This is a global news podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Janet Jalil and at 14 hours GMT on Friday the 26th of July,

these are our main stories.

France's train network is hit by coordinated arson attacks hours before the Olympics

opening ceremony in Paris.

The former US President Barack Obama backs Vice President Carmelah Harris in her bid for the White House.

Open AI launches its rival to the long dominant Google search engine.

Also in this podcast, the beautiful thing about going to the space station is that you're taking

gravity out of the equation. It's a complete unknown what will happen when you do that.

Meet Rosemary, she's going to the International Space Station.

We begin in Paris where anticipation is mounting for what should be a spectacular start to the Olympic Games.

The much heralded open air opening ceremony on the River Sen.

But it's been overshadowed by what appears to be a coordinated campaign of sabotage.

Just hours before a water-born parade of athletes is due to set off in the French capital,

there have been arson attacks on high-speed rail lines into Paris.

The French rail operator, SNCF, says 800,000 people have been affected, with disruption

expected to continue throughout the weekend.

Many of those caught up in the chaos were setting off on their summer holidays.

Jean-Pierre Farandou is the CEO of SNCF.

Today was supposed to be the big holiday getaway. It's also of course the opening of the Olympic Games.

Many French people were going to come to Paris, going to have fun, take one, two, three days to share

in the joy of the Olympic Games. But that's been spoiled. Of course, we will act, we will not give up. We know we face difficulties. It will take a couple

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