There goes the sun World scrambles to watch

The last total solar eclipse of the millennium swept from the tipof England's Cornwall to the far reaches of the Indian subcontinenttoday.

Thousands crammed the streets of Ramnicu Valcea, the south-centralcity in Romania where the spectacle could be seen the longest - 2minutes and 23 seconds.

In Rome, Pope John Paul II cut short his weekly audience withpilgrims, saying, "I know that some of you are in a hurry to see theeclipse of the sun."

In Sarajevo, streets were deserted in a scene reminiscent of theworst days of the Bosnian war. With special viewing glassesunavailable, most people stayed indoors.

In the Middle East, Muslims shuttered themselves inside on theorders of clerics. Others flocked to mosques as earthquakes and anout-of-season hailstorm intensified eclipse unease.

The Eiffel Tower was packed with thousands of people on its baseand hundreds more on the monument itself. As Paris reached itsdarkest stage, street lights came on and the tower was lit.

In Cornwall, at the southwest tip of England and the eclipse'slandfall, heavy clouds made the two-minute spectacle invisible tohundreds of thousands who had come to watch.

Darkness fell on London, where the eclipse was 96.5 percent oftotality. Trials were adjourned briefly at the Old Bailey criminalcourt to allow jurors and lawyers - but not defendants - to go out towatch.