As France prepares to mark 80 years since Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, the historic coastline faces a new threat – rising sea levels linked to climate change. More than 100km of Normandy‘s coastline bear traces of June 6, 1944, including bunkers, shipwrecked vessels, and other vestiges from the Allied troops’ first step to freeing western Europe from Nazi German occupation.But now, the sea from which 150,000 Allied troops conducted the largest seaborne invasion in history threatens those same heritage sites. Rising sea levels are eroding dunes and cliffs, while marshes and reclaimed land risk submersion at sites visited by millions each year. The famed beaches – code-named Utah, Omaha, Juno, Sword and Gold – that were stormed by US, British Commonwealth and other allied troops have all drastically changed in 80 years. The D-Day sites “already bear no resemblance to what Allied soldiers experienced on June 6, 1944”, said Regis Leymarie, a geographer with Coastal Conservatory in Normandy. In Graye-sur-Mer, a village along Juno Beach, the sea has toppled entire bunkers, leaving residents worried that history is being swept out with the tide.
Eiffel Tower ticket prices to rise by 20% for renovation
Paris city hall on Friday voted to increase the Eiffel Tower adult admission price by 20% from next month to help pay for urgent renovation work. Visitors currently pay ₹29.4 for a ride by lift to the top of the Eiffel tower, a price tag that is set to rise to ₹35.3 on June 17. The masterpiece by Gustave Eiffel has been repainted 19 times since it was built for the 1889 World Fair. Eiffel recommended at the time that it should be painted every 7 years to keep rust at bay. But the 985-ft iron structure hasn’t been given a full paint job since 2010.