Ryan Seacrest arrived in Rio de Janeiro just days ago as he is set to host Friday's Olympic opening ceremony.

The athletes who have decided to attend may be competing under the arms of Christ the Redeemer, but it’s hard to find one redeeming feature to the Olympic Games in Rio, writes KATIE HOPKINS.

Herbalists and witch doctors in Rio de Janeiro say star athletes who skipped this year's Olympic Games shouldn't have worried about contracting Zika while in Brazil.

Normally, two thirds of US citizens oppose abortions after 24 weeks. But a Harvard poll has found that 59 per cent favor abortions of Zika-infected babies at any stage of the pregnancy.

Christine Curry teaches and practices obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami Hospital. So far she has treated over a dozen pregnant women with Zika, with many more expected.

An Australian photographer in Rio covering the 2016 Olympic Games has become the latest robbery victim with $40,000 of camera gear stolen in a sting led by a woman.

Torrential rain and high winds became the latest misfortune to hit the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with rowing events canceled and other athletes including cyclists forced to cope with the bad weather.

The study by the University of Southern California is the most significant step towards understanding the infection amid widespread confusion about how it inflicts life-threatening conditions in babies.

Until now scientists believed the virus would fade after three months. But this week an Italian man tested positive for Zika 188 days after he was first infected.

The condition known as arthrogryposis freezes up joints, often leaving their hands, arms, legs, feet, or fingers frozen in a contorted position. In most cases, it also impairs function of the heart.

The star took to Twitter on Saturday after many were put off by a Snapchat story she shared earlier in which her mom Dianna Hart joked, 'Everybody down in Rio gonna get the Zika virus!'

European governments have warned their citizens about gun violence after a mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub (pictured), while advice has also been issued for LGBT travellers.

The move, ordered by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, is a major expansion in a bid intended to protect the nation's blood supply from the mosquito-borne virus.

Previous advice published on June 7 only urged men to abstain, and only for a maximum of eight weeks.

Even with pre-clinical and early stage clinical trials underway, we still may not see a Zika vaccine licensed and approved for use in humans for years.

TeamGB taekwondo champion Jade Jones kicked her way Olympic history when she won gold to make her the most successful Briton in her sport.

The state reported its first case of Zika likely transmitted by a mosquito on Monday after lab results confirmed their suspicions. The patient is a woman near the Mexico border.

Australian swimmer-turned-commentator, Giaan Rooney, has announced she's pregnant with her second child, just months after travelling to Brazil amid the Zika virus concerns

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found 100 percent of monkey fetuses had traces of the virus - causing inflammation of the optic nerves. They say it could apply to humans.

A couple in Miami tested positive for the Zika virus that was sexually transmitted after one of the partners traveled to several countries, including Cuba.

Scientists at British biotech firm Oxitec are infecting female mosquitoes (the only ones that bite) with a hereditary gene that means their offspring cannot survive outside a lab.

World Cup winners Germany lived up to their billing as as one of the clear favourites for Euro 2016 with a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in their opening game.

MATT BARLOW AT THE STADE DE FRANCE: This time, Joachim Low was left scratching his head as opposed to another part of his anatomy as Poland made his world champions appear mortal..

Poland will hope Robert Lewandowski can fire them to an automatic top-two qualification spot for Euro 2016 when they face Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon.

Poland reached the knockout stages of the European Championship for the first time in their history following a 1-0 victory over neighbours Ukraine in the Stade Velodrome, Marseille.

The contrast in difficulty is summed up by the fact that the bottom half has nations with a total of 20 major titles (11 World Cups and nine Euros), while there is a total of none in the top half.

Switzerland and Poland have both reached the knock-out stage of the European Championship for the first time after finishing runners-up in their respective groups.

After 17 days and 44 matches, Euro 2016 has now reached crunch time with eight teams left to battle it out for glory in France as the tournament reaches the finishing straight.

The Bayern Munich forward is the most fouled player at Euro 2016 and Nawalka thinks his star striker has been marked too tightly in France.

Portugal will need Cristiano Ronaldo firing on all cylinders on Thursday night if they are to overcome a stubborn Polish side in Marseille.

French side AS Monaco have signed Polish defender Kamil Glik on a four-year deal from Italian side Torino, the clubs confirmed on Monday.

Poland's World Cup qualifier with Romania had to be suspended when a firecracker exploded at the feet of striker Robert Lewandowski. The Bayern Munich man needed medical attention.

Bucharest police have questioned 17 football fans after clashes at the World Cup qualifier between Romania and Poland on Friday.

European football's governing body announced the three countries had all 'expressed interest' in staging June 2019's semi-finals and final of the inaugural competition.

Bayern Munich striker appeared hard at work on Monday as Adam Nawalka's squad trained ahead the tournament. Poland have two friendlies still to play against Chile and Lithuania.

The 2014 World Cup Golden Boot was won by Colombia's James Rodriguez, who set the tournament alight with six goals and goal of the tournament before earning a transfer to Real Madrid.

Optus won the rights to stream all 64 games of the World Cup to Australian audiences via their online and mobile services. But thousands of viewers were left frustrated by a troubling error message.

Find out who made the cut for every team taking part in Russia. We've listed the 23-man squads for each of the 32 nations going for glory at the greatest tournament on the planet.

After the incredible drama of Wednesday's World Cup matches, Groups G and H could well provide a similar level of excitement. Here, Sportsmail runs through all the permutations...

Germany's home clash with France is the most mouth-watering tie on Thursday, as the reigning World Cup winners look to continue their dominance with victory over the 2014 champions.

CRAIG HOPE IN WROCLAW: Poland manage to salvage a draw in their friendly with the Republic of Ireland after Mateusz Klich cancelled out Aiden O'Brien's debut goal on Tuesday evening.

Roberto Mancini very much put his Italy players through their paces as they look to claim their first victory in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday night against Poland.

Sportsmail provides you with everything you need to know for UEFA Nations League including how it works, groups, fixtures and how it impacts EURO 2020 play-off system.

Portugal boss Fernando Santos felt his side deserved the point in Italy which earned them qualification for the Nations League finals.

James Forrest's hat-trick inspired Scotland to a come-from-behind win over Israel that secured promotion in the Nations League on Tuesday night.

Arkadiusz Milik's second half penalty cancelled out Andre Silva's opening goal for Portugal as the Nations League finalists were held in Guimaraes on Tuesday night.

England secured their place in the Nations League semi-finals but they will now have a close eye on the Euro 2020 qualification draw as they look to keep their momentum going.

Santi Cazorla started the rout when he slotted home coolly after 41 minutes after Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in Cadiz by latching on to a header back across goal and tapping in.

Our scout is a top football expert who attends matches each week searching for the next star. This week they give Sportsmail the lowdown on Bristol City midfielder Han-Noah Massengo.

Sportsmail's scout is a top football expert who attends matches each week searching for the next star. This week they bring the full low-down on Middlesbrough's promising defender Hayden Coulson.