The 2024 Olympic Games was an incredible show of skill, speed and strength, showcasing the greatest athletes on earth. But some of the most treasured memories from Paris will be those moments that encapsulated the Olympic spirit and simply made us smile. Here are a selection of our favourites.

Donald Trump falsely claimed in a series of social media posts that "nobody" attended US Vice President Kamala Harris' Michigan rally last week — and said his Democratic rival should be "disqualified" over a "fake crowd picture."

The former president appeared to have fallen for a far-right conspiracy theory — one easily disproved by photos and videos captured by attendees and media showing thousands of supporters at the event at an airport hangar near Detroit.

The false claims about attendance at Harris' event come as Trump navigates the contours of a changed presidential race, with the vice president riding a wave of new Democratic enthusiasm after replacing President Joe Biden atop the ticket.

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The Republican nominee, who regularly draws large crowds of his own, has long been fixated on audience size, with his speeches often filled with exaggerated boasts about the turnout.

Trump, on his social media website Truth Social, made the fabricated claim that Harris had been "turned in" by an airport maintenance worker who "noticed the fake crowd picture."

He then said Harris should be "disqualified" from this year's election "because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!"

However, photos and videos of the event — including videos captured with CNN's cameras — reflect a sizable audience for Harris' event last Wednesday. The crowd filled a large hangar and spilled onto the sprawling tarmac where Air Force Two had stopped.

Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said on LinkedIn that he analysed the photo with two models designed to detect patterns associated with AI-generated images. Both models found no evidence of AI generation, he said, adding that "the text on the signs and plane [showed] none of the usual signs of generative AI."

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"While the lack of evidence of manipulation is not evidence the image is real," he said, "we find no evidence that this image is AI-generated or digitally altered."

David Plouffe, a Harris campaign senior adviser, wrote on X: "These are not conspiratorial rantings from the deepest recesses of the internet. The author could have the nuclear codes and be responsible for decisions that will affect us all for decades."

Trump on Sunday shared a screenshot of an X post that featured two photos: one shared on X by a Harris staffer that showed thousands of people greeting Harris' plane; another zoomed in on the curved, reflective side of one of Air Force Two's engines in which the crowd isn't clear.

"Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she 'A.I.'d' it, and showed a massive 'crowd' of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN'T EXIST!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"She was turned in by a maintenance worker at the airport when he noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there, later confirmed by the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane."

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"She's a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the 'crowd' looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake 'crowds' at her speeches," Trump added. "She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!"

Trump has twice been indicted over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

He falsely claimed in another post, "Look, we caught her with a fake 'crowd.' There was nobody there!"

In reaction to Trump's false claims, rally attendees and Harris staffers have been sharing their own photos from the event on social media.

Lavora Barnes, chairwoman of the Michigan Democratic Party, shared on X a photo from the event showing her speaking to a large crowd before Harris was introduced.

Barnes joked that she was "honored that whoever made the AI image of 15,000 excited Democrats welcoming" Harris and running mate Tim Walz to Detroit "was kind enough to include me at the lectern."

"That AI crowd was really loud, my ears just stopped ringing from their imaginary cheering," Barnes said.

Dairy giant says longer-term solutions are necessary to ensure energy remains affordable.

The Israel Defence Forces reported around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon on Sunday evening, though some fell into open areas and no injuries were reported.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in northern Israel, approximately 30 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the area of Kabri, a number of which fell in open areas," the IDF said in a statement.

Rocket sirens were heard in the northern coastal city of Nahariya around 2am local time (9am AEST).

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Earlier Sunday, the IDF said its instructions to the public have not changed amid a possible retaliatory attack from Iranian forces after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

"The IDF and the security establishment monitor our enemies and the developments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran and Hezbollah, and constantly assess the situation," IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

"IDF forces are deployed and prepared in high readiness. If it becomes necessary to change the instructions, we will update about it in an orderly message on the official channels."

CNN Political and Foreign Policy Analyst Barak Ravid reported Sunday, according to two sources, Israeli intelligence assessed Iranian forces could be planning an attack "within days, even before the August 15 hostage deal talks."

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A source privy to the details told Ravid the situation is "still fluid" and the internal debate in Iran continues. It is possible Iranian decision-making will still change.

Ravid also reported that Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday and told him Iranian military preparations suggest Iran is getting ready for a large-scale attack, a source with knowledge of the call said.

As planned ceasefire talks are due to take place this week, the threat of an attack from Iran and Iranian-backed Hezbollah looms.

The leaders of the United States, Qatar and Egypt said Thursday they may present what they called a "final bridging proposal" this week, urging Israel and Hamas to conclude a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Israel will send a delegation to the talks.

An Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN over the weekend Egyptian and Qatari mediators have conveyed to Israeli officials in recent days Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal.

Hamas said Sunday it has asked mediators to implement a ceasefire plan based on previous talks such as those put forward by US President Joe Biden and the UN Security Council in July.

Liberal senator Linda Reynolds' high-profile battle for vindication from claims she mishandled Brittany Higgins' rape allegation is set to resume with evidence from the politician's husband.

The former defence minister is suing her former staffer for defamation over a series of social media posts containing alleged mistruths that she believes have damaged her reputation.

Robert Reid is expected to step into the witness box in the Perth court following a week of evidence from Reynolds that laid bare the alleged rape in 2019 and the dramatic saga that lead to the current stoush.

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The senator alleged Higgins and her now-husband David Sharaz cast her as the "villain" in their "political cover-up fairy tale" that included allegations of ill-treatment, ostracism, bullying, harassment and threatening conduct.

Ms Higgins' lawyer Rachael Young told the West Australian Supreme Court her client was courageous in 2021 when she spoke up about her alleged rape and workplace culture at Parliament House.

She ridiculed the claim Higgins was targeting the senator in a bid to harm her when she spoke to journalists Lisa Wilkinson on Network Ten's The Project and Samantha Maiden from News Corp about the alleged mishandling of the incident.

The court heard it led to a political firestorm for the Morrison government and Reynolds' breakdown after the Labor Party allegedly "weaponised" Higgins' rape accusation and claims it was mishandled.

The senator described some of the social media posts that followed were "creepy, incredibly hurtful and threatening".

She said the posts left her feeling angry, depressed and frustrated and in one instance "sick" because they made allegations that were not true.

Reynolds told the trial she felt humiliated and "not in a good head space" after her breakdown was publicised.

Higgins' defence relies on truth and that it was reasonable to comment and provide opinion on issues of public interest concerning government and political matters.

She is being sued over five social media posts in 2022 and 2023.

Reynolds was also pursuing Sharaz for defamation but he announced in April he would no longer fight the case and consented to judgment.

Higgins alleged that colleague Bruce Lehrmann raped her in Reynolds' office in 2019.

Lehrmann has always denied the allegation and his criminal trial was derailed by juror misconduct.

Higgins is due to leave her home in France to testify in court later in August.

Readers seeking support can contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.

Police and air safety experts are investigating the death of a pilot when a helicopter crashed into the roof of a hotel in Cairns early this morning.

Emergency services were called to the intersection of The Esplanade and Florence Street in the Far North Queensland city at about 1.50 am following reports of a twin-engine helicopter colliding with the roof of a hotel.

The impact caused a fire on top of the hotel, but the building was evacuated as a precaution and there were no injuries sustained by people on the ground.

Two elderly hotel guests in shock were taken to hospital for treatment.

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The pilot of the helicopter was found and declared dead at the scene. Forensic investigations are underway to formally identify them.

The police  Forensic Crash Unit, working alongside the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), will prepare a report for the coroner.

An exclusion zone remains in place for The Esplanade, Minnie, Abbott and Florence streets.

Witness Veronica Knight told Today the helicopter came from over the pier and "exploded straight into the building".

"It lost control and it was going just too fast.

"It didn't make sense to me. It's not normal for a helicopter to move that fast."

The national retail workers union is stepping up its calls for all workers aged 18 and over to be paid an adult wage, launching a new advertising campaign today.

Under the current retail industry awards, an 18-year-old is paid 70 per cent of an adult wage and a 19-year-old is paid 80 per cent.

In June, the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) union lodged a case with the Fair Work Commission, asking for equal pay for all adults in retail.

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The union's case, which is being supported by the ACTU, would mean an 18-year-old full or part-time retail worker's pay would rise from $17.31 an hour to $24.73.

Entry-level wages would still apply for workers younger than 18.

Today, the SDA will begin rolling out online, TV, radio and billboard ads to support the campaign. Young SDA members will also gather at Parliament House to advocate with MPs and Senators.

The calls for an equal adult wage are being opposed by the Australian Retailers Association.

The association's chief executive Paul Zahra told the Australian Financial Review in June the union's push to scrap junior rates would be unaffordable for many retailers and could harm young people's chances of getting hired.

"Without these rates, these young people may otherwise struggle to compete against older, more experienced applicants," he said.

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SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer said parallels could be drawn between this campaign and the fight for equal pay for women.

"When women were fighting for equal pay half a century ago, employers said it would squeeze them out of the job market – now they're using the same tired argument about paying 18 year olds adult wages," Dwyer said.

"18 year olds are adults. They struggle with the same cost of living pressures as every other adult worker.

"They do not receive a discount on their rent or bills because they happen to be 18. They should be paid the same as other adults."

Millions of Australians have been shivering through this winter, avoiding using their heater over fears of how much it will cost, a new survey has revealed.

The new research, from comparison site Finder, found 1 in 8 Australians go without heating "all the time", while a further 36 percent said they avoid using the heater as often as they can.

The findings, based on a survey of 1,049 respondents, mean almost half of Australians – or the equivalent of 4.9 million households – are living without adequate heating.

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This is despite some bill relief kicking in from the federal government's energy rebate.

Last month, Aussie households began receiving the promised rebate, which will be applied in quarterly instalments of $75 over the financial year to a total of $300.

The extra help has hardly made a dent for about a quarter of Australians, who said receiving their power bill rated in their top 3 most stressful experiences in July.

Finder utilities expert Mariam Gabaji said household budgets had been left severely stretched by rising energy bills.

"Years of steep electricity bill increases have left Aussies paying significantly higher costs," Gabaji said.

"Somes face the impossible decision between buying food or heating their homes as the cost of living crisis reaches a breaking point."

Energy providers have acknowledged customers are doing it tough.

In July, AGL Australia revealed 10,000 customers joined its financial hardship program in the past year.

Meanwhile, Energy Australia said it is getting 1000 bill relief calls every weekday.

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Gabaji said about 80 percent of Australian homes were poorly insulated which made them even most costly to try to warm up.

"Research suggests these homes have an energy efficiency rating of 2 stars or less out of 10.

"An old home with no insulation is like living in a tent," Gabaji said.

According to Finder, the running cost of an average gas heater is $274, compared to electric heaters at $239, but it depends on the state where you live.

Australians spent $387 on average on their quarterly electricity bill in July.

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Gabaji said Australians spent $1.1 billion in loyalty tax on electricity in 2023 and the best thing people could do was make sure they were on the cheapest electricity plan.

The government has a free website where customers can compare energy plan prices to find the cheapest one.

The City of Lights will remain in the spotlight for the next few weeks as Paris serves as centre stage to incredible performances and achievements of the human body, mind and spirit.

However, hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games has become an extraordinary feat in and of itself — and a financially untenable one at that.

The quadrennial summer and winter events come at a cost. And, especially in recent decades, the spectacle has been blemished by budget overruns, long-term debts, wasteful infrastructure, displacement and gentrification, political strife and environmental harm.

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The International Olympic Committee hopes to right the ship, starting with the Paris Games: The nongovernmental sports organisation is aiming to take a more frugal and greener approach than in years past.

"This will be the first Olympics, since Sydney, where the total costs are coming in under $10 billion," said Victor Matheson, a College of the Holy Cross professor of economics who has researched the financial costs of the Olympics.

"That's because the IOC was running out of cities willing to host this thing," he added.

"It's become pretty clear to cities that — under the old regime — these were real financial debacles for the cities involved, and wildly expensive with little hope to make money back in the long run."

Still, some economists and researchers argue that a truly sustainable Olympics will need to look a lot different than the Games we know today.

A turn toward extravagance

Forty years ago, the Olympics were also at a crossroads.

After the 1968 Mexico City Games and 1972 Munich games were marked by deadly violence and the 1976 Montreal Games experienced dramatic cost overruns, there were hardly any takers to serve as a host city for the 1984 games, said Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College sports economist who wrote about the economic tensions of the Olympics and the World Cup in his book, "Circus Maximus."

Los Angeles, the lone city to bid on the 1984 games (after Tehran pulled out), was able to use its existing infrastructure and stadiums, lined up lucrative corporate sponsorships and broadcast rights, and built up the event into the marketing behemoth it is today.

The icing on the cake: The LA Organising Committee ended up with a surplus of $215 million.

"Shown the alluring path to possible profits, cities and countries now lined up for the honour of hosting the games," Zimbalist wrote in his book. "The competition to host the Games became almost as intense as the athletic competition itself."

In jockeying for the Olympics, some cities spent upward of $100 million on the bidding process alone, he said. And once they did land those bids, the costs often soared well beyond what was initially estimated and budgeted.

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Cost overruns

Including Paris, five of the past six Olympics (summer and winter) had inflation-adjusted cost overruns of well more than 100 per cent, according to an Oxford University study released in May 2024.

"All Games, without exception, have cost overrun," researchers wrote. "For no other type of megaproject is this the case, not even the construction of nuclear power plants or the storage of nuclear waste."

And that's being conservative, the researchers noted, adding they did not include indirect capital costs such as improvements to roads, rail, airports, hotels, and other infrastructure not directly associated with the operations of the games.

By Zimbalist's estimates (which include operating costs and direct and indirect infrastructure costs), the games themselves grew increasingly extravagant: Beijing spent more than $40 billion for the 2008 Summer Games, Sochi spent upward of $50 billion for the 2014 Winter Games and Rio's costs approached $20 billion for the 2016 Summer Olympics, he wrote.

"One of the big issues, whether you're looking at the question of surplus or deficit, or some other strictly financial question, is that if you really want to know how much money is spent, and how much money comes in, you simply have to include everything," Zimbalist told CNN in an interview. "You can't just include the 17 days of costs."

And when revenue clocks in at a fraction of the cost — averaging about $6 billion to $8 billion since 2005 — the math started making less sense.

Also, Olympics accounting is highly fungible and easy to manipulate, he added. In addition to indirect costs not being included in the official budgets, some direct operating costs end up off the books as well.

In late 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic would shock the global economy and postpone the 2020 Games, Japan's National Audit Board found that the Tokyo Olympic organisers' estimates of $12.6 billion did not include $17 billion of direct costs.

"You already have enough difficulty getting cities to bid at all to host the Games, and you come out and throw out a figure like $30 billion, and it'll be assured that nobody will ever want to host the games again," Zimbalist said.

Last year, the organising committee for the 2022 Beijing games reported a surplus of $52 million on $2.24 billion of expenditures. However, a Business Insider investigation found that the overall costs were likely more than 10 times that amount.

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Short- and long-term effects

What's often touted alongside extravagant sports events such as this are the intangibles: The short- and long-term economic impacts of the preparation for, the activity during and the ripple effects in the years to come.

However, Zimbalist said, most of those costs are ultimately negated by near- and long-term economic losses and debt. For example, the time, labor and money spent on a large facility is likely interrupting daily commerce, taking up valuable real estate, pulling attention and labor away from needed infrastructure projects, and draining future resources via ongoing maintenance costs or debt service payments — including for "white elephant" facilities used infrequently or left for ruin.

The short- and long-term impacts also include invisible costs such as displacement of (typically lower-income) residents, gentrification and potential environmental harm, Zimbalist said.

"I think you can make an argument that it can make sense financially — not in the way that it will transform the city economically, like the claims often made of, 'You're putting your city on the world map,' and 'You're going to get all this tourism and business and investment;' those kinds of claims are outlandish and inaccurate," Zimbalist told CNN.

"The more straightforward and simple claims of, 'Maybe we'll break even' or 'Maybe we'll have a small surplus,' and 'Maybe we'll have a new facility that will be used by the community' … If the planning is done right, and the city is already very mature and developed, it's possible that can happen."

What it also comes down to is the "net effect," said Amanda Phalin, an associate professor who specializes in international business and economics at the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business.

"Although sporting events, including the Olympics, attract a lot of people, there are also a lot of people who are going to forego visiting there because (of the event)," she told CNN.

Because of that displacement, the economic impact of sporting events tourism typically ends up being a wash, she said.

In terms of the "city on the map," or long-term tourism benefits, sometimes those have required significant additional investments after the Olympic flame is extinguished. Phalin noted Lake Placid, New York, as a prime example: Since hosting the Winter Olympics in 1980, Lake Placid has funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars into its Olympic facilities as a tourist and business destination.

"I came up with this silly thing, it might be wrong because I'm not a physicist, but I'm going to call it Newton's First Law of Investment, which is a project drawing funds tends to stay funded unless acted upon by an unbalanced force," Phalin said, "In other words, once you've spent five or 10 or more years forking out big bucks to a huge initiative that has a lot of political or special interest support, it's really hard to turn off the funding spigot."

Lake Placid's Olympic Regional Development Authority told CNN that the Olympic venues in that region continue to attract tourism, draw major championship events (including cycling and snow sports world cups), develop future athletes, and account for an annual economic impact of $341.8 million, according to a recent Tourism Economics study.

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One-city future?

The IOC and host communities hope to make the event more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.

For the 2024 Paris Games, which are the first aligned with the IOC's Agenda 2020 roadmap of 40 recommendations to ensure the event's future viability, organizers have announced a slew of initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of the games.

This includes building only one permanent sports facility (a low-carbon, bio-based aquatics centre designed for future use by the public and French Olympians alike) and relying instead on existing or temporary structures that show off the city's famous monuments while taking the "sport out of the stadiums."

Paris organisers also touted efforts to minimize the carbon footprint of the games, relying on low-impact or recycled goods whenever possible — such as furniture made with shuttlecocks — and identifying second lives for the temporary structures and equipment utilized for the games.

Additionally, the Paris Olympic Village will be converted into offices and housing in a historically impoverished neighbourhood. (However, the revitalisation efforts have raised concerns about displacing thousands of people and negative gentrification impacts.)

Looking ahead to Los Angeles in 2028, similarly veined efforts are underway for the "No Build" Olympics. The upcoming LA games not only will rely on existing infrastructure, but some events will be held 2092 kilometres away in Oklahoma, which has the facilities for softball and canoe slalom.

Still, economists say, it may take more drastic moves in the future for the Olympics to be truly sustainable and economically sound.

To ensure true long-term viability of the Olympics, Matheson, Zimbalist and Phalin said it may come down to designating a single city or rotating through a couple of cities to serve as permanent hosts for the games.

"I love the Olympics, and I love sporting events, but I just really do not think that the way the Olympics works now is a viable business model," Phalin said. "It just doesn't make economic sense to, every four years, build out this huge web of sports-related infrastructure."

Evidence about the motivations of three people who gunned down two police officers and a civilian is set to be heard by Queensland's state coroner.

An inquest is being held into the deaths of Constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, and neighbour Alan Dare, who were ambushed and shot at a rural property in the Western Downs area, west of Brisbane in December 2022.

The constables and two colleagues – who managed to escape – attended the Wieambilla property in response to a missing persons report.

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The shooters Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train were killed in a gunfight with specialist police that night.

Witnesses due to testify in Brisbane Coroners Court on Monday include a forensic psychiatrist who was asked to provide an expert opinion on the Trains' mental states before and during the incident.

An academic who has provided a report identifying the political, religious and ideological influences that shaped the Trains' actions is also scheduled to take the stand.

Witnesses have already testified about the events surrounding the deaths of the two constables and Mr Dare, with confronting footage shown to the court.

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The inquest has been told about the Queensland Police response to the three deaths including the rescue of Constable Keely Brough who hid in grassland near a burnt-out vehicle after her colleagues were killed.

Specialist officers who travelled onto the property in armoured vehicles have testified about their attempts to get the Trains to surrender which were met with gunfire.

Coroner Terry Ryan will consider more than 20 issues as part of the inquest, including what information NSW Police provided concerning the missing persons report on Nathaniel Train that prompted Queensland officers to attend the property.

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The inquest will investigate Nathaniel Train's illegal entry to Queensland during the COVID-19 NSW border closure, and the family's source of firearms and ammunition.

Mr Ryan will also consider whether anything was known to authorities that would have indicated a risk the Trains would act in the way they did on December 12, 2022, including the police's response to firearm-related calls in the same area.

The hearing is set to continue for a further three weeks.