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Rafael Nadal will head to the Paris Olympics chasing a third gold medal but admitted his “level was so far from what it should be” after losing in the Bastad clay-court final on Sunday.The 38-year-old Spanish great went down to a straight-sets defeat to Portuguese journeyman Nuno Borges in his first final since capturing a 14th French Open in 2022.“The level was so far from what it should be. Probably the energy too,” said Nadal.“It has been a long week with long matches. Even if my body, I don’t have damage, that’s important – but mentally and physically, I am not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches.”Nadal was playing his first tournament since an opening round exit at the French Open in May.He skipped Wimbledon to focus on his clay-court bag of tricks ahead of the Olympics which are being played at Roland Garros, the site of 14 of his 22 Grand Slam triumphs.At the Games, Nadal will be looking to add to his singles gold from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and doubles victory at Rio in 2016.As well as singles, in Paris he will team up with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.“I played the final, that’s positive. I was able to play long matches without having an injury, that’s good,” added Nadal of his week in Sweden.The former world number one has played just six tournaments in 2024 due to injury while his ranking has slumped to 261.“In some way I felt that I arrived here practising much better than what I played on the tournament during the whole week. That’s something that I am not satisfied with,” he explained.“I arrived here with the feeling that I was playing a good level and I was not able to show that during the whole week. That is something that I am not happy with.“Anyway it’s a final, so I can’t say it’s a bad result because it’s the first final since a long time ago. But I was not able to feel myself comfortable enough during the whole week to be satisfied with the week of tennis that I played.”“I don’t know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already,” said Borges in his post-match interview. “It’s crazy, in tennis it doesn’t happen when you expect it sometimes. I know we all wanted Rafa to win, a part of me wished that too, but something even bigger inside of me really pushed through today... I’m just really happy overall. I really don’t know what to say, I’m very emotional.”

To get his family the water they need for drinking, bathing and laundry, Ahmed al-Shanbari steels himself for a lengthy search through the north of the Gaza Strip.Shanbari said most of the wells near his makeshift shelter in the Jabalia refugee camp have been destroyed.And the water distribution network barely works after more than nine months of war that has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure.Water was already scarce before the conflict erupted in October, and most of it was undrinkable. The 2.4mn population relies on an increasingly polluted and depleted aquifer, humanitarian agencies say. To collect what little of the fetid supply remains can take Shanbari four hours in sweltering heat.He sets off with his three children, buckets in hand, weaving through mounds of rubble and trash in search of a working spigot or an aid agency hose connected to a water truck.“We are suffering greatly to obtain water,” he said.Shanbari said the situation has worsened since heavy fighting broke out in Jabalia in May between the Israeli army and Hamas.“After the last incursion, not a single well remains,” he said.The UN humanitarian office OCHA said most of Gaza’s groundwater was contaminated with sewage even before the war. More than 97% was unsafe to drink.Today, many aid groups describe the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic”.For weeks, Palestinians in Gaza have said journalists about the intense thirst that drives them to delirium, their dreams of a cup of tea and the humiliation of being unable to wash.For the Shanbari family, water is so precious they try not to spill a single drop after finding it.From the jerrycans they haul home, they carefully transfer the water into basins for cleaning dishes and pitchers for bathing.The parents say they are “exhausted” by the constant struggle to get the barest of necessities, and their children are sick.“All my children have fallen ill, they’re suffering from kidney failure, jaundice, itching, cough,” said Shanbari. “I don’t know what to say, and there aren’t even medicines available in the north.” Not far from the Shanbari home, huge puddles of sewage, sometimes as big as ponds, cover the roads.INOPERABLEEven if he could locate a well with water, Shanbari said there is no fuel in the north to run the pumps needed to extract it.Wastewater treatment plants are also reportedly shutting down because of the lack of fuel .An expert on water infrastructure in the Gaza Strip described the territory’s water distribution system as effectively inoperable.Only a ceasefire could get it back up and running again, he said, given the need for spare parts and experts to access the stations and wells. The Israeli military on Sunday maintained that water collection points were accessible in the Al Mawasi humanitarian zone, to which it has ordered hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to move.But people are afraid to go there after Israeli strikes on Al Mawasi killed at least 92 people and wounded 300 on July 13, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.Israel, UN agencies and the Palestinian Authority have all raised the prospect of resupplying electricity from Israel to a desalination plant and a water treatment plant in Gaza.But the local electricity distribution company said the line was still too damaged to distribute power.The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October first week storming of southern Israel.Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,006 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the Gaza health ministry.

British cyclist Mark Cavendish has confirmed that he has taken part in his last Tour de France, having finally broken the all-time record for most stage wins at the Tour.Cavendish had been level on 34 stage wins with Eddy Merckx since 2021 but this year he sprinted to victory on stage five to make the record his own, and now the 39-year-old can bow out in style. “I think now it’s time. I’ve done 15 Tours de France and I’ve created some incredible memories of the Tour de France,” Cavendish told Reuters.“This race has given me a life I could only dream of. It’s given me the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.”Cavendish was able to relax in Sunday’s final stage, an individual time trial from Monaco to Nice, a change from the usual sprint finish in Paris due to the upcoming Olympics in the French capital.“This year was a different finish to normal. Normally, Tour de France has this incredible finish on the Champs-Elysees in Paris and as a sprinter it’s always pressure,” Cavendish said.“It’s the world championships for sprinters on the Champs-Elysees so to get there you still have the pressure on the last day you still have to try and perform.“A time trial is not something I have pressure for because I’m not going to win so I could really enjoy it. I was able to really enjoy the crowds and really enjoy, absorb what the Tour de France offers without any pressure on the last day.”Cavendish had announced his retirement last year but changed his mind in an attempt to go out the way he wanted having crashed at last year’s Tour.“Yeah we carried on. I love riding my bike. I’m so fortunate to get to do what I love as a job,” he said.“So I get to ride my bike for another year, I get to target the most incredible sporting event on the planet which is the Tour de France and I got to finish it off how I wanted so it was well worth it.”He may never ride another Tour, but cycling is definitely going to be a part of Cavendish’s future. “I’ll never leave the sport that’s for sure, I love cycling. It’s given me what I have,” Cavendish said.“Right now I’m just going to spend time with my family as I do after every Tour de France.”

Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar yesterday pulled out of the Paris Olympics citing “tiredness”, his Slovenia team announced.“Unfortunately Tadej Pogacar has cancelled his participation because of a state of extreme fatigue,” Slovenian Olympic cycling coach Uros Murn said in a statement.Pogacar won a third Tour de France title in Nice on Sunday. Victory also gave him the first Giro d’Italia-Tour de France double since Marco Pantani in 1998.But the 25-year-old, a bronze medallist in the road race at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, had been angered by his girlfriend Urska Zigart not being selected for the Slovenian women’s cycling team for the Paris Games.He said he was “angry” and “speechless” in a message posted on his Facebook account.“I need a little rest after the Tour and I’m not sure what I’ll be doing next,” Pogacar had said on Sunday.“And I want to relax and rest and spend some time with my girlfriend.”When asked about the Olympics on Sunday, he remained very evasive, preferring to mention his “dream” of one day wearing the rainbow jersey of world champion.At the worlds in September in Zurich, the Slovenian is aiming for a triple of the world title, the Giro and Tour, only held by two men, Ireland’s Stephen Roche and Belgian Eddy Merckx.Pogacar will be replaced on the national team by Domen Novak.“Once again Tadej, congratulations for Tour de France win!” Team Slovenia said.

Hardik Pandya lost out on India’s T20 captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav because of concerns over his availability after frequent injury absences, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar said on Monday.Explosive middle-order batsman Suryakumar, 33, was last week named Rohit Sharma’s successor in the T20 format for India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which begins on Saturday.All-rounder Pandya, 30, was Rohit’s deputy during India’s T20 World Cup triumph last month but he has suffered from fitness problems and missed the 50-over World Cup last year with an ankle injury.“Fitness has been something that he’s struggled with,” Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai alongside new coach Gautam Gambhir.“As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone who is likely to be available more.”India begin their Sri Lanka trip with the first of three Twenty20 internationals on Saturday and Pandya has reportedly opted out of the three subsequent one-day internationals.He was “still a very important player,” Agarkar said.“And that’s what we want him to be, those skill sets are hard to find.”Agarkar praised Suryakumar’s captaincy credentials.“He is one of the best T20 batters in the world,” said Agarkar.“We feel that Surya has all the necessary qualities to be a good captain.“We wanted a captain, who is likely to play all the games.”Suryakumar would remain solely a T20 player, said Agarkar. Rohit has retained the 50-over captaincy.Gambhir explained his coaching philosophy, speaking to reporters for the first time since succeeding Rahul Dravid.“I think it is important to give players the freedom, that’s what I believe in,” he said.“The best relationship is built on trust. I can promise that the most important thing is that they will always have my back.”Gambhir also believes veteran batsmen Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can both continue playing until the 2027 World Cup if they remain fit but said that the decision was entirely up to them.Rohit, 37, and his opening partner Kohli, 35, quit Twenty20 Internationals last month after the team’s victory in the World Cup final against South Africa in Bridgetown but both men will continue to play Test and 50-overs cricket.Speaking in his first press conference since replacing Rahul Dravid at the helm of the national team this month, Gambhir said the two stalwarts still had plenty to offer.“I think they’ve shown what they can deliver on the big stage, whether it’s the T20 World Cup or the 50-over World Cup,” Gambhir told reporters.“One thing I can be very clear of is that both those guys have a lot of cricket left in them. More importantly, with the Champions Trophy (in 2025) and a big tour of Australia (from November 2024), obviously they would be motivated enough.“Then, hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, the 2027 World Cup as well. But this is a very personal decision. I can’t say how much cricket is left in them. Ultimately it’s up to the players. How much can they contribute to the team’s success.“Ultimately, it’s the team that’s important. But looking at what Virat and Rohit can deliver, I think they still have a lot of cricket. They’re world class players and any team would want to have both of them for as long as possible.”

US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted to Congress yesterday that she and her agency failed when a would-be assassin wounded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but rebuffed calls to resign.“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders,” she said during testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. “On July 13, we failed. As director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse.”“The assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump on July 13th is the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades,” Cheatle added.Republican and Democratic lawmakers called on her to resign, calls that she rebuffed, saying at one point: “I think that I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time.”In the face of Republican claims that the Secret Service denied resources to protect Trump, Cheatle said security for the former president had grown ahead of the shooting.“The level of security provided for the former president increased well before the campaign and has been steadily increasing as threats evolve,” Cheatle said.She added that the Secret Service provided the security sought by the Trump campaign for the rally.She declined to answer specific questions about the day’s security plan from openly frustrated Republicans and Democrats, saying that the matter is being investigated internally.Yesterday’s hearing marked the first round of congressional oversight of the attempted assassination.Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray will appear tomorrow before the House Judiciary Committee.And House Speaker Mike Johnson is also due to unveil a bipartisan task force to serve as a nexus point for House investigations.Republican House Oversight Committee James Comer called for Cheatle to step down.“It is my firm belief, Director Cheatle, that you should resign,” the Kentucky Republican told her. “The Secret Service has thousands of employees and a significant budget. But it has now become the face of incompetence.”Democratic Representative Ro Khanna also called for her to resign.“If you have an assassination attempt on a president, former president or a candidate, you need to resign,” the California Democrat said. “You cannot go leading the Secret Service agency, when there is an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate.”Another Democrat, Representative Gerry Connolly, said the shooting highlighted the increasingly polarised state of a nation experiencing heightened political tensions.However, he expressed exasperation when Cheatle declined to say her job was complicated by the easy availability of guns, especially assault rifles like the one used in the Trump shooting.“And you wonder why we might have a lack of confidence in your continued ability to direct this agency,” Connolly said.The shooting at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounded Trump in the ear, killed one rally attendee and injured another.The suspected shooter, 20-year-old nursing home aide Thomas Crooks, was killed by law enforcement.It is not clear what his motive was for the shooting.The House Judiciary Committee said last week that it has evidence the Secret Service was not properly resourced for Trump’s rally, because of staffing shortages created by a rival campaign event in Pittsburgh with Jill Biden and a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) summit held days before in Washington.Cheatle told lawmakers that the agency protects 36 individuals daily, as well as world leaders who visit the United States.She served as a Secret Service agent for 27 years before leaving in 2021 to become the head of security in North America for PepsiCo.She was named to head the agency by Biden in 2022. – AFP/Reuters

US Vice-President Kamala Harris won the crucial backing of Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pelosi to lead the party against Donald Trump in November after Joe Biden’s stunning exit from the 2024 race.Biden’s departure was the latest shock to a White House race that included the near-assassination of former president Trump by a gunman during a campaign stop and the nomination of Trump’s fellow hardliner, US Senator J D Vance, as his running mate.As the endorsements stacked up, the 59-year-old Harris made her first public appearance since Biden’s announcement in a ceremony at the White House where she warmly praised the outgoing president’s “unmatched” achievements.However, while she steered away from any triumphalism, Harris will now feel she has one hand on the prize after securing the support of Pelosi, the former US House speaker and a prime mover in moves to oust the 81-year-old Biden.“With immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future, I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Pelosi, 84, said in a message on X. “I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”A flood of Democratic leaders has backed Harris as the party’s new candidate for November’s election, building momentum for a lightning-fast coronation despite some calls to show transparency with an open primary.Biden endorsed Harris – who is the first female, black and South Asian vice-president in US history – as he dropped out of the race on Sunday following a disastrous debate performance.He was followed by former president Bill Clinton and a host of other lawmakers, but ex-president Barack Obama has notably held off so far.In a strikingly symbolic moment, Harris hosted a ceremony for college athletes at the White House yesterday while Biden remained stuck in isolation with the coronavirus (Covid-19) at his Delaware beach house.“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” Harris said in her brief remarks on the White House South Lawn, as a light rain fell.Some of her sporting metaphors did seem to nod towards the political race ahead of her, though, as she talked of bringing home the gold and “what it means to commit and to persevere”.Harris was to make a first trip to campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, later in the day – not far from Rehoboth Beach, where Biden has spent most of the last week nursing his Covid-19 infection.Harris’s campaign said it had raised a stunning $49.6mn in grassroots donations since Sunday.A series of other top Democrats have backed Harris, including a number considered as her possible running mates.“Let’s win this,” posted Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, also declared his support, as did Illinois Governor J B Pritzker.Harris must still win over some key hold-outs if she is to wrap up the nomination, but it could happen as early as a remote ballot on August 1, or failing that by the Democratic National Convention starting August 19.The stunning withdrawal by Biden has completely upended the 2024 race, transforming a long slog between two unpopular elderly men into one of the most compelling in modern US presidential history.The move has brought a jolt of energy to a demoralised party that Harris could now unify, and could give America its first female president.It has also hit Republicans hard, with former president Trump, 78 – now the oldest presidential nominee in US history – having to completely retool a strategy that had been built around attacking Biden over his age and physical frailty.Harris’s entry not only flips the age issue but puts Trump – a convicted felon who has faced a series of legal cases over sexual assault – up against a woman and former prosecutor.Trump has seemed to find it hard to move on from his old opponent.He launched a series of invective-filled social media posts after Biden quit, mocking the president’s age and saying that he and Harris posed a “threat to democracy”.The challenges facing Harris remain daunting, however, with less than four months until election day.The vice-president has long suffered from poor approval ratings after a lacklustre first two years in the White House.She is polling largely neck-and-neck with Trump in the polls that have looked at a direct match up.In a head-to-head match-up, Harris and Trump were tied with 44% support each in a July 15-16 Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted immediately after the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump.Trump led Biden 43% to 41% in that same poll, though the two percentage point difference was not meaningful considering the poll’s three-point margin of error.Biden, the oldest person ever to occupy the Oval Office, said he would remain in the presidency until his term ends on January 20, 2025.Some Democrats were concerned about a Harris candidacy, in part because of the weight of a long history of racial and gender discrimination in the US, which has not elected a woman president in its nearly 250-year history.“We should all prepare for the onslaught of attack that would face any historic candidate,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. “Misogyny in our politics is far from over. Racism in our politics – especially confronting Donald Trump as an opponent – is far, far from over.”

English cricket chiefs confirmed yesterday they have held talks with Indian Premier League (IPL) owners about acquiring a stake in their domestic Hundred competition.The fourth edition of the controversial 100-balls per side tournament, which features eight specially created teams - each with a men’s and women’s side - rather than the traditional 18 first-class English counties, starts today.Its future remains uncertain, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) looking to secure private investment in a bid to cement its position in the global calendar and boost the finances of the domestic game.The ECB are trying to balance a desire for a cash injection while retaining control of the Hundred by selling off a 49 percent stake in each team to private investors, with host teams retaining the remaining 51 percent of shares.But the hosts could sell part or all of their shares. “Control comes at different levels, it comes at team level and it comes at competition level - that’s not something we are ceding control of,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould told reporters during a conference call.“Different investor groups have different needs, for some it is about control of what happens on the field, for others it’s the commercial element. “You’re right about the strength of the Indian market - it represents probably 90 percent of the revenues coming into the ICC (International Cricket Council) and we have seen the proliferation of IPL teams moving outside of their home market into other national markets. I think that’s to be welcomed,” he added.The cash-rich T20 IPL, a multi-million dollars spectacle underpinned by the mass enthusiasm for cricket in India, the world’s most populous nation, has changed the sport’s global landscape, with players no longer needing to go through the grind of five-day international Test matches in order to enjoy lucrative careers.There is a view that IPL owners, such as the billionaire Ambani family who are in charge of the Mumbai Indians, would only be interested in full control of a Hundred team.“There is certainly the opportunity for people to have potentially 100 percent ownership,” said Gould. “It depends on the capabilities they can bring both in terms of finance and operation delivery.” The ECB’s director of business operations Vikram Banerjee said while he had spoken to IPL owners about the Hundred, he was also open to offers from American Football’s NFL. “I’ve now met and spoken to, a number of times, all the IPL owners and WPL (Women’s Premier League) owners that don’t overlap and there is interest there, from what they’ve told me, which is fantastic and lends into a very exciting process,” Banerjee said.“I would really hope we have a level of partnerships with some IPL teams, I think that would be brilliant. They have done a great job and know cricket very well.”He added: “At the same time, we’ve just sent out a document and video to some NFL owners that explains what cricket is and what the rules are. “In terms of fan engagement, how they can build stadia experience and bring in the next generation, those guys are amazing. “So, we can bring that blend together, which I think is what we hope to do and that can work really well.”

Julian Guyer Shoaib Bashir may already be a Test-match winning bowler but the 20-year-old off-spinner insists he’s still learning “the tricks of the trade”.The towering Bashir ripped through the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge, taking 5-41 on Sunday’s fourth day as the tourists lost all 10 of their second-innings wickets in 23 overs, with England winning by 241 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Bashir had only made six first-class appearances when he was catapulted into the Test side during a tour of India earlier this year and he responded with two five-wicket hauls on pitches renowned for aiding spinners.But his progress appeared to have stalled at the start of the English county season, with Bashir kept out of the Somerset side by a more experienced England spinner in Jack Leach. Bashir went on loan to county rivals Worcestershire in a bid to get more game time but England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum kept faith all the same.“A lot has happened in the last few years,” said Bashir. “I can’t get ahead of Leachy at Somerset, understandably, he’s obviously played a lot more cricket than I have. Jack was over the moon for me (getting selected for England). We had a chat and he just told me to enjoy it. He’s a class spinner and I’ve learned a lot off him. There’s always so much to learn. I’m only 20, I’m still learning the tricks of the trade.“There’s a lot to work on, in cricket you never complete the game. Going on loan was a decision I had to make to play cricket at a high level, that’s part of the journey.”He added: “I didn’t have too many expectations going into this game, I’m still trying to comprehend what’s happened.”Bashir has now taken a highly promising 24 wickets at an average of 29.83 in five Tests compared to a modest return of 16 at 70.68 in 10 domestic first-class matches. But the current England selectors are not overly concerned by statistics, with team management identifying Bashir’s height and ability to get drift, in addition to bowling an attacking line, as qualities that made him suited to international cricket.“Bowling spin in England is pretty tough, but I’m grateful I’m a 6ft 4in (1.93 metres) spinner because it’s a nice attribute to have,” he said.“The extra bounce helps. We saw it here (at Trent Bridge), if you land the ball in the right areas, a few will bounce and a few will skid on. I’ve got experienced guys in the team that help me make judgments on the pitch, what lines to bowl and what paces to bowl.“I’m just grateful to be in the position I am. I’m always going to stay grounded, stay humble, and I’m just trying to enjoy every moment I have in an England shirt.”

Pakistan police raided the headquarters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party yesterday, a week after the military-backed government announced a shocking move to ban the political movement.An AFP journalist at the scene saw the headquarters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sealed off by officers, who led a number of party workers into waiting vans.The Interior Ministry said PTI’s digital media wing was raided by Islamabad police who arrested Raoof Hasan, a founding member of the party and head of its press department.“PTI is involved in anti-state propaganda,” the ministry accused in a statement without giving further details.Party chairman Gohar Ali Khan, a barrister, said he accompanied Hasan to the police station, after local media and PTI initially reported that he had also been arrested.“I was there for Raoof Hassan, he is our senior and I had to be there for him,” the MP told media.“We are always ready for an arrest,” he added.Pakistan’s ministry of interior identified the detained aides as Hasan and Ahmad Waqas Janjua, the party’s coordinator for international media coverage. The ministry did not mention Gohar Khan in its statement.The ministry said the two detained men were being investigated but did not say whether they had been charged.PTI had said over the weekend that Janjua was picked up by police from his house in Islamabad.The ministry also said the secretariat’s digital media wing had been raided by the police and the country’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).At least 10 members of PTI or their relatives have been rounded up in the past two months, Hasan told AFP on Saturday.He said they had “disappeared” with “no trace”.“Seven of them are from my department alone, which they want to cripple because we refuse to stay silent,” he said.The government’s information minister said last week it would ban PTI, just days after the Supreme Court made a crucial ruling that restored the party’s reserved seats in a blow to the government.Khan has been in jail for about one year, even though all four convictions handed down to him ahead of a parliamentary election in February have either been suspended or overturned.If the Supreme Court verdict is implemented in letter and spirit notwithstanding controversial moves to upend it, it will make the PTI the largest party in the National Assembly.It would be a major blow to the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who seized a parliamentary majority after February elections by forming a coalition.The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan called the attempt to ban PTI “an enormous blow to democratic norms” and said it “reeks of political desperation”.“If pushed through, it will achieve nothing more than deeper polarisation and the strong likelihood of political chaos and violence,” Chairman Asad Iqbal Butt said in a statement.Khan, who says the many cases against him have been orchestrated to prevent his return to power, is languishing in jail on fresh but disputed charges of inciting protests and graft.A United Nations panel of experts found this month that Khan’s detention “had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office”.

President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that France was ready to host the Paris Olympics as he visited the Athletes’ Village four days before the Games begin.“We are ready and we will be ready throughout the Games,” Macron said.“We have been working on these Games for years now and we are at the start of a decisive week which on Friday will see the opening ceremony and then the Olympiad which will be held in Paris, 100 years since the last one.”He added: “This is the fruit of an immense amount of work which has profoundly changed the country, in particular the area” of Seine-Saint-Denis, where the Athletes’ Village is situated.International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach also visited the Village to the north of the French capital, where thousands of athletes and officials are arriving, with up to 14,500 expected there at the peak of the Games.Comprising 40 different low-rise housing blocks, the complex has been built by employing innovative construction techniques using low-carbon concrete, water recycling and reclaimed building materials.It was also intended to be free of air-conditioning with a natural cooling system, but some Olympic delegations are unconvinced and have ordered around 2,500 portable cooling units for their athletes.Seine-Saint-Denis, where the main athletics stadium for the Olympics is also situated, is the poorest area in France and is hoping to reap benefits from the sports extravaganza.Macron promised the area would not be forgotten after the Olympics.“I will come back after the Games to see the legacy with you and to see how life has changed,” he said.Meanwhile, France’s foreign minister said Israeli athletes were welcome at the Paris Games after a hard-left member of the French parliament sparked outrage by urging them to stay away because of the conflict in Gaza.“The Israeli delegation is welcome in France,” Stephane Sejourne said in Brussels ahead of talks with his Israeli counterpart, adding that the call by France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes for the country’s exclusion had been “irresponsible and dangerous”.“We will ensure the security of the delegation,” Sejourne added.Meanwhile, French security forces were continuing preparations for the unprecedented opening ceremony on Friday, the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main stadium.Between 6,000 and 7,000 athletes are to sail down the river on 85 barges and boats, with a backdrop of world-famous monuments including Notre-Dame cathedral, currently being renovated after a devastating fire in 2019.The athletes will disembark for the culmination of a ceremony at the Trocadero opposite the Eiffel Tower that organisers promise will be spectacular.Up to 300,000 ticketed spectators will watch from stands and on the river banks and another 200,000 are expected to watch from the overlooking apartments.Turning to the sport, Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar is setting his sights on Olympic gold in the road race after winning the Tour de France for the third time on Sunday.

Croatia was in a state of shock yesterday after a gunman opened fire in a nursing home, killing at least six people in a rare instance of gun violence in the Balkan country.Five residents and one employee were dead after the gunman entered the private nursing home in the eastern town of Daruvar and went on a killing spree, according to police.The gunman then fled the scene and was later arrested at a cafe, where he was carrying unregistered firearms.The man had a previous police record for disturbing public order and domestic abuse, said Croatian national police chief Nikola Milina. Officials first reported that five people had been killed during the shooting, but Milina said a sixth victim died after being transported to a hospital.“We are appalled by this heinous crime,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told reporters.“It is a monstrous act, the murder of several people, the mother, people around 90 years of age.”Police have not confirmed if the gunman’s mother was among the victims, as the prime minister suggested.In the shooting’s wake, police sealed off the private nursing home located along a quiet street in Daruvar, where a small crowd gathered and watched as a forensics team entered the residence.Police said they were informed of the incident at 10:10am local time and confirmed the suspect had entered the nursing home and used a firearm.Local media reports later described the suspected shooter as a retired military police officer who had fought in Croatia’s war of independence during the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995.“I heard something that sounded like gunshots, but I wasn’t sure”, Antonio Demeter, an employee of the bookstore just across from the home, told AFP.Then “two employees of the home ran into the bookstore and asked me for help. I called the police and ambulance.“I was stacking the medicines and then I heard gunshots,” a visibly shocked employee told state-run HRT television.“We hid under a bed, the boss escaped through the window and then (we fled) through the window to the bookstore”, the woman said through tears while sitting in a car.As news of the shooting spread, shock rippled through Daruvar — a quiet town of some 7,000 — that has long been a popular spa destination thanks to the area’s thermal springs.“It’s hard for me to understand that this can happen in our town, country,” mayor Damir Lnenicek told N1 regional broadcaster.Around 20 people lived in the nursing home at the time of the shooting, according to the mayor.“What is the trigger? It’s difficult to say, it will be determined by the investigation” Lnenicek added.Following the shooting, Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic took to social media where he called the shooting “savage”.