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Notre-Dame Cathedral has held its first mass since it reopened following the disastrous fire of 2019.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, attended the liturgy at the Paris landmark, along with clergy, dignitaries, and guests.

Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world took part, as well as one priest from each of the parishes in the Paris diocese and one priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic churches, accompanied by worshippers from these communities.

Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich gives the inaugural mass at Notre Dame Cathedral, hosting its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019,, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)
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Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich gave the inaugural mass. Pic: AP

Clergy members attend the inaugural mass at Notre Dame Cathedral, hosting its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019,, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool)
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Clergy at the mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. Pic: AP

Singers perform during the inaugural mass at Notre Dame Cathedral, hosting its first Mass since the catastrophic fire of 2019,, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool)
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Singers perform during the mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral. Pic: AP

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend the inaugural Mass to mark the Cathedral's reopening after its restoration, in Paris, France, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP)
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French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron. Pic: AP

A view of stained glass windows during an inaugural Mass, with the consecration of the high altar, at the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, five-and-a-half years after a fire ravaged the Gothic masterpiece, as part of ceremonies to mark the Cathedral's reopening after its restoration, in Paris, France, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP)
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The limestone walls have been cleaned and stained-glass windows restored. Pic: AP

Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, center, leads the Eucharist surrounded by clergy members after the consecration of the altar during the inaugural Mass to mark the Cathedral's reopening after its restoration, in Paris, France, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Photo via AP)
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Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, centre, leads the Eucharist. Pic: AP

It has taken more than five years of intricate reconstruction work, funded by £800m in donations from around the world, to restore the grandeur of the celebrated Catholic cathedral, which was built between the 12th and 14th centuries.

The limestone walls of the Gothic masterpiece now gleam after being cleaned of centuries of grime and the restored stained-glass windows project dazzling patterns of colour across the nave.

Notre-Dame’s rector, the Rev Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, said no one alive “has seen the cathedral like this. It is more than restored – it is reborn”.

Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, presided over the mass, including consecrating a new bronze altar.

The service was closed to the general public, but thousands of people watched from viewing areas along the nearby River Seine.

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Nathalie Martino, visiting family in the city, said she “cried so much that day,” when much of the building was destroyed by fire five years ago, and “had to come. It was something I needed to do”.

A lucky few of the faithful who secured reservations last week will see the restored interior for themselves later on Sunday at an evening mass.

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Inside Notre-Dame cathedral – five years on

Parisians celebrate as city’s soul restored
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Archbishop Ulrich symbolically reopened the cathedral’s massive wooden doors by striking them three times with a crosier crafted from charred beams salvaged from the fire during Saturday’s ceremonial reopening.

As the doors swung open, choirs filled the cathedral with song and the cathedral’s great organ – silent since the fire – resounded with majestic melodies.

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs – in worst day for indexes since COVID

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Stock markets slump for second day running after Trump announces tariffs - in worst day for indexes since COVID

Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.

While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As it happened: Worst week’s trading in five years

All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.

The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.

Read more: What’s a bear market?

Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.

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Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.

The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.

And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.

Pic: Reuters
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US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters

Trump holds trade deal talks – reports

It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indian and Israeli representatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.

The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.

Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.

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Do Trump’s tariffs add up?

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Markets gave Trump a clear no-confidence vote
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow

China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.

Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.

Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.

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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump

He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’

“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem

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Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they're also battling with another problem

Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.

The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.

The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.

Tariffs latest: FTSE 100 suffers biggest daily drop since COVID

Financial investors had been gradually re-calibrating their expectations of Donald Trump over the past few months.

Hopes that his actions may not match his rhetoric were dashed on Wednesday as he imposed sweeping tariffs on the US’ trading partners, ratcheting up protectionism to a level not seen in more than a century.

Markets were always going to respond to that but they are also battling with another problem: the lack of certainty when it comes to Trump.

More on Donald Trump

He is a capricious figure and we can only guess his next move. Will he row back? How far is he willing to negotiate and offer concessions?

Read more:
There were no winners from Trump’s tariff gameshow
Trade war sparks ‘$2.2trn’ global market sell-off

These are massive unknowns, which are piled on to uncertainty about how countries will respond.

China has already retaliated and Europe has indicated it will go further.

That will compound the problems for the global economy and undoubtedly send shivers through the markets.

Much is yet to be determined, but if there’s one thing markets hate, it’s uncertainty.

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

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Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

South Korea’s constitutional court has confirmed the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December after declaring martial law.

His decision to send troops onto the streets led to the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.

The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.

Demonstrators who stayed overnight near the constitutional court wait for the start of a rally calling for the president to step down. Pic: AP
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Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP

Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.

The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.

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The Constitutional Court is under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement of the impeachment trial. Pic: AP
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The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP

After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.

He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.

The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.

South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.

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