'Olympics sabotaged' and 'La Farce!'
![Smoke resembling the flag of Team France is shown over Pont d’Austerlitz during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/568f/live/e42d57d0-4c56-11ef-9be6-8717ec665406.jpg)
- Published
Many of Saturday's papers lead on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. "La farce" declares the Daily Mail, which calls the arson attacks on the French rail network "humiliating". The paper says the decision to hold the event partly on the Seine "backfired spectacularly" because of torrential rain. "Wet the games begin" is the headline on the Sun, external, which says the downpour did not dampen French spirits. The Daily Telegraph praised the "kaleidoscopic boat procession" and said the display befitted Paris's billing as "the city of lights".
The front pages also focus on efforts to track down those who caused the rail disruption in France. The Times says "left-wing militants and Russia" are among the suspects, external. The iWeekend says Russian agents are being "closely monitored" by European intelligence agencies. The Daily Mirror says a malicious state is a likely culprit, external. The paper's defence editor, Chris Hughes, says the attacks are "straight out of the playbook", external of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
The Eiffel Tower became a dazzling spectacle during a light show
Reports about the chancellor's forthcoming announcement about the state of the public finances also feature in many of the papers. The Financial Times says Rachel Reeves is set to delay a number of hospital and road projects. Officials tell the paper that she will use her speech on Monday to argue that she inherited "unfunded" projects. The Treasury has declined to comment on the article.
The Guardian says the chancellor will probably use the statement to confirm pay rises above inflation, external for millions of public sector workers. The Telegraph says it understands Ms Reeves will also point to the spiralling cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels, external. It expects the bill to be up to £10bn a year.
In its editorial, the Daily Mail accuses Labour of "taking us for fools". It says if the chancellor claims she is flabbergasted by the state of the public finances, she is either guilty of "extreme negligence or being dishonest", external. The paper says the bleak assessment is being used to pave the way for some "very painful tax increases".
The Olympic cauldron floats in sky in the shadow of the Louvre Pyramid
The Daily Express carries a similar warning from the former chancellor, external, Jeremy Hunt. He is quoted as saying Ms Reeves is "laying the groundwork for hiking up taxes". He is also sceptical that Labour is only now finding out about the government's finances. He says "the books have been open" since the Office for Budget Responsibility was set up 14 years ago. A Labour source says the Conservatives "spent taxpayers' money like no tomorrow because they knew someone else would have to pick up the bill".
The Guardian reports that a strategy for playing the Radio 4 panel show, Just a Minute, could help people with dementia. It highlights an academic study that suggests the best way to succeed at the game is to let go of your ambition to win. It says the show's rules - avoiding repetition, deviation and hesitation - cause "cognitive overload", which is also experienced by those with dementia. The paper quotes one of the most successful panellists, comedian Paul Merton, who says he avoids "brain fry" by focusing on keeping the show enjoyable, rather than trying to be victorious.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.