In western France, a fire burned parts of Nantes Cathedral, or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes, on July 18, destroying its organ and the large, 17th-century stained-glass window on its façade. Firefighters put out the fire before any structural damage was done.

A volunteer warden of the cathedral admitted to starting the fire after being questioned by police. No motive was reported as of press time.

The fire occurred a little more than a year after a fire...

France’s government announced a ban on outdoor heaters at restaurants, cafés and bars on July 27, citing their environmental impact. The order also includes a ban on restaurants keeping their doors open while using air-conditioning, another waste of energy.

A government official stated that the ban would not begin until after the winter of 2020-21 so that restaurants hurting during the COVID-19 pandemic can seat people outside with heat, to help those businesses recover.

A new high-speed rail route in Italy, from Turin (Torino) in the north to Reggio Calabria, located on the “toe” in the south, began operation on June 4. Previously, Reggio Calabria was serviced only by non-high-speed trains, and anyone traveling between the two points by rail had to switch trains in Rome.

The southbound train leaves from Turin’s Porta Nuova station at 8 a.m. and arrives at Reggio Calabria’s Centrale station at 6:50 p.m. The northbound leaves at...