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The word "Merci" was projected on to the front of Paris' Notre-Dame for the reopening ceremony. Photo: AFP / BENOIT DURAND By Marco Trujillo and Dominique Vidalon, Reuters The word "Merci" was projected on to the front of Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral as it reopened, in thanks for its salvation after a devastating fire that brought the 860-year-old building close to collapse five years ago. The first responders who helped preserve the Gothic masterpiece and some of those who subsequently restored it received a standing ovation after the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, struck the doors of Notre-Dame three times with his crozier before symbolically reopening the building. "I stand before you to express the gratitude of the French nation, our gratitude to all those who saved, helped and...

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Timour Azhari, for Reuters Anti government forces keep watch on 7 December 2024, at a position overlooking the central Syrian city of Hama, days after they captured and took control of it. Photo: AFP/ Bakr Alkasem Rebels enter suburbs of city of Homs, sources say Insurgents seize almost entire southwest in 24 hours Protesters topple Damascus statue to Assad's father Syrian rebels battled government forces for control of the key city of Homs on Saturday and advanced towards the capital Damascus, as front lines collapsed across the country, throwing President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year rule into the balance. Since the rebels' sweep into Aleppo a week ago, government defences have crumbled at dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities a...

By Holly Yan, CNN The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Photo: NYPD He killed a high-profile CEO on a sidewalk in America's largest city, where thousands of surveillance cameras monitor millions of people every day. But the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a busy hotel keeps evading capture. Now, authorities say he might have slipped out of New York - meaning the elusive gunman could be anywhere. Aren't there cameras everywhere in New York City? It could take weeks to find and scrub through a massive array of video footage from all the places where the gunman may have traveled. Police believe the suspect arrived in New York City 10 days before the killing - on 24 November, a law enforcement official told CNN. Throughout his stay,...

By Yoonjung Seo and Edward Szekeres, CNN South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol. Photo: CHUNG SUNG-JUN South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol survived a vote of impeachment on Saturday after the vote was boycotted by governing party lawmakers. In another day of high drama, a number of lawmakers left parliament ahead of the vote to impeach President Yoon over his decision to impose a short-lived period of martial law earlier this week. Just two remained inside while the one governing lawmaker who returned voted against the motion. Outside the main hall, opposition lawmakers could be heard shouting, "Go inside [the chamber]!" and calling them "cowards". Meanwhile, large crowds of protesters gathered outside the National Assembly, calling for the president's ousting. President Yoon has be...

By Aoife Hilton, ABC Raygun does her iconic kangaroo dance move at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Getty Images / Ezra Shaw Raygun: The Musical was set to debut in Sydney on Saturday evening at a venue on Oxford Street, in the city's inner east. But comedian Steph Broadbridge announced on Instagram she had to cancel the show after receiving letters from the Olympic breakdancer's lawyers. Broadbridge assured theatregoers the show would go on at a later date. Sydney comedian Steph Broadbridge says she had to cancel her Raygun-inspired musical after receiving letters from the Olympic breakdancer's lawyers. Raygun: The Musical was set to debut in Sydney on Saturday evening at a venue on Oxford Street, in the city's inner east. Broadbridge had billed the show as "the inspiring story of a gro...