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This should be any nation's proudest moment - the night when the world tunes in to see local sporting ­legends ignite the Olympic flame. But what else might be on fire when Paris ­welcomes the world to next month's opening ceremony of the 2024 Games? For, as even the fondest Francophiles will admit, this country is now more divided, more ill-­tempered and feeling more uncertain than it has been in half a century. The stock market is falling as investors press the pause button and riot police roam the capital to keep the lid on trouble, at least until the Olympics are over.

Ardent fans are concerned after footage of a red-eyed Justin Timberlake performing at a concert emerged the same week as his DWI arrest in the Hamptons. Attendees standing close to the barriers were evidently shocked and taken back when they noticed his dreary looking eyes.

Nicholas Adams was behind the wheel as the victims, aged 76 and 82, hopped out of a car and strolled towards the entrance of the Dovecote pub in West Bromwich, West Midlands. CCTV footage shows the Vauxhall Insignia suddenly shoot backwards and mow the women over as the wheels mounted a flower bed. The elderly sisters were left trapped under the vehicle with life threatening injuries following the crash on October 15 last year. Just three days earlier, Adams was convicted of drink driving and was slapped with a 12-month ban.

Jennifer Lopez showed Ben Affleck exactly what he is missing as she sizzled in a plunging white swimsuit on a  luxurious getaway to Italy with friends amid their rumored marital troubles. While enjoying her trip to Positano as her spouse, 51, remained home in Los Angeles , the 54-year-old superstar appeared to be having the time of her life as she cruised around the the west side of the Amalfi Coast on a speed boat. An eyewitness told DailyMail.com that the Let's Get Loud hitmaker appeared in 'great spirits' as she let loose with friends and could be seen dancing and having fun on the boat. In addition to taking in the stunning scenery around her, the mother-of-two, who shares her 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, posed for selfies from various angles and even snapped a few of her famous derrière.

In amongst the crowd of nearly 90,000 fans, rumour has it that Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday dancing the night away with his three young children - Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte , nine, and Prince Louis , six - although Buckingham Palace declined to comment. Prince William and megastar Ms Swift have a history - the unlikely pair shared the stage at Kensington Palace to perform Livin' On A Prayer with Jon Bon Jovi at a charity event in 2013. Although this performance took place more than a decade ago, it would appear the royals have continued to be committed fans of Ms Swift. The military band at Buckingham Palace performed a rendition of Ms Swift's 2014 hit Shake It Off to mark the Eras Tour arriving in the UK capital.

In the viral clip, the 14-time Grammy-winning pop star appears to wave at her boyfriend from the stage while performing 'So High School'- a song off her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, that many believe is written about Kelce. Meanwhile, the three-time Super Bowl champion was singing along and performing some dance moves as he swayed to the hit in the stands. Kelce was also caught smiling and looking at his party as if to check if they caught Swift waving at him during the number. 'He looked so happy when she waved at him at the beginning,' one fan commented.

The Three Lions manager allowed the team to spend just six hours with their loved ones but banned them from staying over, despite travelling thousands of miles across the country to offer their support. Each of the player's partners and some of their children were invited into the Weimarer Resort in Blankenhain, where the team is staying, to give them a 'morale boost' after their dismal draw against Denmark on Thursday, The Times reports. This glamorous array of wives and girlfriends included the likes of former Love Island star Dani Dyer , who is dating winger Jared Bowen, Kyle Walker 's wife Annie Kilner and Kate Goodland, the wife of captain Harry Kane. The meet was reportedly planned before the start of the tournament to give the players time off from a period of isolation which had been aimed to bring them closer together as a squad.

Fans flocking to Germany for the month-long tournament are entertaining themselves with good-natured 'food wars' looking every bit as spicy as the games themselves. First it was Albanian fans taunting their Italian rivals by snapping uncooked spaghetti in front of them. Then the Austrians followed suit, breaking baguettes in the faces of French fans before their Euro 2024 clash. Host nation Germany is counting its blessings that widely-feared hooligan trouble has been minimal.

No one at East Brighton Golf Club, perched on the South Downs overlooking the sea, was held in higher regard than Allen Morgan and his lovely wife Margaret. 'They were like royalty'. Could this really be the same couple who stood in the dock at Luton Crown Court this week at the end of a ­sensational two-month murder trial? Allen Morgan, slowed down by ­ diabetes and walking with a stick, was ­convicted of conspiracy to murder - yes, conspiracy to ­murder - while Margaret Morgan was acquitted. Behind the words 'conspiracy to murder' is a story which might sound like a cliché but really does resemble the plot of something you might see on TV or find in the fiction section of a bookshop.

Stephen Parsons, 71, admitted to officers he had killed his wife Erica Parsons, 69, while in the back of an ambulance that had picked him up from the couple's home in Bondleigh on February 11, 2023. Police had been called there after Stephen Parsons sent a message to a friend saying, 'by the time you read this we will be dead'. Emergency services rushed to the scene where they found Erica Parsons deceased in bed and Stephen Parson next to her with serious injuries to his arms. While in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, he made the chilling confession to a police officer who filmed the conversation on a bodycam. Despite claiming his actions were part of a failed suicide pact, today Stephen Parsons was jailed for life for murder following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

Twelve-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was found strangled in a Texas creek after sneaking out of her Houston home. Suspects Johan Jose Martinez Rangel and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, both in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela, have been charged with capital murder. They allegedly lured Jocelyn, tied her up, possibly raped her, and then killed her before discarding her body. The case does not yet qualify for the death penalty as evidence of sexual assault is still pending. Jocelyn's mother and family are struggling to cope, describing her as a loving and caring child, while seeking justice for her death.

Mrs Brown's Boys is one of the BBC's most popular shows featuring Brendan O'Carroll playing an Irish mammy from Finglas on Dublin's northside - but ask the Irish if they like it and the answer is telling. Created in 2011 by Irish comedian Brendan O'Caroll, the show has, since it began, found itself to be the Marmite of light entertainment - with many hating it as much as they love it. MailOnline headed to an Irish bar in north London to find out what their views are on the classic comedy show and were largely met by raised eyebrows, bemused looks, confused laughter - and one respondent simply summed it up as 'a load of old sh**e'...

Nigel Farage made the extraordinary claim that NATO and the EU 'provoked' Vladimir Putin in an interview for the BBC 's Panorama election specials. Grilled by presenter Nick Robinson, Mr Farage insisted the eastward 'expansion' of the Western alliance and political bloc had 'given a reason' for the Russian president to attack. Mr Farage also spoke of his 'admiration' for Putin as a 'political operator - while blustering that he was not 'echoing' his propaganda and stressing that he 'disliked him as a person'. The dramatic intervention was condemned by senior military figures, who accused the ex-MEP of 'playing directly into Putin's hands'.

British police have offered to help in the hunt for missing teenager Jay Slater but their offer has been declined by Spanish counterparts. The apprentice bricklayer from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was last heard from on Monday after an attempt to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus. Spanish police are scouring a secluded mountain pass in Masca which is the last known location of the 19-year-old after he made a phone call to his friend Lucy Law, 18, at around 8am that morning. The force has now declined an offer from Lancashire police to send support to help find the missing teen. In a statement released late on Friday the UK police force said it had 'made an offer of support to the Guardia Civil' but this was declined after local cops said they were 'satisfied that they have the resources they need'.

The innocent baby boy cops say was killed by his PhD student babysitter has been pictured for the first time along with the twin brother she is also accused of injuring. Nicole Virzi is charged with the murder of six-and-a-half-week old Leon Katz at his home in Pittsburgh on what was his father Ethan's first father's day. Police said she killed the infant while Ethan and wife Savannah Roberts were at the hospital with his twin brother Ari who they believe Virzi also assaulted.

The monarch, 75, and Queen Camilla, 76, offered warm smiles to Royal Ascot-goers on Friday afternoon as they led the carriage procession at the Berkshire racecourse. In bright sunshine, the King and Queen travelled with Lord and Lady Bamford, with other royals including Princess Beatrice, her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor also joining the procession.

The Queen was snapped enjoying a chat with former ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell at Royal Ascot on Friday - the penultimate day of the summer society event. Camilla, 76, revealed earlier this year that she is 'one of the greatest fans of Strictly Come Dancing' - which Darcey was a judge on. In addition, the Queen is patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, of which Darcey is the president. So no doubt the two women had much to talk about when their paths crossed at the horse racing event today. (Pictured: Dame Darcey Bussell, Queen Camilla, Angus Forbes).

Taylor Swift Fever has reached Buckingham Palace. The Palace's military band carried out a surprise performance of 1989 track Shake It Off (pictured) ahead of the pop sensation's Eras Tour kicking off in London today. During the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the forecourt of the Palace, the band kicked off a special rendition of the hit single, aptly named 'Changing of the Guard: Taylor's Version'. The recognisable and catchy tune was blasted out in the sunshine by a full brass band of trumpets, saxophones and other wind instruments to mark Taylor's arrival in the capital. The international superstar, 34, is bringing her Eras Tour, which has grossed over $1bn worldwide, to London from tonight. It's thought that over 450,000 Swifties will attend the shows in June and August.

Most chippies advertise a 'catch of the day'. So imagine the delight of this British angler, who caught a cod so large it could do fish and chips for 180 people. Daniel Pipe (left), 39, was on a fishing trip to Norway with friends when he hooked the monster catch and spent 20 exhausting minutes reeling it in. The specimen weighed 102lbs 7oz (46.5kg) and measured 160cm (5ft 2ins) long, smashing the previous International Game Fishing Association record for the longest cod ever caught. As a standard large portion of pre-battered fish weighs 9oz (255g), the impressive catch could provide enough for around 180 fish suppers.

As the final whistle signaled a disappointing 1-1 draw against Denmark last night, there was only one place England star Jude Bellingham wanted to be. The down-to-earth midfield maestro made his way into the stands, bundled up in a dark blue England hoodie, to hug his mother, Denise, who he calls his 'Queen'. The mother son pair share a flat in Madrid's La Finca where she cooks meals, makes his bed and often drives the football megastar to training. The 20-year-old was then spotted embracing his ex-West Midlands Police Officer father, Mark, before turning to his younger brother, Jobe, 18, and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

CCTV footage shows killer Bardia Shojaeifard (pictured left) dressed in school uniform going after teenager Alfie Lewis (right) before stabbing him to death in broad daylight. The murderer, who was 14 at the time and 'had a worrying interest in knives', is thought to have kept the six-inch blade hidden on him as he went about his day, preparing to seek out his victim at home time. He then struck 15-year-old Alfie Lewis in the heart and leg, in full view of fellow school children, in Horsforth, Leeds, last November. Shojaeifard, who is now 15, was handed a life sentence, with a minimum term of 13 years before being considered for release. West Yorkshire Police released CCTV footage of Shojaeifard going after his victim before fleeing the scene.

Nicholas Brunozzi (left), whose son Valentino (left and right) was among 70 pupils and nine teachers who reportedly fell ill with a brutal stomach bug during the spring trip to the four-star Hotel Piandineve in Passo del Tonale, is one of several disgruntled adults demanding answers for the ordeal their children endured. The week-long holiday from March 30 - April 5 was booked through tour operator Skibound, and was the first-ever Alpine holiday for many of the group. But Valentino, 13, and several of his classmates spent 48 hours confined to their hotel rooms suffering severe stomach cramps and constant vomiting just two days after their arrival in the hotel. Despite his parents' pleas that Valentino should be taken to a doctor, the teenager wasn't seen by a medical professional until his return home when Nicholas, 57, took him to see a GP in Gainsborough several days later. By that point, he had lost more than a stone in weight

The cast of Downton Abbey looked in high spirits as they reunited on Thursday to film the hotly-anticipated third film in the series.  Michelle Dockery was among the show's stars that were seen on set at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate as work on the movie finally kicked off.  The British actress, 42, got back into character as Lady Crawley as she modelled a brown tweed maxi skirt with a matching longline skirt and a white ruffled blouse. 

Eric Mailander, a professional marine lensman was photographing over 20 young great whites swimming near New Brighton State Beach with a GoPro when he captured rare pictures of a few of the sharks smiling at his camera. He also used a drone camera to capture the young sharks' movement in the water. Mailander has been helping scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium track populations off the coast of Central California when the one-of-a-kind occurrence happened.

Experts say the male wolf found in Yakutia, eastern Russia , has amazingly-preserved fur, bone and even organs, as well as teeth and bone. Permafrost is ground that remains permanently frozen even during summer months - and can stay frozen for thousands of years. Ancient remains found in permafrost are among the most complete ever found because the ice stops organic matter from decomposing.