Smoke billows as flames burn through the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on April 15, 2019, in the French capital Paris. - A huge fire swept through the roof of the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral in central Paris on April 15, 2019, sending flames and huge clouds of grey smoke billowing into the sky. The flames and smoke plumed from the spire and roof of the gothic cathedral, visited by millions of people a year. — AFP Photo PARIS — Crowds of stunned Parisians and tourists -- some crying, others offering prayers -- watched in horror in central Paris on Monday night as firefighters struggled for hours to extinguish the flames engulfing the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Flames ravaging the roof illuminated the outline of the monument's two square towers in a fiery glow, and were reflected in the waters of the Seine. Along the Pont au Change bridge, which connects the Ile de la Cite with the Right Bank, the atmosphere was one of a vigil as … [Read more...] about ‘Paris is disfigured’: Tears and shock as Notre-Dame burns
Terror alert london
World News in Brief: August 18
* French President Emmanuel Macron on August 17 spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about recent developments in Syria and Ukraine in addition to migrants flows that are challenging Europe's main powerhouses. * London mayor Sadiq Khan announced Friday (August 17) he had stepped up preparations in the British capital for a "catastrophic" no-deal Brexit. *The Palestinian Presidency warned Israel on August 17 of "dangerous consequences" of closing the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. * Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa paid homage to the two Portuguese victims on August 17, calling for greater European Union (EU) cooperation in tackling terrorism on the anniversary of the Barcelona terror attacks. * Another row between Malta and Italy has erupted over who should assume responsibility for the safety of 171 migrants, who were picked up by Italian Coast Guard ship Diciotti from a boat. *Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: August 18
Windsor in lockdown as royal wedding approaches
Viet Nam News WINDSOR — On the eve of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, the picturesque town of Windsor has taken on the character of an impregnable fortress. Every nook and cranny has been scoured and every imaginable security measure deployed to guarantee the safety of the royal couple and the tens of thousands of spectators set to flood the streets. In a dress rehearsal Thursday for the journey Harry and Meghan will take through the town after the Windsor Castle ceremony, uniformed police -- some armed -- were out in force. On one of the roads near Windsor Castle -- where Queen Elizabeth II often spends weekends -- officers used handheld torches to examine street lights, traffic lights, rubbish bins and manholes, anywhere along the road where a suspicious device could have been hidden. "We’re just checking to make the wedding safe", one told AFP as his colleague led a sniffer dog on a hunt for hidden … [Read more...] about Windsor in lockdown as royal wedding approaches