Notre Dame Cathedral unveils its new interior 5 years after devastating fire

PARIS (AP) — After more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral showed its new self to the world Friday, with rebuilt soaring ceilings and creamy good-as-new stonework erasing somber memories of its devastating fire in 2019.

Images broadcast live of a site visit by French President Emmanuel Macron showed the inside of the iconic cathedral as worshippers might have experienced it back in medieval times, its wide, open spaces filled with bright light on a crisp and sunny winter’s day that lit up the vibrant colors of the stained-glass windows.

Gaping holes that the blaze tore into the vaulted ceilings, leaving charred piles of debris, are gone, now filled in with new stonework. Delicate golden angels look on from the centerpiece of one of the rebuilt ceilings.

The cathedral's limestone walls look brand new, cleaned not only of dust from the fire but also of grime that had accumulated for years. The cathedral attracted millions of worshippers and visitors annually before the blaze.

Powerful vacuum cleaners were used to first remove toxic dust released when the fire melted the cathedral's lead roofs. Fine layers of latex were then sprayed onto the surfaces and removed a few days later, taking dirt away with them.

Macron entered via the cathedral’s giant and intricately carved front doors and stared up at the ceilings in wonder. He was accompanied by his wife, Brigitte, the archbishop of Paris and others.

Their visit kicks off a series of events ushering in the reopening of the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece.

Macron will return on Dec. 7 to deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a solemn Mass the following day.

Macron's administration is hailing the reconstruction as a symbol of national unity and French can-do.

People stand inside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Friday Nov. 29 2024 before French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8. (Sarah Meyssonnier, Pool via AP)

A man takes a picture of Notre Dame Cathedral as French President Emmanuel Macron visits the renovated cathedral, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

The facade of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris, is seen Friday Nov. 29, 2024, ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

People stand outside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Friday Nov. 29 2024 before French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8. (Sarah Meyssonnier, Pool via AP)

Part of the facade of Notre-Dame Cathedral is seen in Paris, Friday Nov., 29 2024 ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

The facade of Notre-Dame Cathedral is seen in Paris, Friday Nov., 29 2024 ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

FILE - A hole is seen in the dome inside Notre Dame cathedral after the fire in Paris, Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP, File)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Amazon staff in India have joined strike action calling for better wages and working conditions as the company prepares for one of the busiest shopping periods of the year .

About 200 warehouse workers and delivery drivers rallied in the capital, New Delhi, under a ``Make Amazon Pay” banner. Some donned masks of Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and joined hands against the Seattle-based company’s practices.

The walkout on Black Friday, which starts one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year, was repeated at Amazon warehouses in other countries as workers called for higher wages, better working conditions, and union rights.

There was no immediate statement by Amazon India.

"Our basic salary is 10,000 rupees ($120), which should be at least 25,000 rupees ($295)," said Manish Kumar, 25, a warehouse worker who joined the New Dehli protest. "And the environment there is to work under pressure,” he added.

Nitesh Das, a union leader, said the workers took to the streets because they want the government to take up their cause.

A statement from the Amazon India Workers Union said similar protests are planned in other parts of India as well as in other countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan, and Brazil. The demonstrations will call on Amazon to pay its workers fairly, respect their right to join unions, and commit to environmental sustainability, it said.

The union said it would submit a memorandum highlighting its demands to India’s Labor Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

The gig economy has become huge in India due to its fast economic growth, but workers face low wages and difficult working conditions.

India’s National Human Rights Commission sent a notice to Amazon in June 2023 after local media reports that workers were being made to work without breaks during the peak hot summer season. Amazon India denied the charge.

A participant wears a paper mask in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos as warehouse workers and delivery drivers stage a protest against the Seattle-based company demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Paper masks in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and banners wait to be distributed to warehouse workers and delivery drivers as they stage a protest against the Seattle-based company, demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Participants wear paper masks in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos during a protest by warehouse workers and delivery drivers against the Seattle-based company, demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Participants wear paper masks in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos as warehouse workers and delivery drivers stage a protest against the Seattle-based company demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Participants wear paper masks in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos as warehouse workers and delivery drivers stage a protest against the Seattle-based company demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)