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Gymnastics has emerged as one of the showstopping Olympic sports. AFP Sport takes a look at five unforgettable moments served up by some of the world's greatest athletes on the journey to this summer's Games in Paris with action getting underway on Saturday:

Investors fought back Friday after a tech-fuelled sell-off, taking heart from forecast-beating US growth data that indicated the economy was still in rude health, but did not dent hopes for an interest rate cut.

Two rival gang leaders signed a truce to end armed conflict in Haiti's largest shantytown, a community leader said Thursday.

One of the most enduring images of Greece's summer travel brand is the world-famous sunset on Santorini Island, framed by sea-blue church domes on a jagged cliff high above a volcanic caldera.

The Philippine Coast Guard on Friday raced to offload 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil from a sunken tanker and prevent an "environmental catastrophe" in Manila Bay.

Indian soldiers and top brass gathered Friday in the remote Himalayan foothills to commemorate a battle fondly remembered among compatriots for imposing a humiliating military defeat on arch-rival Pakistan.

Mongolian herder Purev Batmunkh sighs as he picks through waste strewn across a field -- the refuse of an unsightly and deadly waste pollution problem affecting swathes of the steppe.

Through a basement door in southeastern Turkey lies a sprawling underground city -- perhaps the country's largest -- which one historian believes dates back to the ninth century before Jesus Christ.

SpaceX's stalwart Falcon 9 rocket has been cleared for launch after experiencing a rare failure earlier this month, officials said Thursday.

Authorities evacuated nearly 300,000 people and suspended public transport across eastern China on Friday, as Typhoon Gaemi brought torrential rains already responsible for five deaths in nearby Taiwan.

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman kicked off celebrations at the giant Comic-Con pop culture gathering Thursday with a special screening of "Deadpool & Wolverine," their smutty superhero mash-up movie expected to break box office records this weekend.

Taiwanese giant TSMC tumbled with several other leading chip makers Friday as traders returned from a typhoon-imposed two-day break to play catch-up with a global tech rout.

Record heavy rain forced the evacuation of thousands of people across parts of northern Japan as rivers burst their banks washing away bridges and cars, officials and media reports said Friday.

Sri Lanka's first presidential elections since an unprecedented economic crisis spurred widespread unrest will be held in September, the election commission said Friday.

Rafael Nadal will bid farewell to the Olympics on the clay courts of Roland Garros -- scene of his greatest moments -- as Novak Djokovic attempts to prevent the sun setting on tennis's golden generation.

Simone Biles headlines a US women's squad on a "redemption" mission at the Paris Olympics, where the gymnastics great is favored to add to her stash of four gold medals after a turbulent Tokyo campaign.

Thousands of athletes are set to sail through central Paris on Friday during an unprecedented and high-risk Olympics opening ceremony that will showcase the country's hugely ambitious vision for the Games.

Don't know your pommel horse from your uneven bars?

Asian traders struggled to fight back Friday after a tech-fuelled sell-off, taking heart from forecast-beating US growth data that reassured that the economy was still in rude health, but did not dent hopes for an interest rate cut.

The giant steelworks that greets visitors to Allentown, Pennsylvania once symbolized the city's success as an industrial hub. Today, its middle-class residents struggle to overcome the long-term impacts of post-pandemic inflation.

American Lauren Coughlin reeled off five birdies in nine holes to seize a one-stroke lead after Thursday's first round of the LPGA Canadian Women's Open.

The Philippine Coast Guard planned Friday to deploy oil dispersant and floating barriers a day after a tanker carrying 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel sank off Manila.

Bev Priestman was removed as head coach of the Canadian Olympic women's football team Thursday night after Canada Soccer found evidence of drone spying before the Paris Olympics.

Venezuela, the once-prosperous South American country now scarred by years of economic ruin and political repression, holds elections on July 28, with authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro seeking a third term.

Daiki Hashimoto believes Japan's "explosive" men's gymnastics team have the edge on a veteran Chinese side for Olympic gold but warned other countries could surprise.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe will bow out of the Olympics after Paris and the Kiwi legend would like nothing more than to help her side defend their gold from the Tokyo Games.

Beach volleyball begins at the Paris Olympics on Saturday in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and with the sport under the spotlight because of the inclusion of a Dutch player convicted of rape.

World-famous stars are in line to perform at Friday's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which will take place along the Seine river.

Two top leaders of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, including its co-founder Ismael Zambada Garcia, were arrested on Thursday in Texas, the US Department of Justice said.

"It's going to be a beautiful success," says Claudine Vacelet confidently of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, before pausing. "Well, with the security issues, I suppose we'll only see whether it's a success at the end."

It is easy to see why "Those About To Die," Roland Emmerich's racy new TV drama set in Ancient Rome, is frequently described by critics as "Game of Thrones" with added chariot racing and gladiators.

Uncertainty hangs over presidential elections in Venezuela Sunday, with incumbent Nicolas Maduro vowing a "bloodbath" if he loses, which polls say is likely.