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Conflict Forces Palestinian Team Jabal Al Mukaber to Withdraw from AFC Cup

An aerial picture shows displaced Palestinians who fled Khan Yunis setting up camp in Rafah further south near the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, on December 7, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
An aerial picture shows displaced Palestinians who fled Khan Yunis setting up camp in Rafah further south near the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, on December 7, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
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Conflict Forces Palestinian Team Jabal Al Mukaber to Withdraw from AFC Cup

An aerial picture shows displaced Palestinians who fled Khan Yunis setting up camp in Rafah further south near the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, on December 7, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
An aerial picture shows displaced Palestinians who fled Khan Yunis setting up camp in Rafah further south near the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, on December 7, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)

Palestinian club Jabal Al Mukaber have withdrawn from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup as a result of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the region's governing body has announced.
A statement on the AFC's official website said the Palestine Football Association had informed the Kuala Lumpur-based organization of Jabal Al Mukaber's decision to pull out of the continent's second-tier club competition.
"The AFC notes the club's withdrawal with regret and the matter has now been referred to the AFC Competitions Committee for relevant further action, including the recognition of force majeure," Reuters quoted the confederation as saying.

Jabal Al Mukaber had been drawn in Group A of the competition and had won their opening game 1-0 against Syria's Al-Futuwa before losing 4-0 to Al-Nahda from Oman prior to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The withdrawal means all of Jabal Al Mukaber's results will be cancelled and considered null and avoid, in accordance with AFC tournament regulations.
The move is the latest to affect Palestinian teams as a result of the conflict.

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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.