A hot-air balloon bearing an Olympic ring of fire illuminated the rainy sky, and Celine Dion’s powerful voice echoed from the Eiffel Tower as Paris commenced its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday. The four-hour, rule-defying opening ceremony took place along the Seine River, transforming the city into a giant open-air theater.

Intermittent showers did little to dampen the spirits of the athletes. Some held umbrellas as they sailed down the river, showcasing the city’s resilience amidst an ongoing investigation into suspected sabotage of France’s high-speed rail network.

The ambitious ceremony carried high stakes for France, with dozens of heads of state and government in attendance. The world watched as iconic Parisian landmarks became stages for dancers, singers, and performers. The Louvre Museum was one such stage, where French judo champion Teddy Riner and three-time Olympic champion runner Marie-José Pérec lit the Olympic cauldron, which then floated into the night sky, paying homage to early French pioneers of manned flight.

“We survived the rain, but it didn’t spoil any of our fun,” USA beach volleyball player Kelly Cheng remarked. “This was one of the most magical nights of our lives.”

Crowds packed the banks and bridges of the Seine, watching from balconies and cheering as the Olympic teams paraded down the increasingly choppy waterway. Many of the hundreds of thousands of spectators huddled under umbrellas, plastic ponchos, or jackets as the rain intensified, while others danced, sang, or sought shelter.

“The rain can’t stop us,” said U.S. basketball star LeBron James, donning a plastic poncho alongside fellow American flag bearer, tennis player Coco Gauff.

The weather created some unusual scenes: a stoic pianist continued playing as puddles formed on his grand piano, a breakdancer performed on a rain-slick platform, and some athletes appeared dressed more for the beach than the rain. Safety concerns prompted organizers to cut certain show elements deemed too risky under the wet conditions.

Despite these challenges, Paris put its best foot forward with a spectacular launch that featured joyous French cancan dancers and a humorous short film starring soccer icon Zinedine Zidane. French blue, white, and red smoke filled the air, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Lady Gaga sang in French in a prerecorded segment, accompanied by dancers with pink plumed pompoms, injecting a cabaret feel into the proceedings. Celine Dion closed the show with her first live performance since being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, in late 2022.

French President Emmanuel Macron officially declared the Games open more than three hours into the show. However, a minor mishap occurred earlier when the Olympic flag was briefly raised upside down at the Trocadero across from the Eiffel Tower.

The ceremony included notable moments such as a performance by French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, who emerged from a pyrotechnic display in an all-gold outfit to sing her hit “Djadja” alongside a Republican guard band of the French army. The event also celebrated women with ten golden statues of female pioneers rising from giant pedestals along the river, including Olympe de Gouges, a revolutionary who campaigned for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery.

The Paris Games aim to be the first with equal numbers of male and female competitors. The sprawling event posed logistical challenges, with thousands of athletes transported and safeguarded along the 6-kilometer parade route on the Seine. The parade began dramatically with athletes from Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, breaking through water curtains cascading from Austerlitz Bridge, reminiscent of the fountains at Versailles Palace.

Spectators who followed organizers’ advice to arrive early along the ceremony route expressed frustration over long waits to reach their seats, particularly given the high cost of tickets.

Nevertheless, Paris showcased its architectural gems and rich history, with the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre Museum playing starring roles. Award-winning theater director Thomas Jolly crafted a narrative celebrating French history and spirit, aimed at rejuvenating Paris’ image and demonstrating the city’s capability to host a sustainable and appealing Summer Games.

Security was tight, with large sections of central Paris restricted and a no-fly zone enforced during the ceremony. The athletes’ river journey passed historic sites temporarily transformed into Olympic venues, such as Concorde Plaza, now hosting skateboarding, and the golden-domed resting place of Napoléon Bonaparte, the backdrop for Olympic archery. The Eiffel Tower even contributed iron to the Olympic medals, symbolizing Paris’ blend of heritage and innovation.

Paris Games chief organizer Tony Estanguet emphasized, “We want to show the world and the French people that we are capable of extraordinary things.”

G20 nations have agreed to work together to make the super-rich pay their taxes, but stopped short of a more substantial deal, according to a declaration adopted Friday after a meeting of finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

The thorny topic of tackling tax-dodging billionaires dominated the two-day meeting in the Brazilian city, which will host the next G20 summit in November.

The initiative is a key priority for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who heads this year’s grouping, which includes the world’s major economies, the European Union and the African Union.

Lula was hoping for a minimum tax on the moneyed elite, but the final statement represents a compromise on a topic that divided member states.

“With full respect to tax sovereignty, we will seek to engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed,” said the statement.

“Wealth and income inequalities are undermining economic growth and social cohesion and aggravating social vulnerabilities.”

Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said that “from a moral point of view it is important that the twenty richest nations consider that we have a problem, which is to have progressive taxation on the poor and not on the rich.”

The United States and Germany dismissed the need for a global deal on taxing billionaires, an initiative which is backed by France, Spain, South Africa, Colombia and the African Union.

– ‘Time to go further’ –

International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva hailed the G20’s position on “tax fairness.”

“The shared vision of G20 Ministers on progressive taxation is timely and welcome, as the need to rebuild fiscal buffers while also attending to social and development needs involves difficult decisions in many countries,” she said in a statement.

French economist Gabriel Zucman, who authored a report on taxing the rich, welcomed the fact that “for the first time in history, there is now a consensus among G20 countries that the way we tax the super-rich must be fixed.”

“Now it is time to go further,” said Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz on Friday, urging heads of state to coordinate minimum standards by November.

“The climate crisis is expected to cost trillions of dollars every year and it is outrageous to expect that the regular taxpayer should pay for it, while the super-rich evade taxes,” said Camila Jardim of Greenpeace Brazil.

On the sidelines of the thorny tax discussions, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Brazilian Economy Minister Haddad announced on Friday the signing of a partnership on climate protection.

Founded in 1999, the organization was originally focused on global economic issues but has increasingly taken on other pressing challenges — even though member states do not always agree on what should be on the agenda.

Divisions within the G20, of which Russia is also a member, have made drafting a joint communique at the outcome of meetings a challenge.

Three texts were published by Brazilian authorities: a joint final communique, a document on “international cooperation in tax matters” and a separate communique from Brazil on geopolitical crises.

The final communique makes no mention of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, but simply refers to “wars and the escalation of conflicts” as risk factors for the global economy.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday addressed the nation for the first time since dropping his reelection bid, saying he decided to forgo personal ambition to save democracy in a sedate Oval Office speech that contrasted with the rough-and-tumble campaign.

Shortly before his speech, Republican Donald Trump laid into Democratic rival Kamala Harris in his first rally since she replaced Biden atop the ticket, signalling a bare-knuckled campaign ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

Trump branded Harris a “radical left lunatic” after she had dominated the campaign the two previous days with withering attacks on Trump that pointedly raised his felony convictions, his liability for sexual abuse, and fraud judgments against his business, charitable foundation and private university.

Biden said he believed he deserved to be reelected based on his record during his first term, but his love of country led him to step aside.

“I decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said, after previously resisting calls from within the party that he quit the race following his poor showing in a June 27 debate with Trump.

Biden, at 81 the oldest president in U.S. history, was greeted by cheers, applause and music in the Rose Garden after the address, as his staff had converged on the White House for a viewing party.

Trump was less kind, saying in a post on his Truth Social platform that Biden’s speech was “barely understandable and sooo bad!”

After spending much of the campaign attacking Biden as old and feeble, Trump, 78, now faces a younger candidate in Harris, 59, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president.

Energising many Democrats as potentially the first woman to take the White House, Harris quickly consolidated the party behind her, as her campaign said it had raised $126 million since Sunday, with 64% of donors making their first contribution of the 2024 campaign.

With nobody stepping up to challenge her for the nomination, she won the backing of party delegates on Monday, a day after Biden’s announcement.

The next highly anticipated development will be Harris’ choice of a vice presidential candidate to counter Trump’s selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. Among the names being mentioned are Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The Democratic National Committee’s rules committee agreed on Wednesday on a plan to formally nominate Harris as soon as Aug. 1 – before the party’s Aug. 19-22 convention in Chicago – with Harris picking a running mate by Aug. 7.

Biden praised Harris as a strong leader who would make an effective president.

“She’s experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you the American people,” he said.

Trump tried to quash some of her momentum in an aggressive speech at a campaign rally.

“I’m not gonna be nice!” he told his cheering supporters in Charlotte, North Carolina, a battleground state where voting preferences can swing to either side.

Harris on Tuesday showed her willingness to throw a punch, contrasting her background as a prosecutor to his record as a convicted felon.

“Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?,” she asked during the speech in Milwaukee.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday showed Harris with a two-percentage-point lead over Trump, 44% to 42%. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS showed Trump leading Harris, 49% to 46%. Both findings were within the polls’ margins of error.