Paris on track for 2024 Olympics, says mayor

PARIS, France -- Paris is on time and on budget for the 2024 Olympics, the city's mayor said on Tuesday, dismissing concern expressed recently by a senior Olympics official.

"Look at all the previous Olympics and Paralympics around the world, one year before the Games, generally it's stressful and people are saying 'we'll never manage this'. Well, we're ready," mayor Anne Hidalgo told the France Inter radio station on Tuesday.

"We're on budget and we're on time."

During a visit to Paris on Monday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Pierre-Olivier Beckers, who is responsible for monitoring the Paris Games, voiced concern about the work needed to balance the budget.

French authorities chipped in another 111 million euros ($119 million) last December to take into account inflation, taking the overall budget to 4.48 billion euros.

Delays in signing major sponsorship deals, including with French luxury goods giant LVMH, has also left a major question mark about the finances of the event.

"There is still plenty of work to do," Beckers told reporters.

A provisional report from the French national auditor, revealed by Le Monde newspaper on Monday, said that "substantial uncertainties remain, notably for domestic partnerships."

The Games have also become embroiled in a row over ticket pricing, with the high cost of attending many events leading to criticism of organizers amid a cost-of-living crisis in France.

Agence France-Presse

Marathon race walk mixed relay to debut at Paris Olympics

PARIS, France -- World Athletics on Saturday released details of a new event, the marathon race walk mixed relay, to be staged at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

It takes the place of the men's 50km race walk, which first appeared at the 1932 Olympics but which has been scrapped in the pursuit of gender equality.

The new mixed relay will feature 25 teams, each comprising one male and one female athlete, who will alternate to complete the marathon distance (42.195km) in four legs.

"This format is designed to be innovative, dynamic and unpredictable," said World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon.

"We believe it will be easily understood by fans, will feature exciting competition and, importantly, it will ensure full gender equality across the Olympic track and field programme for the first time," he added.

The relay will be held on the same course as the individual 20km race walking events, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in central Paris.

The team qualification "pathway" will be published shortly, World Athletics said.

The 48-event athletics programme at Paris 2024 is now perfectly balanced with 23 for both men and women with two mixed events, the 4x400m and walk marathon relay.

Next year's Games also include for the first time breakdancing on the Olympic programme.

Agence France-Presse

Paris shooter was 'clearly targeting foreigners': minister

PARIS — A 69-year-old gunman who opened fire at a Kurdish cultural centre and a hairdressing salon in Paris on Friday was deliberately seeking out foreigners, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

The man, a retired train driver, "was clearly targeting foreigners", Darmanin told reporters, adding however that it was "not certain" that the man was aiming to kill "Kurds in particular".

Darmanin said: "We yet don't know his exact motives."

There was also no information so far on links of the suspect with ultra-right activists, he said.

The man is a member of a shooting sports club "and has several registered weapons", the minister said.

Asked whether any of the victims in Friday's shooting had links to the Kurdish PKK movement, designated a terrorist organization by the EU and others, Darmanin said they appeared not to have been known to France's security services.

Darmanin said he had ordered tighter security at Kurdish meeting places in France, as well at Turkish diplomatic offices.

Officials were to meet to evaluate the likelihood of any further threats to the Kurdish community in Paris or elsewhere in France, he said. 

Agence France-Presse 

France eases COVID-19 curbs, including outdoor mask-wearing

PARIS — France began lifting coronavirus restrictions including mandatory outdoor mask-wearing Wednesday in a bid to ease citizens' daily lives, dividing opinion as the country only last month reported record COVID-19 infections.

Audience capacity limits for concert halls, sporting matches and other events were also removed, and although home working will no longer be mandated, it is still recommended.

The move begins a 2-part relaxation of curbs announced at the end of January -- despite the country hitting record levels of daily cases last month -- and comes as England and Denmark also eased their restrictions.

France "will be able to lift most of the restrictions taken to curb the epidemic in February" thanks to the new vaccination pass, which replaced the health pass, Prime Minister Jean Castex said in January.

Since last month proof of inoculation records have been required for the new passes -- needed to access everything from bars and restaurants to long-distance public transport.

Previously, the health pass could also be obtained with a recent negative COVID-19 test, a possibility the government ended in its bid to convince more people to get COVID jabs. 

The second stage of the curb-lifting will see nightclubs, shut since December, reopen on Feb. 16 and standing areas will again be allowed at concerts, sporting events and bars.

Eating and drinking will also be permitted in stadiums, cinemas and public transport from then.

Paris has not made the easing of restrictions conditional on the progress of the health situation.

Authorities view the threat of the Omicron variant as limited and less dangerous than previous strains of the virus, even though it is more contagious.

"We have seen a weak reversal of the trend over the past few days, with fewer cases declared each day than 7 days earlier," government spokesman Gabriel Attal told France Info radio Tuesday.

An average of 322,256 cases were recorded over the previous 7 days, according to latest figures, compared with 366,179 a week ago.

Attal called it a "very encouraging signal" but said officials "remain cautious" because of a "very contagious" sub-variant of Omicron that appears to have delayed the peak of infections in other countries.

Agence France-Presse

Paris makes masks compulsory as virus cases rise

PARIS, France - France's prime minister on Thursday announced face masks will become compulsory throughout Paris, expressing concern over an "undeniable" trend of expanding coronavirus infection in the country.

Jean Castex said 19 more departments have been added to a map with "red" zones of active virus circulation, meaning 21 of France's 94 departments are classified as such. 

Official figures released Wednesday showed more than 5,400 confirmed new cases in just 24 hours, with admissions to hospital and intensive care units on the rise.

There was an "undeniable resurgence" of the COVID-19 epidemic throughout France, Castex told a press conference, with an incidence rate of 39 positive tests per 100,000 of the population -- four times the level of a month ago, and rising among all age groups.

The "positivity rate" -- the percentage of tests that come back positive -- was up from one percent in May to 3.7 percent today, and the so-called "R" rate of viral transmission has risen to 1.4 nationwide, meaning ten infected people are infecting 14 others on average.

More than 800 coronavirus patients are being admitted to hospital every week on average, up from 500 six weeks ago, said the prime minister.

"The epidemic is gaining territory, and now is the time to intervene," he said, appealing to all French people to take infection-prevention measures such as regular hand-washing, mask wearing, and physical distancing.

Castex announced that Paris, one of the 21 zones with active virus circulation, will make face masks compulsory throughout the city. He did not give a date.

The government would do everything in its power to avoid issuing new, nationwide stay-at-home orders, the premier added, but the possibility could not be excluded entirely and localized confinements may be on the cards.

Agence France-Presse

France shuts dozens of schools in bid to contain coronavirus

PARIS - French officials have closed down about 120 schools in areas that have reported the largest numbers of coronavirus infections, and more could be shuttered in the coming days, Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said Tuesday.

Both primary and secondary schools have been shut in the Oise department north of Paris, where the main cluster of French cases has emerged, and where 2 people who have died of the virus lived. 

Officials have reported 191 coronavirus cases in France so far, and 3 deaths.

The Oise closures are affecting about 35,000 pupils, Blanquer told LCI television, while an additional 9,000 have been told to stay home in the Morbihan department of Brittany on the Atlantic coast.

One class of some 20 students has been suspended in Montreuil, a suburb just east of Paris, after a pupil tested positive for the virus, Blanquer said.

The Oise schools will remain closed until further notice, while Morbihan authorities have ordered doors shut until at least March 14.

"These figures are evolving quickly," Blanquer said, adding: "There could be similar measures taken in the coming days" at other schools.

Authorities have already halted all class trips outside the country, and prohibited any gatherings of more than 5,000 people in enclosed spaces.

Schools are increasing stocks of soap for washing hands, but Blanquer said there were no plans to order a nationwide school shutdown, for now.

"It wouldn't make sense to confine everyone, to paralyze the country, it would be counter-productive," he said.

President Emmanuel Macron, who is scheduled to visit the health ministry's crisis management center on Tuesday, has called off several events this week as France scrambles to contain the outbreak.

Contagion fears have led to shortages of sanitizing hand gels and face masks, with suppliers racing to replenish stocks even though much of the production is in China, where authorities have closed thousands of factories after the coronavirus emerged there in December.

Demand for thermometers has also soared, with one French producer, STIL, relaunching production at its factory south of Paris for the first time in 15 years after having moved manufacturing to Chinese partners.

"We can't do without China completely, but with this coronavirus the balance could shift for French companies to not be completely reliant" on Chinese producers, STIL's president Gerard Lux told AFP.

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Knife attacker kills man in Paris suburb before he is shot dead

PARIS—A knife-wielding man ran amok Friday in a park south of Paris, killing a man walking with his wife and wounding 2 other people before being shot dead by police, officials said.

The Paris police department said the man, identified as 22-year-old Nathan C., attacked "several people" around lunchtime in the suburb of Villejuif.

Some managed to evade him but the man claimed at least one life -- that of a 56-year-old Villejuif resident, according to the town's mayor Franck Le Bohellec.

The victim "was walking with his wife when the attacker approached; he wanted to protect his wife" and was stabbed, the mayor explained.

According to a source close to the inquiry, another man was seriously wounded and a woman sustained light injuries.

The assailant then fled to the neighboring suburb of Hay-les-Roses, where he was shot dead by police.

A picture sent to AFP showed a man in a long black garment lying on his back at an intersection.

"We heard screams, then we heard 3 shots," said Rouane Yazid, 40, the owner of a garage nearby.

"I went outside to see. Then there were 5 or 6 more shots and then sirens. We barricaded ourselves in the garage," he told AFP.

HIGH ALERT

Several sources said Nathan C. suffered from "psychological problems."

He was not being tracked as a religious zealot, although "elements linked to religion" that "suggested he had converted to Islam," were found among his personal effects, the local prosecutor's office said.

The police have opened an investigation of murder and attempted murder.

The attack came just 4 days before France marks the fifth anniversary of the killing of 12 people at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris by 2 brothers vowing allegiance to Al-Qaeda.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for the victims and said in a statement: "We continue to fight determinedly against senseless violence."

France remains on high alert after being hit by a string of attacks by jihadist extremists since 2015, with more than 250 people killed in total.

The day after the Charlie Hebdo attack, a man linked to the Islamic State (IS) group shot and killed a policewoman in a southern Paris suburb before taking hostages at a Jewish supermarket the following day, killing 4 more people.

Police eventually killed all 3 attackers but it was the beginning of the wave of strikes on French territory.

The deadliest came in November 2013, when 130 people died in bombings and shootings at Paris's Bataclan concert hall, several bars and restaurants, and the Stade de France sports stadium.

Interior ministry figures indicate that 60 attacks have been thwarted since 2013, the latest in September.

France's anti-terror prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard was at the scene of Friday's attack, but the investigation remained initially under the authority of the Creteil prosecutor's office.

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Thousands rally worldwide against abuse of women

PARIS - Tens of thousands have rallied across the world to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as France unveiled new measures to combat domestic violence.

Demonstrators on Monday gathered in countries as diverse as Guatemala, Russia, Sudan and Turkey, where riot police in Istanbul blocked the path of roughly 2,000 protesters before firing tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse them.

The French government announced it would make it easier for doctors to share information on vulnerable women and write into law the concept of psychological "entrapment", following massive rallies in France over the weekend.

Roughly 87,000 women and girls were murdered across the world in 2017, according to the United Nations.

Monday's rallies -- animated by growing anger over the failure of justice systems to punish offenders -- follow a weekend of protests against what is being termed femicide.

Crowds marched through the streets of Moscow to highlight the government's failure to pass laws protecting women, and hundreds of Sudanese women chanted "freedom, peace and justice" as they gathered in Khartoum in the first such protest in decades.

In Mexico City, masked demonstrators with sledgehammers smashed glass panes of bus stops, spray-painted monuments and clashed with riot police Monday to protest authorities' failure to halt soaring rates of femicide and rape in the country.

'Sexist, patriarchal attitudes'

Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in Madrid on Monday evening following a weekend of protests. Spain's long-standing laws against gender violence have not halted the problem -- 52 women have been killed by their partners or ex-partners since the start of 2019.

South Africa has one of the worst records of any country on gender violence and the government has faced several rounds of mass protests on the issue.

President Cyril Ramaphosa used Monday's events to launch a campaign to improve victims' access to justice and urge men to drop their "sexist and patriarchal attitudes".

The UN warned that more action was needed around the world, singling out Afghanistan as a country where too little is done to counter sexual violence and rape.

And in a rare move, global police cooperation agency Interpol launched an international appeal to find eight men suspected of murdering or committing violence against women.

'Electric shock'

The French government is among those to face sustained pressure for reform -- at least 117 women have been killed by their partner or former partner since the start of the year, according to a count by AFP, compared with 121 women last year. 

Also, 213,000 women have suffered physical or sexual violence carried out by their partner or ex-partner, according to the latest official figures. 

The lights of the Eiffel Tower were switched off for one minute at midnight to mark the day.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he hoped his new measures would deliver an "electric shock" by focusing on ending "absurdities" and "dysfunctional aspects" in the law.

He said the measures, to be put to parliament in January, would be backed by 360 million euros ($400 million) of additional funding.

Advocates for women's rights broadly welcomed Philippe's announcement but called for more concrete help.

"What is needed is to bolster special measures such as offering sanctuary and then supporting the victims," said Francoise Brie, who heads the National Federation of Women's Solidarity.

Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa promised that the new measures would be funded, but also stressed in a newspaper interview that the "fight against marital violence is not just a question of money".

An AFP examination this month of every case of femicide in France showed how the justice system had failed to act in the face of warning signs of the potential for violence.

But in an open letter Monday, more than a dozen top French judges urged women to keep faith in a system that is "improving and adapting itself."

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French police fire teargas, water cannons at protesting firefighters

PARIS — French police fired teargas and water cannons at thousands of firefighters protesting in central Paris on Tuesday over a lack of resources and professional recognition.

The demonstration started off noisily but peacefully, with whistles, smoke and sirens, before the situation got heated and firefighters scuffled with police as they attempted to block a main road.

The police resorted to firing teargas and water cannon at their fellow emergency services professionals.

Dozens more protesters assembled outside the parliament building, dispersing hours later after a stand-off with police

Some brandished banners with slogans such as "Do more with less, welcome to the fire service", while others hit out at what they described as "political contempt" for their cause.

The interior ministry spoke of "isolated" incidents leading to 6 arrests and 3 police officers injured.

"Our numbers are falling, but we're overwhelmed by the number of call-outs. We're being asked to do everything, even replace ambulances. At some point, we just can't do it any more," Mathias Gosse, a 53-year-old firefighter from southwest France, told AFP.

Firefighters' trade unions are demanding higher premiums for fighting fires, to bring them in line with the equivalent bonuses for police.

The firefighters hailed the demonstration a success, putting the number of protesters at between 7,000 and 10,000. Paris police put it at 7,400.

Professional firefighters represent just 16 percent of a total 247,000 throughout France, the vast majority of whom are volunteers.

During their demonstration the firefighters received support from doctors, nurses and ambulance workers, who also denounced shortages in their own services.

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France may face sperm shortage under Macron plan to ease IVF rules

PARIS—France risks a shortage of frozen sperm if lawmakers approve new legislation that allows single women and lesbian couples access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and abolishes the right of sperm and egg donors to keep their identities secret, clinicians said.

Lawmakers in the country's National Assembly on Tuesday start debating a bioethics bill that unwinds some of western Europe's strictest rules governing medically-assisted pregnancies, a campaign promise of President Emmanuel Macron.

Under existing law in France, IVF is available only to opposite-sex couples, and only for reasons of infertility or the risk of transmission of a disease or medical condition to the child or either parent.

Health Minister Agnes Buzyn forecasts a roughly two-thirds increase in demand for IVF procedures, with an extra 2,000 women annually registering for treatment.

Couples already wait an average of 12 months from registration to their first attempt at IVF. Clinicians at France's network of public sperm banks (CECOS) said the supply of cryopreserved sperm only just meets demand.

Moreover, they predict lifting donor anonymity could prompt three-quarters of registered male and female donors to deny clinics the use of their sperm and eggs under the new rules.

"To say 'everything is going to be ok' would be burying your head in the sand," Nathalie Rives, president of the CECOS federation, told Reuters.

"There will be a period of instability, with increased demand and the need to recruit new donors. We don't know how long this instability will last and whether there will be a shortage."

The bioethics bill, which would also allow women to freeze their eggs for non-medical reasons to enhance their chances of having children, is Macron's first major societal reform.

Medically assisted reproduction—such as IVF—is widely available to all women in countries such as Britain, Belgium and Spain. But in France, it has fed into a broader debate about the commercialization of healthcare and gay rights.

"The right to know one’s origins is a vital right, a fundamental right,” said Arthur Kermalvezen, 35, who turned to DNA tests to track down his biological father and has campaigned for the lifting of anonymity.

The legalization of gay marriage in France 6 years ago sparked massive street protests even though the influence of the Catholic Church was thought to be in decline.

In a sign France has become more socially liberal, polls show a majority of French people back the bioethics reform.

Professor Rachel Levy, who runs the CECOS center at the Tenon Hospital in Paris, said donor anonymity would remain in place for 13 months after the legislation comes into effect in an effort to help sperm banks build up stocks.

There would then be a second phase during which existing donors would say if they consent to their cryopreserved sperm being used under the new rules. The samples of those who refuse will be destroyed later.

"It's a challenging situation," Levy said.

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Microhotels skimp on size, not on style

They appeal to senior citizens and millennials, business travelers and backpackers. And they are particularly attractive to hotel developers, who can pack in more guest rooms than in a typical hotel.

They’re known as microhotels, inspired by the Japanese capsule or pod hotels of 40 years ago that offered cheap, tiny accommodations to businessmen.

The new versions — which are most common in but not exclusive to big, expensive cities like New York, London and Paris — are designed, as one hotel expert put it, down to their last square inch. Their guest rooms are small — often half, or less, the size of a typical room in an urban hotel — with furniture that often can be folded up or stowed away, and bathrooms that usually have showers and toilets but no bathtubs. Wall-mounted TVs are also major space savers.

Their rates are substantially less than typical urban hotels’. Rates at Moxy hotels, a Marriott brand, start, for example, at $159 per night in the United States.

With décor inspired by Japanese capsule hotels and airlines’ first-class cabins, microhotels are increasingly popping up worldwide.

Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research, a travel research company, said the process of squeezing more rooms into a hotel resembles what the airlines have been doing to increase the number of seats on an aircraft. While microhotel room rates and basic economy airfares might be relatively low, he said, the number of potential customers makes them attractive to operators.

Stephani Robson, a senior lecturer at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, agreed that the concept of a microhotel room “is often more about meeting the needs of developers.”

Although the size of microhotel guest rooms is “minimalist,” Robson said, “it does not mean they are not comfortable or stylish. They’re very well planned, and they make optimal use of every square inch.”

Another plus for developers, said Mark Van Stekelenburg, managing director of CBRE Hotels Advisory, is that the design of microhotel guest rooms makes them cheaper to clean and maintain than larger, more traditional guest rooms.

And the microhotel concept appeals to companies like Marriott and Hilton, which recently introduced the Motto brand, because it allows them “to get more dots on the map,” said Michael Bellisario, lodging analyst for Baird. “The more properties and brands they have in all cities,” the greater potential for repeat business.

The idea of small hotel rooms arrived in the United States in 1989. The Microtel brand, introduced in Rochester, New York, served value-conscious guests by offering rooms half the size of traditional hotel rooms, with rates that were also half the cost. But industry experts do not consider Microtel, now owned by Wyndham, a microhotel brand by current standards, since its guest room sizes tend to be significantly larger than those of most newer microhotels.

Generally, microhotels today have guest rooms that range in size from about 115 to 220 square feet, depending on the number and size of beds. A typical room at an urban hotel in the United States can range from 250 to 300 square feet.

Other large hotel companies have rolled out their own brands: Introduced in 2014, Marriott’s Moxy has 44 hotels in Europe, Asia and North America today and has signed contracts for another 96. Hilton’s Motto, announced last fall, has more than a dozen projects under development in Europe, the United States and South America.

While another brand, Mama Shelter — developed by former Club Med hotel operators — considers its properties boutique hotels, its guest rooms can be as small as 118 square feet. There are currently nine Mama Shelter hotels, with 10 more under development. Accor owns 49 percent of the brand.

Hyatt acquired its own microhotel brand, Tommie, when it bought Two Roads Hospitality in October.

Among the earliest independent microhotel brands were Yotel and Pod, which opened their first hotels in 2007.

The first Yotels were at airports in London and Amsterdam, and their guest rooms were designed by a British firm that also designs aircraft cabins. Today rates typically range from $200 to $229. Yotel has 12 properties, half located in airports and half in cities. Eighteen more are planned, including a new extended-stay concept.

There are four Pod hotels in New York, including one with extended-stay accommodations in Times Square. There is also a Pod in Washington, with others to open in Philadelphia and Los Angeles by next year.

There are now many more independent microhotel brands, including Hoxton Hotels, based in London; citizenM, based in the Netherlands; Arlo in New York; and the Hotel Hive, which opened in 2017 in a former federal workers’ rooming house in Washington.

Many microhotels feature expansive lobbies, with spaces designed for hanging out; dining and drinking; and coworking; Hive and Hoxton will soon open dedicated coworking spaces at some hotels.

Microhotel lobbies sometimes offer work by local artists; food and drink from popular local purveyors; and activities for guests and other visitors. Mama Shelter, for instance, offers free access to foosball tables and photo and video booths in the lobbies of many of its properties, while Arlo offers digital-detox happy hours, which are free to guests and available for a fee to visitors.

Guests staying at microhotels often have access to loyalty program benefits: Customers at Moxy, Motto, Tommie and Mama Shelter hotels can or will be able to access the benefits of the programs of the brands’ parents, while some independent brands — including Yotel and Hive — offer their own programs.

Another type of compact sleeping accommodations, ranging in size from 30 to 56 square feet, is also now available post-security at some airports in the United States, including Atlanta, Dallas and Philadelphia. Minute Suites and Sleepbox, which operate these, charge guests by time increments that can range from 15 to 60 minutes to overnight. Many Minute Suites rooms have showers, but Sleepbox provides neither bathrooms nor showers; its guests must use the airport’s facilities.

The experiences of guests who stayed at two Manhattan microhotels recently show they can appeal to a wide variety of customers.

Sarah Yawn, 29, a Los Angeles-based national accounts manager for a Swedish watch company, stayed at the citizenM Bowery hotel. She praised its guest room décor, lobby that was “almost like a coworking environment, with a lot of young professionals,” and proximity to trendy shops.

Robert Smith, 58, is the chief financial officer of ClevR Mobility, an electric scooter company in Berkeley, California. A frequent business traveler, he has spent more than 50 nights at the Moxy Times Square hotel this year. He likes the company of its young staff — he called them “just happy, helpful people” — and the guests, who remind him of his four children, who are in their 20s.

The staff’s attentiveness likely stems, in part, from Smith’s recently attained top-tier status in Marriott’s loyalty program. The staff marked his new status by leaving a thank-you note, in green and red crayon, on the mirror in his room, and presenting him with a sweatshirt and sweatpants with the Moxy logo.

The lasting proof of all microhotels will come when the economy “slows, unemployment rates increase, and corporate and leisure travel gets curtailed,” said Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights for STR, a hotel research firm.

Van Stekelenburg said he did not anticipate that the attractiveness of the microhotel concept would dim any time soon. “We will see continued efforts by independent and large hotel companies. I believe they’re here to stay.”

Robson said she did not expect to see microhotels on suburban highways or resort destinations. “But where real estate costs are high and length of stay is relatively short, they will be very successful,” she said.

“When guests stay for more time, they have more stuff. Microhotel guest rooms cannot accommodate more stuff.”


2019 New York Times News Service

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France roasts in record heatwave, 2 die in Spain

PARIS/MADRID—France registered its highest temperature since records began on Friday as the death toll rose from a heatwave suffocating much of Europe.

The mercury hit 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 Fahrenheit) in Gallargues-le-Montueux, in the southern Provence region, weather forecaster Meteo France said, nearly 2 degrees above the previous high of 44.1 Celsius recorded in Aug. 2003.

Twelve towns in southern France saw new all-time highs on Friday and 3 experienced temperatures above 45 degrees, it said.

The World Meteorological Organization said 2019 was on track to be among the world's hottest years, and that 2015-2019 would then be the hottest 5-year period on record.

It said the European heatwave was "absolutely consistent" with extremes linked to the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

Four administrative departments in France were placed on red alert, signaling temperatures of "dangerous intensity" that are more typical of Saudi Arabia.

The unusually high temperatures are forecast to last until early next week.

In Spain, where temperature peaked above 43 degrees for the second day running, wildfires raged across 60 sq km (23 sq miles) of land in the northeastern Tarragona province. Officials said firefighters battling the blazes on 20 fronts managed to avoid them from spreading.

In the central region, a fire broke out on the outskirts of Toledo, forcing the evacuation of 2 public buildings, a regional official told Reuters.

To the north in Valladolid, a man of 93 collapsed and died due to the heat, police said. And in a small town outside Cordoba, a 17-year-old died of heat-related effects after jumping into a swimming pool to cool off.

Since 1975, Spain has registered 9 heatwaves in June, including 5 in the last decade, according to the Spanish meteorological office.

In France, a boy was seriously hurt when he was thrown back by a jet of water from a fire hydrant. Some 4,000 schools were either closed or running a limited service to help working parents unable to stay at home.

State-run rail operator SNCF offered free cancellations or exchanges on long-distance trips, social workers helped homeless people cope with the heat, and French families with elderly relatives who were ill or living alone were advised to call or visit them twice a day and take them to cool places.

The greater Paris region, Ile de France, has banned more than half of cars from its roads as the stifling heat worsened air pollution, the toughest restriction provided for—although all cars were to be allowed to leave the city as school holidays began.

The cities of Lyon, Strasbourg and Marseille have also restricted traffic.

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Kim Jones takes Dior to dreamy wasteland where past, future coexist

PARIS - Kim Jones played with time on Friday in his simultaneously classic and dystopian collaboration with Daniel Arsham, filling Christian Dior's latest menswear collection with tonal, feminine-inspired pieces with a modern edge.

The house's Summer 2020 collection linked Dior's history as the industry's salient interpreter of femininity with the French house's daring, gender-bending future by way of draped sashes and floral pins off-set with ultra-modern, sometimes tattered accessories and textures.

Amid a pink and white set, the models became explorers in a eerie, beautiful wasteland at the show during Men's Fashion Week here.

They trekked through a sea of gradient pink sand around colossal, plaster letters spelling out Dior. Each letter had a ruined aspect about it, as if the sand and wind had worn it down for millennia.

Singer Lily Allen, model Kate Moss, her daughter Lila, and Louis Vuitton menswear creative director Virgil Abloh figured among the stars present for the exploration of Dior through the ages.

The idea of relics took center stage, a favorite subject for collaborator and category-defying artist Arsham.

Known for conceptually-driven sculptures, Arsham has collaborated with Dior before, working on window installations in some of their biggest stores and stylized fitting rooms in the Los Angeles Dior Homme store for then creative director Hedi Slimane.

Beyond the sculptural element of the set and the pink-sand runway, the collection, a highlight of Paris's fashion week, too, evoked sculptural origins while simultaneously embracing long, summery, slim-cut menswear.

The models donned pieces as diverse as multi-piece suits, mesh tops, re-interpreted trenches, jumpsuits in toile and adventure-ready looks for a dystopian traveler featuring fabric draped around their necks and faces, caps and wide glasses.

The intricately designed and intellectually driven show reaffirmed parent group LVMH's effort to invest more in men's fashion on and off the runway.

Studded with jewelry and bags, the show confirms Dior's push for more accessories in menswear - items that bring in the most money for the house.

Jones' collection featured Dior's first-ever collaboration with luxury luggage brand Rimowa, giving the collection futuristic, metal handbags, clutches and backpacks.

More traditionally cut suits were accented with feminine handbags or saddle bags. The clean lines and supple cuts were punctuated by threadbare, frayed hats and other accessories.

After the show's finale, Jones appeared on stage for no more than 5 seconds.

The enigmatic designer came on board as creative director in March last year, striking the fashion world off-the-bat with a first collection that attracted the most celebrity-heavy front row in the brand's history.

Before, as head of Louis Vuitton men, he brought streetwear to the world of high fashion and then reinvigorated the art of tailoring for a more modern audience.

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Eiffel Tower 130th anniversary

A light show illuminates the Eiffel Tower during the 130th anniversary of its construction, in Paris. Built for the 1889 World's Fair, towering at 324 meters and weighing 7300 tons, the Eiffel Tower attracts nearly 7 million visitors every year.

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Pained Pope pays tribute to Notre-Dame firefighters

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Wednesday thanked rescuers who put their lives at risk to salvage the medieval Catholic cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris from a devastating blaze and said he was eager to see it restored.

"The gratitude of the entire Church goes to those who did everything in their power to save the basilica, even risking their lives," he told tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his general audience.

Notre-Dame's spire was destroyed and its roof gutted but the bell towers were still standing and many valuable art works were saved after more than 400 firemen contained Monday's blaze.

Addressing French pilgrims and visitors in Rome, the pontiff told them he felt their pain.

"May the Virgin Mary bless and support the work of reconstruction. May it be a harmonious work of praise and glory to God," he added.

The Vatican has said it is willing to offer restoration know-how to help rebuild the fire-damaged landmark.

"We have many relationships with the Louvre, other museums and other institutions of French Christianity. Clearly, we are willing to do anything we can to help," Barbara Jatta, the head of the Vatican Museums, told Reuters.

Jatta and her staff of art historians and restorers have worked on such stone masterpieces as Michelangelo's Pieta and his Sistine Chapel frescoes.

Father Enzo Fortunato, a Franciscan at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi who was inside that church when the roof collapsed in a 1997 earthquake, also offered words of encouragement to the French.

"Notre Dame is like Assisi. It will rise again. Our experience showed that through pain and hard work, but above all with solidarity, life can come from destruction," he told Reuters. "Prayer was the weapon that allowed us to never lose hope."

Fortunato and other survivors emerged covered in white dust from the collapse, which killed two monks and two city workers.

The Assisi basilica reopened after two years of painstaking restoration that included piecing together thousands of pieces of ceiling frescoes.

"Assisi and Notre-Dame are both symbols of Christian identity and national identity. Precisely because of this, they offer the strength and courage to be reborn," he said.

France hopes Notre-Dame can be restored in five years. 

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Relic of Jesus Christ's crown of thorns saved from Notre Dame fire

The fire that destroyed two-thirds of the roof of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris on Monday did more than damage a beloved historic landmark: It also endangered the vast collection of Christian relics and artwork housed both within the building and on its grounds.

One of the cathedral’s most precious treasures — a relic of the crown of thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ at the time of his crucifixion — was saved from the flames, according to the rector of the cathedral, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet.

But the condition of many of its other treasures — including sculptures, paintings, stained glass windows and liturgical art and relics — remained unclear, Chauvet said. He said the main threats to the artwork were fire, smoke damage and falling material like melted lead.

Bernard Fonquernie, who worked in cathedral administration from 1978 to 2001, said water used to fight the fire could also damage its stonework and whatever wood survived the blaze.

Here are some of the treasures about which scholars and the religious faithful are most concerned.

— The crown of thorns

Among the most prized relics at Notre Dame is a relic of the crown of thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ during the crucifixion. Stephen Murray, a professor emeritus of Gothic architecture and medieval art at Columbia University, said the crown at Notre Dame purportedly contains fragments of the original artifact.

The cathedral also contains a piece of wood believed to be a piece of the cross and a nail believed to have been used in the crucifixion.

“Most of these great cathedrals become destination points through the treasury, what they hold that you can come and worship or that you can come and see,” said Nora Heimann, a professor of art history at the Catholic University of America.

Chauvet said Monday that the crown of thorns was in safe hands. He said the tunic of Saint Louis, a religious relic, and a collection of chalices held in the cathedral’s treasury had also been saved.

It was unclear what happened to the piece of wood and the nail some believe to have been used in the crucifixion.

— The rose windows

The cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, from whom the church takes its name, which means “Our Lady of Paris,” Heimann said.

The cathedral contains three rose windows whose stained-glass panes, shaped like flower petals, each tell a religious story, including scenes from the Old and New Testaments, stories from the lives of the Twelve Apostles, and the resurrection of Christ.

“When you’re facing the cathedral, there is a big window devoted to the Virgin Mary, the rose window, and she is in the center of it, enthroned,” Heimann said.

The status of the three windows was unclear Monday, but the prognosis seemed troubling. Benoist de Sinety, a bishop of the Archdiocese of Paris, said high heat had damaged the windows, melting the lead that held their panes in place.

— Relics of the patron saints of Paris

The spire of the cathedral, which collapsed Monday, contained the relics of St. Denis and St. Genevieve, the patron saints of Paris. Laurent Ferri, a curator in the Rare and Manuscript Collections at Cornell University, said an archbishop placed them there in 1935 to protect the building.

According to legend, St. Denis, a third-century Christian martyr, was decapitated and died later while carrying his own head. St. Genevieve is often credited with saving Paris by using the power of group prayer to divert Attila, king of the Huns, away from the city in 451.

Gregory Bryda, an assistant professor of Western medieval art and architecture at Barnard, said the relics included bones, teeth or hair from both saints.

— The Gallery of the Kings

The cathedral houses an important collection of statues, including the imposing stone figures of Old Testament kings that stand above the entrance. It is called the Gallery of the Kings.

The status of those statues was unclear Monday night. But they have been through hard times before.

During the French Revolution, forces hostile to the monarchy mistook the statues for kings of France, not Ancient Judea. Driven by revolutionary zeal, they dragged the statues into Cathedral Square and beheaded them using a guillotine in 1793.

Twenty‐one of those heads, which were sculpted in the 13th century, were discovered in 1977 inside a wall in another neighborhood of Paris, according to a report at the time in The New York Times.

— The cathedral itself

But a sacred space is more than the sum of its parts. Heimann said “the church itself is its own treasure because it is a place of so much history.”

The grounds were once the site of an Ancient Roman temple that became a church after the Roman Empire embraced Christianity. Construction on the cathedral began in 1163 and was completed in 1345.

“It is a place that single-handedly tells us the story of Paris and of France itself and its evolution,” Heimann said. “I don’t think there is any one thing inside of it that is more valuable than the thing as a whole. And I say that as an art historian that weeps for that lost art.”

Besides the paintings, architecture and statues, scholars also pointed to the cathedral’s musical instruments as an endangered artwork. That includes the church bells — the largest of which date to 1681 — which had been rung at important moments in French history, including the French Revolution and both world wars.

Murray said one of the greatest treasures in the cathedral was a pipe organ known as the Great Organ.

“It was a magnificent instrument,” he said. “I doubt if it survived.”

It was unclear what happened to the bells or the organ Monday. But de Sinety said the fire had badly damaged the organ, too.

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Paris luxury stores looted, burned in 'yellow vest' riots

PARIS -- Rioters looted and torched shops and businesses on the famed Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on Saturday, on the 18th weekend of French "yellow vest" protests, characterized by a sharp increase in violence after weeks of dwindling turnout.

President Emmanuel Macron cut short a skiing trip in the Pyrenees to return to Paris for a crisis meeting, as hooded protesters went on the rampage in Paris, leaving a trail of destruction in the touristic heart of the city.

He vowed to take "strong decisions" to prevent further violence, following the emergency talks held at the interior ministry late Saturday.

"There are people today who try by all means... to damage the Republic by breaking, by destroying things at the risk of killing someone," Macron said.

"All those who were there were complicit in" the havoc spread across the Champs-Elysees, he added.

The police appeared overrun as protesters swarmed the Champs-Elysees, vandalizing and later setting fire to Fouquet's brasserie, a favorite hangout of the rich and famous for the past century -- as well as luxury handbag store Longchamp, a bank, another restaurant and several news stands.

The rioters also looted several clothing stores and set fire to barricades in scenes reminiscent of the worst yellow-vest riots in Paris in December.

"Like the vast majority of French people, I feel very angry today," tweeted French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who visited the scene. 

"Today's actions are not the work of protesters, but of looters, arsonists and criminals. No cause justifies this violence," he added.

In a statement, the national police denounced the "mindless violence, cowardly attacks" and stressed their determination to guarantee public order against "provocateurs and vandals".

BANK BLAZE 

Saturday's turnout was seen a test of the ongoing strength of the movement, which began in November over fuel tax hikes and quickly ballooned into a rebellion against Macron's policies, seen by the protesters as geared towards the rich.

In recent weeks, the protests have dwindled in size. But the interior ministry estimated the turnout in Paris Saturday at 10,000, out of around 32,300 nationwide.

That is a fraction of the 282,000 people they said took part in the inaugural demonstrations across France on November 17, but more than the previous weekend. 

Saturday's protests were markedly more violent than in recent weeks. Police said close to 240 people were arrested, while prosecutors said more than 100 had been taken into custody.

The bank set alight was on the ground floor of an apartment building, and fire firefighters had to quickly evacuate the residents, including a 9-month-old baby.

Eleven people suffered minor injuries in the bank blaze, the fire service told AFP.

The violence left 17 members of the police injured, and 42 protesters, said police.

'ULTRA-VIOLENT' MINORITY

The rally coincides with the end of the public debates called by the president to try take the heat out of the protests and give voters a forum to propose policy changes.

Around half a million people turned out at town hall-style meetings held around the country over the past two months.

But many "yellow vests" dismissed the consultation exercise as a smoke-screen.

On Saturday, the police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannon to try repel protesters who gathered at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe war memorial, which was sacked by protesters on December 1.

But for 7 hours they continued to be pelted with paving stones by mostly black-clad demonstrators.

"There are a number of people who have come just to smash things," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said, estimating that some 1,500 "ultra-violent" activists had infiltrated the crowd.

"We have been too nice, that's why it's violent today. I'm not in favour (of violence) but we are ruled by corrupt people who dare to lecture us," Jean-Francois Bernard, a landscape gardener who was among the protesters, told AFP.

The presidency later announced that Macron was returning home from La Mongie ski resort where he and his wife Brigitte arrived Thursday to spend the weekend.

'WE WANT RESULTS' 

Protesters streamed into the capital by train and car for a rally they called an "ultimatum" to the president. Over 5,000 police were deployed, along with several armored police vehicles.

Macron was caught off guard when grassroots protesters began occupying traffic roundabouts in November over fuel taxes. He has loosened the state's purse strings to the tune of 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion) to try defuse the protests.

But the measures failed to quell the anger of the demonstrators, who accuse the former investment banker of being elitist and favoring the rich.

The Paris protest was one of several in the capital on Saturday, where tens of thousands of climate campaigners also held a demonstration to demand that the French government uphold its commitments on reducing emissions.

Yellow vest protests also took place several other French cities. At Bordeaux, in the southwest, police clashed with protesters and a bank was damaged.

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Chris Brown files slander case over Paris rape allegation

PARIS - American singer Chris Brown filed a legal complaint for defamation on Thursday after a woman accused him of rape in Paris, his lawyer said.

Brown, 29, denied the accusation. He was released this week after one night in police custody and no charges were brought against him.

"Chris Brown has lodged a complaint with the Paris public prosecutor for slanderous accusations, so that an investigation can be conducted, in particular so that light can be shed on the conditions under which this young woman was brought to lodge a complaint against him and, also, check her motivations," Raphael Chiche told Reuters.

The arrests were first reported by Closer magazine, which said Brown, his bodyguard and a friend were detained after a 24-year-old woman alleged she was raped at the singer's suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on the night of Jan. 15.

"Chris Brown affirms that there was no sexual relationship with the complainant," Chiche said.

The Grammy-award winning musician pleaded guilty to assaulting singer Rihanna, his then-girlfriend, in 2009 in an incident that made headlines around the world when a photo of her bruised face was released.

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2 firefighters, Spanish tourist killed in Paris gas-leak blast

PARIS—A powerful gas explosion tore through a building in central Paris on Saturday, killing two firefighters and a Spanish woman, injuring dozens of people and badly damaging nearby apartments, officials said.

Around 200 firefighters were mobilized to battle the fire that broke out after the blast and evacuate victims and residents in the area, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters at the scene.

The explosion came with the city on edge during the latest "yellow vest" anti-government demonstrations, which have often degenerated into violence and vandalism in Paris and other cities in recent weeks.

Cars were overturned by the blast and glass and rubble was strewn across large swathes of the street after the explosion gutted the lower part of the building. Dozens of residents were treated by rescue workers on the street.

"I was sleeping and was woken up by the blast wave," Claire Sallavuard, who lives on the Rue de Trevise where the explosion occurred, told AFP. "All the windows in the apartment exploded, doors were blown off their hinges, I had to walk on the door to leave the room, all the kids were panicking, they couldn't get out of their room."

"Firefighters advised us to leave but the elevator shaft had been blown out, there was no railing, nothing, and there was too much smoke," she said.

Besides the two dead firefighters, 47 other people were injured in the blast, 10 of them seriously, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

A source in the Spanish foreign ministry said a woman who was holidaying with her husband in Paris died in hospital after the blast while another Spanish national was also injured.

Around 100 police officers blocked off several streets in the area, home to restaurants and tourist attractions including the Musee Grevin wax museum and the popular Rue des Martyrs.

Police also closed off streets in front of the Garnier Opera house as emergency services landed two helicopters in front of the historic building to evacuate victims.

The explosion occurred shortly after 9:00 am (0800 GMT) in building that housed a bakery as well as a restaurant on the ground floor in the Ninth Arrondissement. 

"It happened when there were people in the street, and firefighters inside," the interior minister said.

'Like an earthquake'

The shockwave was felt as far as four blocks away, Commander Eric Moulin of the Paris fire service said, adding that rescuers were still searching for other victims.

Firefighters had been responding to an alert of a gas leak at the site when the explosion occurred, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said at the scene.

"First there was a gas leak and the firefighters arrived, then there was an explosion that caused the fire," Heitz said.

Dozens of tourists, suitcases in hand, were evacuated from the many nearby hotels in the area, a popular weekend shopping destination for locals and visitors alike.

Other residents were in bathrobes or quickly dressing in the street as police helicopters circled overhead.

"We were sleeping when we heard the noise, it sounded like an earthquake," a teenager who lives on a nearby street told AFP.

"We came downstairs and we saw a building on fire," her brother said.

Many homes and buildings in Paris use gas for heating and cooking, though explosions due to leaks are relatively rare.

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'State of insurrection' as fuel tax riots engulf central Paris

* Yellow vests converge in Paris to protest high living costs

* Militants hurl projectiles at riot police near Champs-Elysees

* Police fire tear gas, stun grenades, water cannon

* Protesters skirmish with police in other French cities

* Officials feared infiltration by far-left, far-right groups

* Macron says understands anger but sticking to reforms (Adds situation calm, prime minister trip cancelled)

PARIS - Rioters ran amok across central Paris on Saturday, torching cars and buildings, looting shops, smashing windows and clashing with police in the worst unrest in more than a decade, posing a dire challenge to Emmanuel Macron's presidency.

The authorities were caught off guard by the escalation in violence after two weeks of nationwide protests against fuel taxes and living costs, known as the "yellow vest" movement after fluorescent jackets kept in all vehicles in France.

In Paris, police said they had arrested almost 300 people while 110 were injured, including 20 members of the security forces. Police fired stun grenades, tear gas and water cannon at protesters at the top of the Champs-Elysees boulevard, at the Tuilleries Garden near the Louvre museum and other sites.

In some areas there was virtually no police presence at all, as groups of masked men roamed in the shadows of the capital's fabled landmarks and through its fanciest shopping districts, smashing the windows of designer boutiques.

Macron, in Argentina for a G20 summit, said he would convene ministers to discuss the crisis upon his return on Sunday. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe cancelled a trip to Poland.

"We are in a state of insurrection, I've never seen anything like it," said Jeanne d'Hauteserre, the mayor of Paris' 8th district, near the Arc de Triomphe.

The popular rebellion erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17 and has spread quickly via social media, with protesters blocking roads across France and impeding access to shopping malls, factories and some fuel depots.

On Saturday, some targeted the Arc de Triomphe, chanting "Macron Resign" and scrawling on the facade of the towering 19th-century arch: "The yellow vests will triumph."

Addressing a news conference in Buenos Aires, Macron said no cause justified the looting of stores, attacks on the security forces or torching of property. The violence, he said, had nothing to do with the peaceful expression of legitimate grievances.

"I will always respect differences. I will always listen to opposition, but I will never accept violence," Macron said.

Protesters smashed the windows of a newly opened flagship Apple Store and luxury boutiques of Chanel and Dior, where they daubed the slogan "Merry Mayhem" on a wooden board.

Close to the Place Vendome, Christmas trees decorating the streets were upended, piled in the middle of an avenue and set ablaze, prompting chanting from scores of protesters.

Order appeared to have been restored late in the evening, although small groups were still at odds with police near the Champs Elysees.

Authorities said violent far-right and far-left groups had infiltrated the yellow vests movement. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said most of those arrested were regular protesters who had been egged on by the fringe groups.

The protests began as a backlash against Macron's fuel tax hikes, but have tapped into a vein of deep dissatisfaction felt towards the 40-year-old's economic reforms, which many voters feel favour the wealthy and big business.

Unrest erupted in several towns and cities across France, from Charleville Mezieres in the northeast to Marseille in the south. In the Riviera city of Nice trucks blocked access to the airport, and in the central town of Puy-en-Velay the police headquarters was set on fire.

The protests are taking a toll on the economy. Parts of central Paris that should have been packed with tourists and Christmas shoppers resembled battle zones, as smoke and tear gas hung in the air and debris littered the ground. Hotels and department stores in the capital stand to lose millions, and shelves have run empty in some supermarkets.

MACRON STANDS FIRM

The protests have caught Macron off-guard just as he was trying to counter a fall in his popularity rating to 20 percent. His unyielding response has exposed him to charges of being out of touch with ordinary people, particularly in rural villages and the provincial hinterlands.

Some peaceful protesters held up a slogan reading, "Macron, stop treating us like idiots!"

Macron on Tuesday said he understood the anger of voters outside France's big cities over the squeeze fuel prices have put on households. But he insisted he would not be bounced into changing policy by "thugs".

Despite the unrest that has accompanied the protests, the "yellow vests" have widespread public support, even in cities.

"I am totally behind the 'Gilets Jaunes'," said George DuPont, a resident in Paris' upscale 16th arrondissement. "The state has stolen money from the French people. It's time to give it back."

Assistant teacher Sandrine Lemoussu, 45, who travelled from Burgundy to protest peacefully, said people were fed up with Macron.

"The people are in revolt," she said. "The anger is rising more and more, and the president despises the French. We aren't here to smash things, but the people have had enough."

Many on the outskirts of smaller provincial towns and villages have expressed anger, underlining the gap between metropolitan elites and working class voters that has boosted anti-establishment politics across the Western world.

"Mr Macron wrote a book called Revolution. He was prophetic because it is what he has managed to launch, but not the revolution he sought," Far-left La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Melenchon told reporters ahead of a protest in Marseille.

(Reporting by Thierry Chiarello, Antony Paone, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Bate Felix, Luke Baker, Sybille de la Hamaide, John Irish, Celia Mebroukine, Antoine Boddaert, Lucien Libert, Stephane Mahe, Caroline Paillez in Paris, Jean-Francois Rosnoblet in Marseille and Johanna Decorse in Toulouse; Writing by John Irish and Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Hugh Lawson and Peter Graff)

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