The U.S. women's gymnastics team, dubbed the new and improved Fierce Five (pictured main and bottom right with athletes from the Netherlands), are preparing to make their debut at the Olympics in Rio today. The five women -  Simone Biles, 19, Gabby Douglas (top right), 20, Madison Kocian, 19, Laurie Hernandez, 16, and Aly Raisman, 22 - have been in the gym putting the finishing touches on their routines. Just hours before taking to the mat to compete at 4.30pm ET, the women have been paying tribute to their coaches and new friends on social media.

Several Team USA athletes have been pictured with small, circular marks on their backs and shoulders, indicating that they subscribe to the healing technique called cupping. Gymnast Alex Naddour (left) and swimmer Natalie Coughlin (right) swear by it.

He's all set to go in Rio, but record-breaking Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps (pictured top-right) has already picked out his successor: his three-month-old son Boomer (left). In an adorable post on Boomer's official Instagram account, Phelps and his wife - ex-Miss California Nicole Johnson (pictured bottom-right with her husband and son) - showed their baby boy bursting with pride for his daddy. 'I'm ready to go after my daddy re-retires,' the caption promises, alongside a shot of the grinning baby wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a gold medal on it. 

Kerri Walsh-Jennings, 38, and new partner April Ross, 34, dominated their first match in Rio, thrashing Australia in a straight-sets 21-14, 21-13 victory to progress to the next round. Walsh, a mother-of-three, is competing to become the oldest ever female beach volleyball gold medallist, having dominated the sport for a decade with former partner Misty May-Treanor, who has now retired. Her hopes could be dashed by the host nation, however, who have two teams in medal contention.

Fauna Jackson, 16, was on a nine-day volunteer trip to reroute a trail in the Wyoming park when she disappeared during a break on Thursday morning. Jackson was found uninjured on Saturday after an extensive search that enlisted the help of more than 100 people. Authorities said Jackson initially fled from law enforcement after they found her.

This is the moment actress Lindsay Lohan, 30, got into a heated argument with her fiance Egor Tarabasov - who chased after her before violently grabbing her on a beach in Mykonos, Greece (left). The Mean Girls star, who celebrated her birthday on the island last month, threw his mobile phone out of their car (inset) and tried to run away. But he caught up with the famous actress and grabbed her on the beach (right) - just yards from a man flying a kite. He held on to her as the pair tussled as the Russian businessman tried to retrieve his mobile phone. Lohan admitted that a relationship she had hoped would bring marriage and children is violent, unstable and at an end - for the moment at least. Lohan was reluctant to go into detail about the fight in Mykonos, saying only that 'Egor drank too much and he went crazy.'

After Donald Trump's very bad week, one national poll is showing the businessman a glimmer of good news. A Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Friday, has Trump down by only 3 points, instead of losing to rival Hillary Clinton by nearly double-digits, as a number of other surveys have shown. Earlier in the week, Clinton was ahead by 8 points in the survey, but now about 42 percent of likely voters preferred the Democratic former secretary of state, while 39 percent said they supported the Republican businessman, with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percent - meaning the race could be back to being dead even.

Paul O'Neal , 18, was gunned down in the back on July 28 during a stolen vehicle investigation on Chicago's South Shore, as he ran away from the responding officers. Disturbing footage of the moments leading up to the shooting were released on Friday - but the moment the gun was fired was not caught on camera. Chicago's Police Chief Eddie Johnson has said this because the officer's body camera wasn't turned on when he shot the fatal round -  as the officer had only received it about a week earlier and wasn't yet proficient in using it. He also said that his cops should not have been firing at the moving vehicle, as it is against department policy. Demonstrators who held a march protesting the killing voiced strong suspicions that the camera may have been turned off as part of a cover-up. At a news conference on Saturday, Johnson discussed nine videos taken from dashcams in police cars and body cameras on other officers involved.

Paul Robertson, founder of the Medici String Quartet in the UK, has written a memoir based on his strange visions, which included seeing an Asiatic goddess singing Indian ragas. But his visions also showed a sinister afterlife (as depicted in Dirck Bout's painting, Hell, right), such as lying lifeless on a 'ship of the dead' and witnessing a medieval pig slaughter. Eight years ago, the renowned musician slipped into a coma following a life-saving operation on a ruptured aorta.He claims the near-death experience changed his perspective on life.

Donnie Wahlberg (center) has shared an emotional tribute to Karina Vetrano (far left and top right) who was brutally murdered less than a week ago while out on an afternoon jog. The brother of Mark Wahlberg - who had once met the aspiring actress while filming Blue Bloods - posted a photo of the pair together Saturday, the day of her funera (bottom right).

Malia and Sasha Obama prove their style icon statuses as they embark on a two-week family vacation to Martha's Vineyard. In photos showing the first family boarding the Air Force One in Maryland, Malia is a vision in a white sundress while Sasha keeps it fresh with a striped v-neck top, a very lady-like handbag, and hi-top sneakers. The Obamas have chosen to kick back as Secretary of State John Kerry urged American athletes in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics to break records and 'resolve the differences between us'.

Wall Street trader and 'money addict' Sam Polk reveals why he quit his job because his $3.6 million bonus was too low, before going on to start a non-profit organization. Polk (left, during his Wall Street days, and right, with his family), who worked on Wall Street between 2003 and 2010, said he wanted more money 'for exactly the same reason an alcoholic needs another drink: I was addicted'. In the years since he discovered his 'addiction', Polk started the non-profit organization Groceryships, which helps less fortunate people get access to healthy food. 'I realized how much of my life had been spent trying to make it to the top - to be important, to matter - and how the consequence of all that striving is that many people are left behind,' he said.

Danita Tutt, 40, of Cleburne, Texas, is accused of lying about her 13-year-old son's, Colby, medical condition to doctors, prompting the boy to undergo unnecessary surgeries and be placed on unneeded pain medications. The surgeries included the placement of a central line which later led a life-threatening blood infection, police have alleged.

He sent the internet into meltdown when he was pictured paddle-boarding naked in Sardinia. And Orlando Bloom, 39, was in a fruity mood once more during his raunchy getaway with girlfriend Katy Perry as he fondled her breasts and smothered her with kisses on a public beach. The singer, 31, looked less than impressed with the actor's very public display of affection, turning her head and grimacing as he wrapped himself around her in the shallows and planted a kiss on her neck.

Amish man, Marvin Sensenig, 20, was arrested and charged with two counts of animal cruelty after he allegedly beat an 'overburdened' horse (left and right) that collapsed and died in Pennsylvania. The horse had been pulling a heavy load of watermelons when it fell to the ground. Police said in the statement that it's 'alleged that the defendant unreasonably struck a horse that was overburdened with a heavy load'. Shortly after the horse collapsed, it died. A witness posted the photos of the horse to Facebook saying she and a friend watched 'as an Amish criminal beat a horse to the point it collapsed'. She said the the man 'continued to kick, hit and pull on the poor seemingly dying animal'. Police arrived to the scene around noon and spent three hours alongside a local fire company in an effort to save the animal. Ephrata Police Lt Chris McKim told reporters that the fire company used nearly 1,000 gallons of water in an attempt to cool the horse.

Millie Bobby Brown (left), 12, the British actress who is the breakout star of hit Netflix show Stranger Things (right), has revealed her family 'went broke' supporting her dream of being an actress. In her first ever interview, Millie reveals the remarkable faith her family (inset) have shown in her talent, which has seen them pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. But the show has now transformed their lives and she is on the verge of big things, according to US magazine Variety.

The Prince of Wales and Carole Middleton (left) are said to be in something of a feud over how much time they spend with their grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Prince Charles (right) believes he has been 'edged out' by Carole in the battle for the affections of their two grandchildren - Prince George, three, and one-year-old Princess Charlotte (top centre with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). A spokesman for the Palace declined to comment on any souring of relations, but there is no questioning the fact that the Middletons (bottom centre) have dropped out of public view, with Charles said to be 'keeping them at arm's length'.

The model and actress has incurred the wrath of animal lovers after her dog was spotted with an anti-barking device as they left Claridge's in London on Friday (right). The device is activated by sound so that above a certain decibel level it automatically sprays the scent of citronella to stop barking.

A cross-eyed feline from South Carolina has been missing for more than two weeks. Instagram star, Spangles the cat, who has more than 21,000 followers on the social media site went missing two weeks ago after escaping out of a hole in his owner's dryer vent. His owner, Mary Buchanan, has had animal control set traps in hopes of trying to find him. News of Spangles being missing has garnered attention from his fans who are hoping for his safe return. His worldwide fans have sent gifts for him from as far away as Australia. Spangles became an internet sensation after posing in photos wearing adorable hats (left and right)

Ace the pit bull went off course during a walk with his owner last week in Jersey City, New Jersey. He took his owner to an empty home, where the man found baby Theo - a puppy with severe head trauma and brain swelling who had gone almost blind. The owner took the pup to a shelter in New Jersey - the first step to what has shaped up to be a seemingly miraculous recovery. Theo (pictured left when he was found and right after his rescue) made slow progress at first, but his vision began returning earlier this week. By then, the pup was on pain medication, had tried to stand up on his own and had a strong appetite - a far cry from the dying animal who had arrived just a couple of days prior.

The humorous footage, captured in China, shows a man tapping a metal tray containing food on the ground to stir the interest of the creatures. The tortoises are then seen running as quickly as they can to the dinner table before crowding around the bowl and scoffing their faces. The man responds by filling up the trays with food to satisfy the insatiable appetites of the hungry animals as they clamber on top of each other for the best spot.

Krit McClean, 21, a New York model who stood naked in Times Square while screaming nonsense for an hour has opened up about his manic depressive episode. He described the events leading up to the first manic episode of his life - which played out on one of the busiest streets in America.

A beauty blogger, believed to be from the US, has caught wild snails (bottom right) and applied them to her face in an attempt to find a DIY way to have a snail facial at home (left and top right). Arzo, who goes by the username OliveSkinBeauty, explained that snail slime allegedly helps with wrinkles, dark spots and the appearance of scars. It's often used in expensive facials and skincare products, so the blogger used sea snails to see if she could get the same results.

The Russell Hotel in Sydney's The Rocks has become an unlikely tourist destination after it featured in a Japanese anime television show (real at right and anime recreation at left). Fans have been booking out room 25, which featured in the episode almost two-years-ago. Tourists have even been dressing up as the characters and recreating the scenes (bottom left and right), and the hotel is now selling souvenirs to the fans.

A father has shared an amusing photo on Reddit showing his toddler pressed up against frosted glass, trying to get into the bathroom whilst he does his business. The toddler can be seen through the glass with their arms outspread and mouth open, wanting to get in. The photo prompted other parents to share their own stories about clingy children.

A tired pelican (pictured, left and right) who posed a risk to traffic was captured by a California Highway Patrol officer and put in the back of a patrol car before he could cause any chaos. The bird in question was wandering down an interstate in Truckee, California, when the CHP was called to intervene. Officer Troy Griesemer (left), who happened to be a former falconer, approached the pelican on the side of the highway and saw that it was not injured but appeared tired.