Crane at fire-ravaged Notre Dame in Paris hoists giant wood trusses to the cathedral’s roof

Crane at fire-ravaged Notre Dame in Paris hoists giant wood trusses to the cathedral’s roof
A timber truss is craned from a barge on the River Seine, to Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral during its restoration following a massive fire 4-years-ago, in Paris on July 11, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 11 July 2023
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Crane at fire-ravaged Notre Dame in Paris hoists giant wood trusses to the cathedral’s roof

Crane at fire-ravaged Notre Dame in Paris hoists giant wood trusses to the cathedral’s roof
  • With trusses weighing 7 to 7.5 tons, the delicate operation drew crowds along a bridge over the Seine River and on its banks x
  • With trusses weighing 7 to 7.5 tons, the delicate operation drew crowds along a bridge over the Seine River and on its banks “I think it’s a magical moment for a lot of Parisians this morning,” said Transport Minister Clement Beaune

PARIS: A crane hoisted massive oak trusses from a barge and onto Notre Dame Cathedral on Tuesday in a spectacular operation to rebuild the fire-ravaged monument and bring it back to life by December 2024.
With trusses weighing 7 to 7.5 tons, the delicate operation drew crowds along a bridge over the Seine River and on its banks.
“I think it’s a magical moment for a lot of Parisians this morning,” said Transport Minister Clement Beaune, noting that the Seine will be at the center of the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron to oversee Notre Dame’s reconstruction, said that even the heavy traffic expected during the summer Games won’t stop work on the world-renowned cathedral.
“We will work for the cathedral during the Olympics in order to be ready in December 2024,” he said. “This is our goal.”
Notre Dame, which oversees old Paris from an island on the Seine, was consumed by flames in 2019, and it was decided to rebuild the monument using methods of yore.
Expert carpenters used Medieval methods to construct the trusses — measuring 14 to 16 meters (46 to 52 feet) wide and 12 to 13 meters (39 to 43 feet) high.
Guided by ropes, they were being placed on the roof around the area of the iconic spire, which crumbled in cinders during the fire, and the two arms of the transept, the wooden skeleton of Notre Dame. A statement said the silhouette of Notre Dame, now enmeshed in scaffolding, should emerge on the skyline as work advances.


Ukraine says downed 21 drones, missiles in overnight attacks

Ukraine says downed 21 drones, missiles in overnight attacks
Updated 14 sec ago
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Ukraine says downed 21 drones, missiles in overnight attacks

Ukraine says downed 21 drones, missiles in overnight attacks
Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukraine said Wednesday that its air force had destroyed nearly two dozen Russian attack drones and several missiles in Moscow’s latest aerial assault on targets across the country.
Officials in Kyiv say Russian forces have been stockpiling drones and missiles for systematic attacks on Ukraine’s struggling energy grid over winter months.
“In total, the strike involved: 21 Shahed-136/131 strike drones; three X-59 guided missiles,” Ukraine’s airforce announced on social media, claiming to have downed all the drones and two of the missiles.
It said it used fighter jets, anti-aircraft and mobile air defense units to down the drones and missiles in southern and central regions of Ukraine.
It added that the third missile, which was not downed, did not reach its target. There was no immediate comment from the Russian side.
Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure last winter left millions in the cold and dark for extended periods.
The Kremlin said Kyiv was ultimately responsible for not entering negotiations.

US military aircraft crashes into ocean near Japan’s Yakushima island

US military aircraft crashes into ocean near Japan’s Yakushima island
Updated 52 min 7 sec ago
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US military aircraft crashes into ocean near Japan’s Yakushima island

US military aircraft crashes into ocean near Japan’s Yakushima island
  • Local residents report the aircraft had fire blowing from its left engine as it fell into the sea

TOKYO: A US military Osprey aircraft crashed into the ocean near Japan’s Yakushima island on Wednesday with eight people on board, Japan’s coast guard said.

A spokesperson for the coast guard said it had no further details of the incident including the safety of those onboard.

The crash happened at around 2:47 p.m. local time, with local residents reporting the aircraft had fire blowing from its left engine as it fell into the sea, Japanese broadcaster MBC reported.

A spokesperson for US forces in Japan did not immediately have comment.


Gangs, extortion in Bangladesh camps driving Rohingya sea exodus

Gangs, extortion in Bangladesh camps driving Rohingya sea exodus
Updated 29 November 2023
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Gangs, extortion in Bangladesh camps driving Rohingya sea exodus

Gangs, extortion in Bangladesh camps driving Rohingya sea exodus
  • Rohingya escape escalating brutality in the camps in and around Cox’s Bazar
  • Bangladesh defense ministry identifies at least 11 armed groups operating in the camps

LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia: Holding his son’s hand in a temporary shelter in Indonesia, Rohingya Mohamed Ridoi says he made the dangerous 12-day sea journey from massive refugee camps in Bangladesh to escape the pervasive threats of kidnapping, extortion and murder.
The 27-year-old said he was starting a “peaceful life” in a temporary shelter in Indonesia’s western Aceh Province, where more than 1,000 Rohingya people have arrived this month, the largest such influx since 2015.
He and others said they fled escalating brutality in the camps in and around Cox’s Bazar, which hold more than one million people and where gangs regularly abduct and torture residents for ransom.
“One of the groups kidnapped me and demanded 500,000 Bangladeshi taka ($4,551) to buy their guns,” Ridoi, who left with his wife, two children and his brother, said.
“They told me that if I couldn’t give them the money, they would kill me.”
He said he eventually paid 300,000 taka for his release last month and, within weeks, he was on a boat to Indonesia, arriving on November 21.
“We are not safe in Bangladesh. That is why I decided to go to Indonesia to save me and my family’s life,” he said.
Having first fled state-backed persecution in Myanmar — including a 2017 crackdown that is subject to a UN genocide probe — the refugees now find themselves pushed to undertake weeks-long journeys of more than 1,800 kilometers on packed, rickety boats.
Indonesia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and says it is not compelled to take in refugees from Myanmar, but neighboring countries have shut their doors, meaning they have almost no other options.
More than half a dozen boats have arrived in Aceh since November 14, and monitors say more are on their way, despite some locals turning arriving boats back to sea and stepping up patrols on the coast.
Human Rights Watch reported this year that criminal gangs and alleged affiliates of Islamist armed groups were causing fear at night in the Bangladesh refugee camps, which now number more than two dozen.
The Bangladesh defense ministry has identified at least 11 armed groups operating in the camps, but rights groups say Dhaka is not doing enough to protect refugees from the violence.
These gangs, vying for control and involved in activities like drug smuggling and human trafficking, have specifically targeted Rohingya community leaders and activists.
Aisha, 19, arrived in Aceh on the same boat as Ridoi with two children and her husband.
“They asked for money every night, threatening to abduct my husband. I couldn’t sleep at night because of them,” she said via an interpreter.
Bangladesh police say about 60 Rohingya people have been killed in violence in the camps this year.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of HRW, said it appeared the Bangladeshi government “doesn’t care” about the refugees’ fate.
“The bottom line is the Bangladesh government just wants all the Rohingya to go back to Myanmar as soon as possible — even if (it) means subjecting the refugees to conditions of absolute misery in the camps so that they leave.”
Aisha, the young mother, said fear of the criminals pushed her family to pay 200,000 taka ($1,819) to illegal middlemen for her family’s boat journey to Indonesia, despite the risks.
Aisha said she preferred to “die at sea than in the camp.”
“I looked for a safe place for my children, hoping they could study and get an education,” she said.
Chris Lewa, director of Rohingya rights organization the Arakan Project, said food shortages were also worsening camp conditions and entire families were now leaving, instead of just groups of young men as seen previously.
“Now, the profile is different, now we have many families. Before there was not many,” she said.
“Nowadays we see small children, there are many families making their way. They just want to be away from Bangladesh.”
Aisha and her children now share a windowless room in a shelter in the Aceh city of Lhokseumawe with more than a hundred other women and minors, sleeping on mats on the floor without a fan in the tropical heat.
Aisha said that it was still much better than living in fear in the Bangladesh camp.
Ridoi also hoped that his decision to bring his family to Indonesia would bring a better life for his sons.
“I am not qualified to be a doctor or engineer, but I am doing my best to make them one,” he said.
“My children are everything to me.”


Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India’s Cricket World Cup defeat 

Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India’s Cricket World Cup defeat 
Updated 29 November 2023
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Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India’s Cricket World Cup defeat 

Kashmiri students arrested for celebrating India’s Cricket World Cup defeat 
  • Seven students were detained last week after a student filed complaint accusing them of raising anti-India slogans and cheering for Pakista
  • Police said they were charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act after they found video evidence of them raising anti-India chants

SRINAGAR, India: Indian police arrested seven students in the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region under anti-terror laws for allegedly celebrating Australia’s victory over India in the men’s Cricket World Cup final earlier this month, police said on Tuesday. 

A senior police official said seven students from an agriculture university were detained last week after a student filed a complaint accusing them of raising anti-India slogans and cheering for Pakistan along with Australia after the match. 

Claimed in full but ruled in part by India and Pakistan, Muslim-majority Kashmir has seen a bloody insurrection against New Delhi for decades, with militants fighting security forces since the 1990s. 

Tens of thousands of people have been killed although the violence has been reduced in recent years. 

India blames Pakistan for supporting the Muslim insurgents. Pakistan denies this and accuses India of violating the rights of Kashmir’s Muslim people, a charge India rejects. 

Police said the seven students were charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) after they found video evidence of them raising anti-India chants. UAPA deals with inciting or advising any unlawful activity and is punishable with seven years’ imprisonment. 

Family members and lawyers of the accused were not immediately available for comment. 

Political leaders from local parties opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s rule over J&K said the arrests were a method to intimidate locals. A local policeman said however the chants “terrorized” those who are pro-India. 

Muslims in J&K have in the past cheered for the competing side in India cricket matches as a way of protesting Indian rule. 

“It is shocking that cheering for a winning team too has been criminalized in Kashmir,” said the region’s former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. 

Australia had entered the World Cup match as clear underdogs against an all-conquering India side, who had won 10 matches in a row to storm into the final. But India was defeated in the final match on Nov. 19. 


Thailand welcomes release of two more Thai hostages held by Hamas

Thailand welcomes release of two more Thai hostages held by Hamas
Updated 29 November 2023
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Thailand welcomes release of two more Thai hostages held by Hamas

Thailand welcomes release of two more Thai hostages held by Hamas
  • Before the Israel-Hamas war, about 30,000 Thai laborers worked in Israel’s agriculture sector, comprising one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country

BANGKOK: Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara welcomed on Wednesday the release of two more Thai hostages who had been held by Hamas in Gaza, the latest to be freed under a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas.
“Happy to personally welcome 2 additional Thai hostages just released and arrived at the hospital in Tel Aviv,” Parnpree, who is also deputy prime minister, posted on social media platform X.
“A totally warm feeling to see how the former 17 were lining up to welcome and give moral support to the two newcomers,” he said.
Nineteen Thai hostages have so far been released, while the foreign ministry says 13 more remain in captivity. There were 39 Thai nationals killed in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
A Thai Muslim group that spoke directly with Hamas said on Monday its efforts were key to ensuring Thai hostages were among the first to be released. A Thai foreign ministry spokesperson said multiple actors were consulted.
Before the Israel-Hamas war, about 30,000 Thai laborers worked in Israel’s agriculture sector, comprising one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country.
Nearly 9,000 have been repatriated, according to the government.
The Thai citizens released are slated to return home this week as Parnpree visits Israel.