Lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight (2300 GMT) on Wednesday in solidarity with those killed and injured in a terror attack outside Britain`s parliament.&nbsp;

The decision was taken by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo following the deadly attack in which a man ploughed his car into pedestrians on London&#39;s Westminster Bridge then leapt out and stabbed a policeman, killing three people and wounding more than 20.

Hidalgo had earlier expressed her &quot;solidarity&quot; in a message to her London counterpart Sadiq Khan, adding: &quot;Paris and London have very close links which have become stronger in the last few decades.&quot;

She said the two capitals &quot;share a common love of freedom and an attachment to democracy&quot; and were &quot;tolerant and cosmopolitan cities, open to the world&quot;.

(AFP)&nbsp;

The decision was taken by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo following the deadly attack in London

Lights on the Eiffel Tower will be switched off at midnight (2300 GMT) on Wednesday in solidarity with those killed and injured in a terror attack outside Britain`s parliament. The decision was taken by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo following the deadly attack in which a man ploughed his car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge then leapt out and stabbed a policeman, killing three people and wounding more than 20. Hidalgo had earlier expressed her "solidarity" in a message to her London counterpart Sadiq Khan, adding: "Paris and London have very close links which have become stronger in the last few decades." She said the two capitals "share a common love of freedom and an attachment to democracy" and were "tolerant and cosmopolitan cities, open to the world". (AFP)

Eiffel Tower to go dark in solidarity with London attack victims

The&nbsp;Eiffel&nbsp;Tower, the symbol of Paris, will soon be protected by bulletproof glass walls 2.5 metres (eight feet) high, part of a plan to prevent attacks at the monument, the city said Thursday.

The walls costing some 20 million euros ($21.4 million) will be erected this autumn at the northern and southern ends of the monument area, city hall said in a statement.

On the western and eastern sides, &quot;inelegant temporary&quot; barriers that were thrown up around the 324-metre (1,063-foot) tower during the Euro 2016 football tournament in France last year will be replaced by ornate fencing.

&quot;The terror threat remains high in Paris, and the most vulnerable sites, starting with the&nbsp;Eiffel&nbsp;Tower, must be the object of special security measures,&quot; deputy mayor Jean-Francois Martins told a press conference.

The glass walls will prevent individuals or vehicles storming the site visited by six million people each year, he added.

Some councillors quoted by Le Parisien newspaper said they feared the walls would turn the iconic tower into a &quot;fortress&quot;.

They could turn off tourists who simply want to have their pictures snapped under the tower without visiting the venerable Iron Lady.

Martins said that visitors will continue to have access to the foot of the tower -- after undergoing security checks -- free of charge.

Removing the unsightly barriers currently in place would give both visitors and locals alike &quot;a nicer view of the monument&quot;, he said.

Architects will help design the walls so that they blend in with the river, which borders the tower to the north, and with the Champ de Mars park to the south, he added.

Olympic bid

Security has been boosted around French tourist sites, transport hubs and places of worship after a string of jihadist attacks that claimed 238 lives around the country between January 2015 and July 2016.

The continuing nature of the threat was brought home last week by an attack on troops patrolling outside the Louvre museum.

The suspect, a 29-year-old Egyptian who shouted &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; (God is Greatest), was shot in the stomach after slightly injuring a soldier with a machete.

The assault came on the day France launched its formal bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, lighting up the&nbsp;Eiffel&nbsp;Tower in the blue, white and red national colours.

The tower, which was inaugurated for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, will undergo a major upgrade as part of the bid.

(AFP)

&nbsp;

The walls costing some 20 million euros ($21.4 million) will be erected this autumn to prevent terrorist attacks

The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, will soon be protected by bulletproof glass walls 2.5 metres (eight feet) high, part of a plan to prevent attacks at the monument, the city said Thursday. The walls costing some 20 million euros ($21.4 million) will be erected this autumn at the northern and southern ends of the monument area, city hall said in a statement. On the western and eastern sides, "inelegant temporary" barriers that were thrown up around the 324-metre (1,063-foot) tower during the Euro 2016 football tournament in France last year will be replaced by ornate fencing. "The terror threat remains high in Paris, and the most vulnerable sites, starting with the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures," deputy mayor Jean-Francois Martins told a press conference. The glass walls will prevent individuals or vehicles storming the site visited by six million people each year, he added. Some councillors quoted by Le Parisien newspaper said they feared the walls would turn the iconic tower into a "fortress". They could turn off tourists who simply want to have their pictures snapped under the tower without visiting the venerable Iron Lady. Martins said that visitors will continue to have access to the foot of the tower -- after undergoing security checks -- free of charge. Removing the unsightly barriers currently in place would give both visitors and locals alike "a nicer view of the monument", he said. Architects will help design the walls so that they blend in with the river, which borders the tower to the north, and with the Champ de Mars park to the south, he added. Olympic bid Security has been boosted around French tourist sites, transport hubs and places of worship after a string of jihadist attacks that claimed 238 lives around the country between January 2015 and July 2016. The continuing nature of the threat was brought home last week by an attack on troops patrolling outside the Louvre museum. The suspect, a 29-year-old Egyptian who shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest), was shot in the stomach after slightly injuring a soldier with a machete. The assault came on the day France launched its formal bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, lighting up the Eiffel Tower in the blue, white and red national colours. The tower, which was inaugurated for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, will undergo a major upgrade as part of the bid. (AFP)

Eiffel Tower to be protected by bulletproof glass walls

The city of Paris will spend 300 million euros over the next 15 years to renovate the Eiffel Tower.&nbsp;

It is a 45 per cent increase in funding to upgrade the iconic Parisian monument. Earlier, the annual outlay was 13.7 million euros every year, whereas now the government will spend 20 million euros.

The upgrade work is part of Paris&#39; attempt to host the 2024 Olympics -- Budapest and Los Angeles are the cities vying to organise the quadrennial event -- and the 2025 World Expo.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to &quot;highlight the&nbsp;Eiffel&nbsp;Tower&nbsp;even further, to make it a flawless showcase of the Parisian welcome&quot;, city hall said in a statement.

The&nbsp;Eiffel&nbsp;Tower&nbsp;plan, to be submitted for approval to the city council at the end of the month, includes stepping up security, modernising ticketing facilities and improving the visitor experience.

Officials are looking into better ways to manage visitor flows, reduce waiting times and protect queuers from the elements, the city&#39;s tourism chief Jean-Francois Martins told AFP.

The monument&#39;s scintillating nightly light show will also be updated.

The&nbsp;Eiffel&nbsp;Tower, inaugurated for the 1889 equivalent of the World Expo, is the world&#39;s most visited paying monument, taking in some six million visitors each year.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The 15-year plan to refurbish the iconic Parisian monument as part of its 2024 Olympics bid

The city of Paris will spend 300 million euros over the next 15 years to renovate the Eiffel Tower. It is a 45 per cent increase in funding to upgrade the iconic Parisian monument. Earlier, the annual outlay was 13.7 million euros every year, whereas now the government will spend 20 million euros. The upgrade work is part of Paris' attempt to host the 2024 Olympics -- Budapest and Los Angeles are the cities vying to organise the quadrennial event -- and the 2025 World Expo. Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to "highlight the Eiffel Tower even further, to make it a flawless showcase of the Parisian welcome", city hall said in a statement. The Eiffel Tower plan, to be submitted for approval to the city council at the end of the month, includes stepping up security, modernising ticketing facilities and improving the visitor experience. Officials are looking into better ways to manage visitor flows, reduce waiting times and protect queuers from the elements, the city's tourism chief Jean-Francois Martins told AFP. The monument's scintillating nightly light show will also be updated. The Eiffel Tower, inaugurated for the 1889 equivalent of the World Expo, is the world's most visited paying monument, taking in some six million visitors each year. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Eiffel Tower to undergo 15-year renovation for over $300 million

&nbsp;Paris&#39;s Eiffel Tower was evacuated in error after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident, a police source said in the increasingly jittery terror-hit country. 
 
&quot;It was a safety exercise drill, the sort that is done dozens of times a week, which went wrong. One employee thought that it was a real threat and the Eiffel Tower was evacuated,&quot; the source said yesterday. 
 
It was unclear how many people were told to leave the landmark and the tower&#39;s management could not immediately be reached for comment. 
 
The incident came as French authorities announced the cancellation of two major events over security fears. 
 
One of Europe&#39;s biggest flea markets, in the northern French city of Lille, and the European road cycling championships, which were due to be held in Nice from September 14 to 18, were both called off yesterday. 
 
They are the latest events to be cancelled following the November attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and last month&#39;s Bastille Day truck massacre in the Riviera town of Nice that claimed 85 lives following a fireworks display. 
 
Many traditional and cultural festivities have been either downsized or cancelled altogether, with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying the series of jihadist attacks in France put the country in a &quot;war situation&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The evacuation happened after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident

Paris's Eiffel Tower was evacuated in error after an employee mistook a safety drill for a real incident, a police source said in the increasingly jittery terror-hit country. "It was a safety exercise drill, the sort that is done dozens of times a week, which went wrong. One employee thought that it was a real threat and the Eiffel Tower was evacuated," the source said yesterday. It was unclear how many people were told to leave the landmark and the tower's management could not immediately be reached for comment. The incident came as French authorities announced the cancellation of two major events over security fears. One of Europe's biggest flea markets, in the northern French city of Lille, and the European road cycling championships, which were due to be held in Nice from September 14 to 18, were both called off yesterday. They are the latest events to be cancelled following the November attacks in Paris that left 130 dead and last month's Bastille Day truck massacre in the Riviera town of Nice that claimed 85 lives following a fireworks display. Many traditional and cultural festivities have been either downsized or cancelled altogether, with Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian saying the series of jihadist attacks in France put the country in a "war situation". (AFP)

Eiffel Tower evacuated in safety drill muddle

The Eiffel Tower will be lit up Monday night in the rainbow colours of the gay community in solidarity with the victims of the Orlando shootings, Paris city hall said. 
 
&quot;Paris is with Orlando. Tonight, the Eiffel Tower will be illuminated in LGBT colours in homage to the victims,&quot; Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted. 
 
City hall will also fly the US flag, the Stars and Stripes, as well as the rainbow flag, Hidalgo said, expressing her &quot;compassion, solidarity and affection&quot; for the American people after the massacre. 
 
On Monday morning, Paris councillors observed a minute of silence for the victims of the nightclub attack, in which 50 people were killed. 
 
The French football team also tweeted a message of support, along with a picture of a ribbon combining the colours of the US and rainbow flags. 
 
&quot;Sometimes football counts for little. Thoughts for #Orlando,&quot; said the team which is among 24 competing at the Euro 2016 championships in France, adding in English &quot;Together we stand&quot;. 
 
The planned tribute at the Eiffel Tower recalls the global show of solidarity with the French after the jihadist carnage in Paris in November. 
 
In the aftermath of the attacks, monuments from One World Trade Center in New York to the Sydney Opera House in Australia were lit in the colours of the French flag.

Paris city hall will also fly the US flag and the Stars and Stripes in a show of compassion, affection for America

The Eiffel Tower will be lit up Monday night in the rainbow colours of the gay community in solidarity with the victims of the Orlando shootings, Paris city hall said. "Paris is with Orlando. Tonight, the Eiffel Tower will be illuminated in LGBT colours in homage to the victims," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted. City hall will also fly the US flag, the Stars and Stripes, as well as the rainbow flag, Hidalgo said, expressing her "compassion, solidarity and affection" for the American people after the massacre. On Monday morning, Paris councillors observed a minute of silence for the victims of the nightclub attack, in which 50 people were killed. The French football team also tweeted a message of support, along with a picture of a ribbon combining the colours of the US and rainbow flags. "Sometimes football counts for little. Thoughts for #Orlando," said the team which is among 24 competing at the Euro 2016 championships in France, adding in English "Together we stand". The planned tribute at the Eiffel Tower recalls the global show of solidarity with the French after the jihadist carnage in Paris in November. In the aftermath of the attacks, monuments from One World Trade Center in New York to the Sydney Opera House in Australia were lit in the colours of the French flag.

Eiffel Tower to don rainbow colours in solidarity with LGBT community after Orlando killings

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Eiffel Tower to go dark in solidarity with London attack victims

Eiffel Tower to be protected by bulletproof glass walls

Eiffel Tower to undergo 15-year renovation for over $300 million

Eiffel Tower evacuated in safety drill muddle

Eiffel Tower to don rainbow colours in solidarity with LGBT community after Orlando killings