by drought, crop failure and the aftermath of a brutal war. our bbc verify team looks at some of the worst—affected areas. hello, i'm vishala sri—pathma. welcome to bbc news. we begin in france. the final preparations are being made for today's opening ceremony of the olympic games in paris. this is the scene live in the french capital this morning as the sun rises over the olympic city. as you can see, the eiffel tower there. today's opening ceremony will see athletes and dignitaries carried down the river seine on a flotilla of boats in front of around 300,000 spectators. our sports editor dan roan reports from the french capital. one of the world's most

recognisable cities transformed into an olympic park. final rehearsals ahead of tomorrow's unprecedented opening ceremony staged not in a stadium, but on water, with athletes paraded down 6km of river on boats in front of 300,000 spectators and the eyes of the world. the man in charge today telling me he was confident. i can tell you that no stones have been left unturned. it's been now years that we've been working with the government authorities in order to make sure that this ceremony and all the games are safe and secure because there is no party if there is no security. with an emphasis on temporary venues and iconic settings, organisers are vowing to deliver the most sustainable games in history. there's been record ticket sales, although hundreds of thousands of seats remain available. after spectators were largely barred from the last games in tokyo due to covid, the hope here in paris is that this will represent a return to the olympics in all its glory.

this audacious plan to stage tomorrow's opening ceremony here on the river is testament to the scale of ambition and innovation. but at a time of political turbulence both here in france and internationally, ensuring that these games are safe will be a major challenge. amid the country's largest peacetime security operation, swathes of central paris have been locked down — the head of a local watchdog group among many residents dismayed by the disruption caused. the city centre is all blocked with fences, so the people cannot go to work. you have two bridges to cross the river, so it's hard for the everyday life. having called snap elections last month, president emmanuel macron is relying on a caretaker government to oversee the games at a time of deep division. can this event help france at a difficult time? i don't think it's

just for france. i think internationally, we need an event to be able to create a union altogether and common remember and common culture, and that's the way we try to do it here in paris. and with the first medal ceremonies taking place for real this weekend, there's about to be much at stake for both athletes and organisers. dan roan, bbc news. my colleague maryam moshiri is also in paris covering the olympics for us, and she looks ahead to what we can expect at tonight's opening ceremony. it's just a few hours�* time it�*s just a few hours�* time we are going to see the olympic games well and truly kicking off here in paris. there is a huge sense of excitement here that the opening ceremony will happening in the evening later on this friday. it�*s been a long time coming, hasn�*t it? 2017 was one france, paris, was awarded the 2024 olympics, so it�*s been seven years of preparing for this moment for the authorities here in france and the city is looking absolutely gorgeous. there are

some venues which you will see throughout the next few weeks with amazing backdrops such as the eiffel tower and the colours of versailles. sport is what it is all about, athletes from all over the world, over 200 national olympic committees taking part in the events. 32 of them, those exports, will be including a new one this year. it's including a new one this year. it�*s called breaking and it involves a lot of breakdancing. i will not show you what it�*s all about. anyway, tonight is when it will all happen. the ceremony will be different to what it normally is. normally you will see ceremonies and stadiums. well, paris has decided whole of the city is going to become its stadium and its theatre. there will be thousands of athletes taken through the city, along the river send on boats and barges. it's river send on boats and barges. it�*s going to be an amazing spectacle the organisers promised us —— seine. we�*ll cover all of that and the run up cover all of that and the run up here on bbc news but for now, back to you in the studio. meriam moshiri.

—— maryam. and we�*ll have much more on the olympics later in the programme. president biden has held talks in the oval office with benjamin netanyahu as protests continued outside against the israeli prime minister�*s visit. it�*s the first face—to—face meeting between the two since mr biden visited israel days after the hamas attacks on october 7. president biden is likely to have renewed pressure on the israeli prime minister to secure a ceasefire deal in gaza and to free the remaining hostages held by hamas. here�*s our north america editor sarah smith. an effigy of the israeli prime minister with blood on his hands right outside the white house, where the man himself is meeting president biden. the war in gaza has become a significant political issue in america in an election year. that makes this meeting particularly delicate, weighing international diplomacy against public opinion at home. the apparent bonhomie belies the currently fraught relations between these two men. mr president, we�*ve known each otherfor 40 years... despite that long relationship,

mr biden�*s been unable to get the prime minister to limit civilian casualties in gaza. joe biden believes he can negotiate a ceasefire before he leaves office, so he�*s pressing mr netanyahu to make those final concessions that are required. the families of american hostages held by hamas in gaza met with both president biden and prime minister netanyahu in the white house. we came today with a sense of urgency. as you know, as time goes forward, the likelihood of getting our hostages home — our loved ones — home alive and recovering the bodies of those who have already been murdered becomes less and less likely. joe biden can now concentrate on global diplomacy without the distraction of an election while kamala harris — set to take over as the democratic candidate — gets her campaign on the road. she says she�*s ready to confront donald trump. i�*ll tell you — i�*m ready to debate donald trump.

i have agreed to the previously agreed—upon september 10th debate. he agreed to that previously. now, it appears he�*s backpedalling, but i�*m ready. donald trump is having to rapidly adjust his campaign for a new opponent. for 3.5 years, lyin�* kamala harris has been the ultra—liberal driving force behind every single biden catastrophe. she is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country. he�*s clearly disappointed not to be facing joe biden, especially as there is now only one old man in this race. sarah smith reporting. meanwhile, the us vice president kamala harris has had what she describes as a "frank and constructive" meeting with the visiting israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. in it, the democratic presidential hopeful expressed her "serious concern" about palestinian civilian casualties in israel�*s war with hamas. she also reiterated her "unwavering commitment" to the us ally�*s security but urged mr netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire deal.

let�*s hear some of what kamala harris had to say after the meeting. i have met with the families of these american hostages multiple times now. and i�*ve told them each time they are not alone and i stand with them. and president biden and i are working every day to bring them home. ialso are working every day to bring them home. i also expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians. and i made clear serious concern about the dire humanitarian situation there. with over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity. and 500,000 people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity. what has

happened in gaza over the past nine months is devastating. the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth displaced for the second, third orfourth time. we displaced for the second, third or fourth time. we cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering. and i will not be silent. it is time for this war to end. and end in a way where israel is secure, all the hostages are released, the suffering of palestinians in gaza ends, and the palestinian people can exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self—determination. there has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal and, as ijust told

prime minister netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done. kamala harris. let�*s speak to our north america correspondent david willis, who�*s in washington for us. david, there is a very different tone there that kamala harris is striking versus president biden? you're absolutely _ versus president biden? you're absolutely right, _ versus president biden? you're absolutely right, guess. - absolutely right, guess. growing signs of frustration, i think, on the part of the united states in this regard. as you heard there, benjamin netanyahu met with bothjoe biden and kamala harris today and the white house, in a read out of his meeting withjoe biden, said that mr biden called for a ceasefire in gaza and for the release of the remaining hostages as soon as possible, as it put it. tomalaris, as we just heard, went further than that, taking concern, registering her concern, registering her concern about the growing humanitarian crisis in gaza and

saying that the time had come to do a deal —— kamala harris. she also said to mr netanyahu she would not be silenced about the suffering of the palestinian people. some here are taking that to mean that she may adopt a different stance, perhaps a more aggressive stance, towards israel thenjoe biden has done, should she be elected, of course, in the presidential election in november. kamala harris has been critical of the israeli administration. most recently, back in march. a lot of people have been looking to see what she makes of benjamin netanyahu�*s visit these last few days as some sort of indication of how she would engage with the israelis going forward. , ., forward. david, is it an important— forward. david, is it an important issue - forward. david, is it an important issue for- forward. david, is it an i important issue for voters forward. david, is it an - important issue for voters in the united states was to —— united states? it the united states was to -- united states?—

the united states was to -- united states? it is a matter that has bled _ united states? it is a matter that has bled into _ united states? it is a matter that has bled into the - united states? it is a matter| that has bled into the boehly botic —— body politic because there is a lot of people on the left, left—wing activists, who have taken exception to the biden administration�*s staunch support of israel, given the bloodshed and the lives that have been lost in gaza, and they are the people that kamala harris will need on her side voters that she will need, going into the election in november, if she is to win it. so, coupled with the dissatisfaction on the part of many members of his own party, joe biden has found that that staunch support for america�*s oldest ally in the middle east comes at something of a price. david, thank you forjoining us. the north of ethiopia is facing a humanitarian crisis driven by drought, crop failure and the aftermath of a brutal war.

local officials are warning that more than two million people are now at risk of starvation. bbc verify have been examining some of the worst—affected areas. here�*s merlyn thomas. here a bbc verify, we have exclusive access to some of the worst—affected areas of tigray, a province with an estimated population of between six and 7 million. we analysed the satellite images. this is the korir dam and reservoir about 45 kilometres north of the regional capitol to injury last year. systems like this can support more than 300 farmers. and in this image, is from last month and you can see the reservoir and the farmland helps to irrigate a dried up because of the rainfall —— capital of mekele. this is a satellite image of a displacement camp about 300 kilometres west, set up by un agencies to provide shelter to more than 30,000 people. dozens of these camps were set up to provide refuge and humanitarian support following the end of a bitter two year war against the

federal government and its allied forces in 2022. this estimated hundreds of thousands were killed in the conflict or died of starvation and lack of healthcare. now, the war is over but most have remained in these camps, reliant on food aid being delivered there. this woman looks up to five of her children in the camp, her husband was killed in the war. have listen here. translation: had animals- _ have listen here. translation: had animals. we _ have listen here. translation: had animals. we used _ have listen here. translation: had animals. we used to - have listen here. translation: | had animals. we used to harvest in winter. back then, we have the best lifestyle but now, we have nothing. people are sick and there are pregnant women who can not have money for food. our suffering from hunger. food. our suffering from hunger-— food. our suffering from hunaer. . . , ., hunger. aid agencies have ma - ed hunger. aid agencies have mapped the _ hunger. aid agencies have mapped the scale - hunger. aid agencies have mapped the scale of - hunger. aid agencies have mapped the scale of the i hunger. aid agencies have - mapped the scale of the crisis facing ethiopian are based on a range of factors, including failed rain, ongoing insecurity and a lack of access for a distributions. this map here shows data from the famine early warning systems network. it has identified parts of tigray you can see in dark red, as well as neighbouring regions

that afar and amhara are facing an emergency. however, the federal government and the ethiopian capital disputed these warnings. the head of ethiopian�*s national disaster risk management commission told us based on official assessment, there are no looming dangers of famine and starvation integrate or elsewhere ethiopia. the relationship between the if european government and aid agencies have been strained in recent years. the un alleged food aid was being blocked from reaching tigray during the conflict and in february, if you�*s ombudsman said nearly 400 people died from hunger in the country, including tigray. however, prime minister abiy are committed dismissed these reports and troublemakers at the time there are no people dying due to hunger in ethiopia will stop professor alex twal, an expert in the region and a member of the world peace foundation says too little attention is being paid to the crisis. ., ., ., attention is being paid to the crisis. . . . . . , crisis. unitarian aid agencies has become _ crisis. unitarian aid agencies has become adverse - crisis. unitarian aid agencies has become adverse to - has become adverse to controversy. in theirfunding

controversy. in their funding appeals, controversy. in theirfunding appeals, they are less likely to draw attention to the fact that starvation is a crime. the famines are inflicted by ruthless governments. the un bod that ruthless governments. the un body that co-ordinates - body that co—ordinates humanitarian assistance is the funding currently available is insufficient but that resources are channelled to the most urgent life—saving response. if you would like to read more about the story, head of the bbc news website. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

a lawyer for the british family involved in an incident with police at manchester airport says one man has been found to have a cyst on the brain and that a brother of those involved is a serving police officer. in a widely circulated video filmed on tuesday, a greater manchester officer is seen kicking a man in the head while he�*s on the floor. the force has suspended one officer from all duties and referred itself to the

independent police watchdog. there have been protests after the incident. a warning — you may find this report by ed thomas distressing. you�*ve got him on the floor! stop being aggressive! chaos inside manchester airport... no! we�*re normal civilians! ..armed police, some with tasers. he�*s locked up. now, watch the male officer. bleep! first a kick, than a stamp. move back! move back! the man in the light blue is motionless, his mother sitting over him. stop kicking people! the male officer who kicked him then moves to the man sitting on the bench, who has his hands on his head. he�*s stamped on. then, it looks like he�*s hit with a taser. here, blood appears to be falling from this female officer�*s nose. in distress, she�*s taken away by a colleague. and later, this happened. we understand these men witnessed the first incident. they�*re approached by

different armed officers. one is pepper—sprayed before two were handcuffed and ta ken away. the brothers at the centre of the stamping incident recorded this video of their injuries. this footage was posted on social media by their solicitor. his medical condition has worsened. today, he told us fahir, seen here on the ground, was rushed to hospital. what�*s the health situation of both brothers? one brother is still in hospital, like i say, with a cyst on his brain. let�*s hope he makes a full recovery. one police officer has now been suspended. hundreds marched on the officers of the mayor of greater manchester great ——

hundreds marched from the offices of the mayor of greater manchester andy burnham, who oversees gmp. today, he confirmed he had seen police footage of the incident. i have seen the full footage that others will not have seen. what is clear is that this is a fast—moving situation that escalates. there are issues on both sides. it�*s not clear—cut. however, i do not step away from my initialjudgement that this was a disturbing incident. the police watchdog, the iopc, said it was investigating the level of force used by officers. ed thomas, bbc news, rochdale. let�*s get some of the day�*s other news now. one of the world�*s most wanted drugs lords has been apprehended in texas. the us attorney general, said that ismael zambada, commonly known as el mayo, was captured at an airfield near el paso on the mexican border. el mayo is head of the notorious sinaloa drug cartel which he co—founded, along withjoaquin guzman, also known as el chapo. the canadian prime minister has praised firefighters for working hard to save lives and homes from a massive wildfire in the western province of alberta. over 400 foreign firefighters from australia, new zealand, mexico and south africa had joined the efforts to control the blazes.

the fires are thought to have been sparked by a lightning storm and fanned by record—breaking strong winds. final rallies have been held in venezuela ahead of a pivotal presidential election. president nicolas maduro, who�*s trailing in the polls, told supporters in caracas that voters had a choice between war and peace. last week, he said there would be a bloodbath if he lost. his words have raised fears about violence and how free and fair the ballot will be. let�*s return to our top story. the 2024 olympic games gets under way in paris later today. we speak now to lizzie logan, a freelance writer and glamour contributor in los angeles. lizzie has been following some of content and trends that athletes have been posting

about on tiktok from within the olympic village. thank you very much forjoining us. it�*s really interesting because this, in some ways, is one of the first social media olympic games that happened because clearly, the timing of the olympics means that social media has only been around for a couple of them.— a couple of them. absolutely. as i wrote _ a couple of them. absolutely. as i wrote in _ a couple of them. absolutely. as i wrote in my _ a couple of them. absolutely. as i wrote in my glamour- as i wrote in my glamour article, tiktok really blew up in 2020 and we�*ve only had two games since then, both of which had a lot of covid protocols it�*s what i think the social atmosphere was nearly what it is right now. we�*re also seeing the generation of athletes that are currently competing are all digital natives, so it�*s second nature for them to document their trip online and there are really fun tiktok coming out of the olympic village.— really fun tiktok coming out of the olympic village. there are, i've been having _ the olympic village. there are, i've been having a _ the olympic village. there are, i've been having a look - the olympic village. there are, i've been having a look and - i�*ve been having a look and research and tell us a bit

about the trends at the moment. the games have not started yet so everything that has been posted is a lot of tours of the olympic village, people interested in the food and the swag that the athletes are getting. they are very interested also in the beds. i feel like every couple of years, we have new olympic ads that they always they are going to prevent the athletes from being with each other and i don�*t think it ever works —— olympic beds. but they are demonstrating those beds on tiktok and posting the same kind of content than anyone their age would post from a trip to paris — what they are eating, wearing, fun trends with their friends.— eating, wearing, fun trends with their friends. and we were heafina with their friends. and we were hearin: a with their friends. and we were hearing a lot — with their friends. and we were hearing a lot more _ with their friends. and we were hearing a lot more from - with their friends. and we were hearing a lot more from some. hearing a lot more from some athletes that perhaps the general public might have not heard of before, because i guess that�*s the beauty of social media, it gives a platform to everyone? absolutely. in traditional olympics media coverage, every

event can be covered live and unless you make the podium or you�*re on a really popular event, i�*m not sure you would event, i�*m not sure you would even get an interview and when you think about something like the gymnastics floor routine, the gymnastics floor routine, the athletes have a lot of time to show their personality and theirfamily in the to show their personality and their family in the audience but if you�*re, say, a pole vault, you don�*t really get that opportunity. but on tiktok, anyone can show their personality and tell their story and you don�*t need to go through traditional media outlets. ., through traditional media outlets. . , , outlets. other than the beds that look a — outlets. other than the beds that look a little _ outlets. other than the beds that look a little bit - that look a little bit uncomfortable, what has been the most interesting insight into the village?— into the village? something that i find — into the village? something that i find really _ into the village? something that i find really charming i that i find really charming that i find really charming that i find really charming that i didn�*t realise until i started looking at these to box is part of the politics that the athletes get our pins representing their home country —— out of the package that these athletes get. trade pins

with each other which i think speaks to the international socialising that the games brings people together. yes. i'm heping — brings people together. yes. i'm heping we _ brings people together. yes. i'm hoping we get _ brings people together. yes. i'm hoping we get more - brings people together. yes. i'm hoping we get more pin i�*m hoping we get more pin content going forward, personally. content going forward, personally-— content going forward, ersonall . . , , personally. exciting stuff, thank you. _ personally. exciting stuff, thank you, lizzie, - personally. exciting stuff, thank you, lizzie, i- personally. exciting stuff, thank you, lizzie, iwill. personally. exciting stuff, . thank you, lizzie, iwill check thank you, lizzie, i will check that out. the olympics will be kicking off a bit later today. stay with us here on bbc news. hello there. thursday brought with it quite a humid feel and a lot of cloud across the country. at times, it was thick enough for some heavy rain, some poor visibility across the channel isles and some choppy seas, so not a day for being by the seaside. but as we move into next week, high pressure is going to build. that will quieten things down considerably with some sunny spells around and certainly warming up, particularly down to the south. but for friday, we�*re still under this influence of low pressure.

still the wind direction coming from the west, so not the warmest of sources. and that is going to drive in a few scattered showers, chiefly to the far northwest to begin with. but as we go through the day, anywhere along the west, we�*ll see those showers drifting further inland, perhaps across east anglia and south east england staying fine and dry, but still those temperatures disappointing for this stage injuly. a scattering of showers into wales — 20 degrees the high here. more frequent showers into northern ireland and southern scotland and some of these possibly heavy so, temperatures again a little bit more subdued — we�*re looking at highs of 15—19 degrees. so, that is how we close out friday afternoon. friday evening into the early hours of saturday sees the isobars open up, the winds fall light, clear skies for a time. but we have got this little weak weather front starting to develop, enhancing more showers out to the west, but it means low single figures to greet us first thing for the start of our weekend. a quiet start for many, particularly in sheltered eastern areas but, once again,

we�*ll continue to see a few showers breaking out from the west and these will move through the irish sea into wales, across north west england and into scotland by the afternoon. again, to the east of the pennines, we are likely to see the best of the drier, sunnier weather but those temperatures still not particularly exciting for this time of year — once again ranging from 15—23 celsius the high. but after saturday, an area of high pressure will start to build in from the west. as we go into next week, that�*s going to quieten things down considerably. weather fronts will try to topple in across the high but all in all, it looks quite decent with that southwesterly flow allowing those temperatures to climb potentially into the high 20s. and for many of us, there�*s going to be a good deal of dry, settled, sunny weather to look forward to for at least a few days.

the us economy steams forward. we�*ll explore what pressures that puts on the fed and the presidential race. donald trump�*s former communications director anthony scaramucci throws his weight behind kamala harris and explains his thinking to the bbc. the former president is very transactional, he says is the

one thing and today could well be for another thing, tomorrow... we�*ll explore why a crackdown in china is hurting big european luxury goods firms. with global instability, it�*s a hot market for defence contractors. lockheed martin reflects on the demands of 2024. and also in the show: as paris gears up for the olympic games, we explore why tourism is tailing off sharply. i�*m vishala sri—pathma. live from london this is business today. we start in the united states, where the world�*s biggest economy has continued to grow. this is according to the official gdp figures for the second quarter. it grew at a rate of 2.8% — higher than most analysts predicted. it�*s also higher than the first quarter when the country�*s economy grew at a rate ofjust i.4%. this is seen as an encouraging sign that the fed might lower interest rates when they next meet in september. so what did the us do

right in this quarter and what lessons have been learned?