also in the programme: Hundreds killed and arrested following unrest in Bangladesh and anti-tourism demonstrations in Spain. (Picture: US Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and US President Joe Biden (R) react during a campaign event at the Chavis Community Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, US, 26 March 2024. Credit: Allison Joyce/EPA-EFE/REX ..read more

US President Joe Biden withdraws from the presidential race after weeks of mounting pressure from Democrats. On this special edition of Newhour, we look at President Biden’s legacy, reactions from Democrats and Republicans, and our correspondents in Washington and in Biden’s beach house in Delaware. Picture: US Vice President Kamala Harris and US President Joe Biden on a stage in Raleigh, North Carolina. Credit: ALLISON JOYCE/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock ..read more