Man Climbs Eiffel Tower, Prompts Evacuation Hours Ahead of Olympics Closing Ceremony

A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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Man Climbs Eiffel Tower, Prompts Evacuation Hours Ahead of Olympics Closing Ceremony

A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Authorities have evacuated the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the Paris landmark hours before the Olympics closing ceremony Sunday.

The shirtless man was seen scaling the 330-meter (1,083-foot) tall tower in the afternoon. It’s unclear where he began his ascent, but he was spotted just above the Olympic rings adorning the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck, according to The AP.

The Eiffel Tower was a centerpiece of the opening ceremony, with Celine Dion serenading the city from one of its viewing areas. The Tower is not expected to be part of the closing ceremony, which was set to begin at Stade de France in the Saint-Denis area around 9 p.m.

More than 30,000 police officers have been deployed around Paris and beyond to watch over the last Olympic events and the closing ceremony Sunday.

France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 3,000 police officers will be mobilized around the Stade de France, and 20,000 police troops and other security personnel in Paris and the Saint-Denis area will be mobilized late into Sunday night to ensure safety on the last day of the Olympics.



South Korea’s Birthrate Set to Rise for the First Time in Nine Years 

A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
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South Korea’s Birthrate Set to Rise for the First Time in Nine Years 

A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)

South Korea's birthrate is set to show a rise in 2024 for the first time in nine years, following a rebound in marriages that were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asian country has recorded the world's lowest fertility rates, but the number of newborns between January 2024 and November 2024 rose 3% from a year earlier to 220,094, monthly government data showed on Wednesday.

In 2023, newborns fell by 7.7%, extending declines to an eighth consecutive year and resulting in an annual fertility rate of 0.72, the lowest globally.

The rise comes as marriages rose in 2023, marking the first increase in 12 years after couples had postponed weddings during the pandemic.

In the Asian country, there is a high correlation between marriages and births, with a time lag of one or two years, as marriage is often seen as a prerequisite to having children.

In a government survey last year, 62.8% of South Koreans opposed births outside marriage, though that was down from 77.5% seen a decade ago.

In neighboring China, the number of births rose 5.8% to 9.54 million in 2024, also boosted by delays in marriages due to the pandemic.

The number of marriages in South Korea in the January to November period jumped 13.5% to 199,903. That figure, unless there is a change in December, will mark the biggest annual increase since 1980.

Last year, South Korea rolled out various measures to encourage young people to get married and have children, after now impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a "national demographic crisis" and a plan to create a new ministry devoted to tackling low birth rates.

Most of the measures consisted of financial support through tax cuts and subsidies, namely a one-time tax cut of 500,000 won ($349.35) per person for couples married between 2024 and 2026, though the government has said it will try to take a more comprehensive approach.

The annual data for 2024 is due to be released on Feb. 26.