FRENCH workers resumed efforts to secure the cathedral of Notre-Dame following the devastating April fire, after a three-week pause due to the risk of lead contamination. France’s culture ministry told AFP that the works had resumed with around 50 people involved. Restoration of the cathedral after the fire has yet
EGYPTIAN authorities have defended renovation works at a historic Cairo palace after the site’s new look sparked mockery on social media. The site, dubbed the Baron Palace, was built between 1907 and 1911 by wealthy Belgian industrialist Edouard Empain. The baron also spearheaded the development of the surrounding upmarket neighbourhood
SYDNEY: Coach Michael Cheika yesterday said the Wallabies planned to be “unpredictable” in Japan as he tapped uncapped back Jordan Petaia, 19, to become Australia’s youngest ever World Cup player and picked Adam Ashley-Cooper for his fourth campaign. Cheika opted for just two half-backs, Will Genia and Nic White,
Ask one of the hundreds-of-thousands of Chinese students in Australia what they think about Hong Kong and you are likely to be met with apprehension, or a polite silence. It has become what one Chinese student calls the “dreaded question”. Hong Kong’s unrest is a nine-hour flight away, but it
In a mountainous area north of Tokyo, a priest blows a conch shell as Yuichiro Yamamoto bows and thanks the nature gods for this year’s “good harvest”: natural ice. Yamamoto is one of Japan’s few remaining “ice farmers”, eschewing the ease of refrigeration for open-air pools to create a product
In the early morning, when the only sound on Tel Aviv beach is the waves, Yosef Salman and his team pick up plastic debris left by bathers or cast up by the sea. Working in heat and humidity with large rakes, they scoop plastic cups, cigarette ends, empty sunscreen tubes
PARIS: The Court of Arbitration for Sport said on Tuesday it was postponing its hearing on the decision by Fina, the governing body of swimming, to clear Chinese star Sun Yang of doping. Triple Olympic champion Sun Yang was accused of smashing a blood vial with a hammer during an
MELBOURNE: Cardinal George Pell remained defiant after losing an appeal against his conviction for child sex abuse yesterday, a stance that surprised few observers of the once-powerful Vatican official’s fall from grace. From his days as a country priest in Australia’s rural Victoria state to his position as one of
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Tuesday Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats display “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” sparking accusations that he is promoting and politicising anti-Semitism. His comments, which drew fierce rebuke from Jewish groups, came amid his ongoing dispute with Democratic Muslim congresswomen
HONG KONG: China has deployed a three-pronged strategy to suffocate pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong — propaganda, economic leverage and intimidation. Here is a look at Beijing’s efforts so far to squash a movement that has refused to die. As protests erupted in June, discussion inside authoritarian China was muted,
