By , PARIS (Reuters) - A year on from the inferno that gutted Notre-Dame de Paris, the cathedral’s great bell rang out across the capital on Wednesday in a tribute to the Gothic landmark’s resilience and to the medics battling the coronavirus epidemic.The bourdon bell had sounded just once since April 15, 2019, when the blaze broke out that consumed the spire and the roof and, officials say, came within 30 minutes of razing the 850-year-old cathedral to the ground.Three people wearing hazmat suits and masks to shield themselves from the huge quantities of toxic lead dispersed during the...…By , PARIS (Reuters) - A year on from the inferno that gutted Notre-Dame de Paris, the cathedral’s great bell rang out across the capital on Wednesday in a tribute to the Gothic landmark’s resilience and to the medics battling the coronavirus epidemic.The bourdon bell had sounded just once since April 15, 2019, when the blaze broke out that consumed the spire and the roof and, officials say, came within 30 minutes of razing the 850-year-old cathedral to the ground.Three people wearing hazmat suits and masks to shield themselves from the huge quantities of toxic lead dispersed during the...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comPARIS, March 18 (Reuters) - France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift course.Since late January, when he defied the calls of scientists and some in his government to lock the country down, Macron has said he would do whatever it took to keep the euro zone's second largest economy as open as possible.However, this week he ran out of options just as France and other European countries...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comPARIS, March 18 (Reuters) - France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift course.Since late January, when he defied the calls of scientists and some in his government to lock the country down, Macron has said he would do whatever it took to keep the euro zone's second largest economy as open as possible.However, this week he ran out of options just as France and other European countries...WW…

By , PARIS (Reuters) - Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law.The police fired back volleys of tear gas and made repeated charges at groups of troublemakers for close to three hours. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside.It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality...…By , PARIS (Reuters) - Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law.The police fired back volleys of tear gas and made repeated charges at groups of troublemakers for close to three hours. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside.It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality...WW…

By , PARIS (Reuters) - Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law.The police fired back volleys of tear gas and made repeated charges at groups of troublemakers for close to three hours. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside.It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality...…By , PARIS (Reuters) - Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law.The police fired back volleys of tear gas and made repeated charges at groups of troublemakers for close to three hours. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside.It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality...WW…

By , PARIS (Reuters) - Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law.The police fired back volleys of tear gas and made repeated charges at groups of troublemakers for close to three hours. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside.It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality...…By , PARIS (Reuters) - Scores of hooded anarchists launched projectiles at riot police, smashed up shop fronts, torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital on Saturday against police violence and a draft security law.The police fired back volleys of tear gas and made repeated charges at groups of troublemakers for close to three hours. One group of anarchists ransacked the branch office of a bank, throwing piles of paperwork onto a fire outside.It marked the second consecutive of weekend of unrest in Paris, provoked by recent episodes of police brutality...WW…

By , PARIS (Reuters) - Europe must rethink its open-border Schengen area, including a more robust protection of the zone’s external frontiers, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, after a spate of Islamist attacks in France and Austria.The tighter controls were needed to curb clandestine immigration, said Macron, adding that the criminal gangs illegally trafficking migrants into Europe were often linked to terror networks.“I am in favour of a deep overhaul of Schengen to re-think its organisation and to strengthen our common border security with a proper border force,” Macron said on...…By , PARIS (Reuters) - Europe must rethink its open-border Schengen area, including a more robust protection of the zone’s external frontiers, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, after a spate of Islamist attacks in France and Austria.The tighter controls were needed to curb clandestine immigration, said Macron, adding that the criminal gangs illegally trafficking migrants into Europe were often linked to terror networks.“I am in favour of a deep overhaul of Schengen to re-think its organisation and to strengthen our common border security with a proper border force,” Macron said on...WW…

By , LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - A wave of COVID-19 lockdowns and curbs has stirred resistance across Europe, with the right-wing British politician who helped force an EU referendum harnessing popular anger at a new lockdown by recasting his Brexit Party under a new banner.Britain, which has the highest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the “worst-case” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded.Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended a second lockdown in England from critics who said it was...…By , LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) - A wave of COVID-19 lockdowns and curbs has stirred resistance across Europe, with the right-wing British politician who helped force an EU referendum harnessing popular anger at a new lockdown by recasting his Brexit Party under a new banner.Britain, which has the highest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the “worst-case” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded.Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended a second lockdown in England from critics who said it was...WW…

By PARIS (Reuters) - Parisians and holidaymakers strolling along the banks of the River Seine or browsing open-air markets in Paris must wear a face mask from Monday after authorities imposed new measures to curb a rise in coronavirus infections.The order, which applies to people aged 11 and over, covers busy outdoor areas in the French capital, although tourist sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees boulevard were not listed.Data showed the virus had begun circulating more widely in Paris and its lower-income suburbs since mid-July.The rate of positive tests...…By PARIS (Reuters) - Parisians and holidaymakers strolling along the banks of the River Seine or browsing open-air markets in Paris must wear a face mask from Monday after authorities imposed new measures to curb a rise in coronavirus infections.The order, which applies to people aged 11 and over, covers busy outdoor areas in the French capital, although tourist sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees boulevard were not listed.Data showed the virus had begun circulating more widely in Paris and its lower-income suburbs since mid-July.The rate of positive tests...WW…