Notre Dame cathedral will reopen in Paris on Saturday with incoming US president Donald Trump set to attend the ceremony marking the resurrection of the Gothic masterpiece five years after a devastating fire.The Republican confirmed Monday he had accepted an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the grand re-opening of the 850-year-old edifice …
Notre Dame to reopen in Paris with Trump in attendance Read More »
France on Tuesday braced for new political turmoil as opposition lawmakers prepared to back a no-confidence motion this week that risks toppling the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office.A standoff between Barnier and the opposition over the 2025 budget, which has caused jitters on financial markets, follows months of …
France risks fresh political crisis in no-confidence vote Read More »
Japan has recorded its warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago, the weather agency said, delaying the country’s popular displays of seasonal foliage into December.”This year was 1.97 degrees Celsius higher than usual… making it the hottest autumn since 1898, when statistics began,” the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday on their website.Between September and …
EU countries are poised to push for stricter anti-smoking rules on Tuesday, backing bans on smoking and vaping in many outdoor areas including playgrounds and cafe patios.A recommendation inviting member states to crack down on second-hand smoke — and vapour — will be on the table as health ministers from the bloc’s 27 nations meet …
EU countries to push for outdoor smoking and vaping bans Read More »
NATO foreign ministers looked set to rebuff Tuesday a push from Ukraine for progress on joining their alliance ahead of Donald Trump taking power in the United States.The incoming US president has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia’s war — leaving Kyiv scrambling to position itself ahead of his January inauguration.Ukraine’s …
NATO set to hold off Ukraine invite push as Trump looms Read More »
US President Joe Biden is in Angola on Tuesday for the first and only visit to sub-Saharan Africa of his presidency, which is focused on a major infrastructure project that is a counterpoint to China’s investments.Biden arrived in the oil-rich Portuguese-speaking country late Monday for a two-day visit centred on a multinational project to rehabilitate a …
A Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death in a multi-billion-dollar fraud case arrived in court Tuesday, as she awaits the verdict of her appeal in one of the biggest corruption prosecutions in history. Property developer Truong My Lan, 68, was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) — which prosecutors said …
Vietnam property tycoon on death row awaits appeal verdict Read More »
With a tape measure around his neck and thimble on his finger, Raniero Mancinelli slides a needle into a black cassock with red piping destined for a Catholic cardinal.”It takes two or three days to make an outfit: taking the measurements, cutting it out, and putting it all together,” according to the 86-year-old Italian, one …
Dressing the Church: one of Rome’s last clergyman tailors Read More »
Nine people were killed in Israeli strikes on villages in southern Lebanon on Monday, after Israel said it was taking aim at dozens of Hezbollah targets in retaliation for an attack claimed by the militant group during a fragile ceasefire. Both Israel and Hezbollah faced accusations Monday of breaching the truce that took effect Wednesday to …
Lebanon says nine killed in Israeli strikes on southern villages Read More »
Pakistani politician Azma Bukhari is haunted by a counterfeit image of herself — a sexualised deepfake video published to discredit her role as one of the nation’s few female leaders.”I was shattered when it came into my knowledge,” said 48-year-old Bukhari, the information minister of Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab.Deepfakes — which manipulate genuine …
Deepfakes weaponised to target Pakistan’s women leaders Read More »
