Notre Dame Cathedral is Going to Unveil its New Interior, a Watershed in its Rebirth from Fire

Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
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Notre Dame Cathedral is Going to Unveil its New Interior, a Watershed in its Rebirth from Fire

Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
Notre-Dame cathedral rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas (C) blesses the bell donated by Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO), rung by Olympic medalists during the Paris Games, for its installation in Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of the monument's forthcoming reopening after a massive fire and five years of rebuilding efforts, in Paris, France, 07 November 2024. EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

After more than five years of frenetic reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral is going to unveil its new self to the world on Friday, a watershed in the rebirth from its devastating fire in 2019.
The occasion is French President Emmanuel Macron's final visit to the construction site to see the restored interiors for himself before the iconic monument's reopening for worship on Dec. 8.
His two-hour tour is being televised live. The images are expected to be breathtaking, showing creamy renovated stonework, vibrant colors, and other fruits of the mammoth reconstruction, The Associated Press said.
Joined by artisans, architects, business leaders, and donors, Macron is expected to pay tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication of all those who worked to bring Notre Dame back to life.
Macron is scheduled to inspect the restored nave, no longer ripped open by giant holes that the fire tore out of its vaults. He is also to see the rebuilt timber-framed roof, rebuilt with wood from hundreds of oak trees, and other highlights of the reconstruction.
Joined by a group of 700 artisans, architects, business leaders, and donors, Macron is paying tribute to the craftsmanship and dedication behind the restoration effort.
The visit kicks off a series of events ushering in the reopening of the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece.
Macron will return on Dec. 7 to deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a solemn Mass the following day.
Macron's administration is hailing the reconstruction as a symbol of national unity and French can-do.



Peru Scientists Unveil Crocodile Fossil Up to 12 Million Years Old

Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP
Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP
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Peru Scientists Unveil Crocodile Fossil Up to 12 Million Years Old

Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP
Paleontologists unveil the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years discovered in Peru. Ernesto BENAVIDES / AFP

Paleontologists unveiled on Wednesday the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years that was discovered in a Peruvian desert.
The fossil of the gharial -- or fish-eating -- crocodile, around three meters long (nearly 10 feet), was discovered late 2023 in perfect condition in Peru's Ocucaje desert, around 350 kilometers (190 miles) south of the capital Lima, AFP said.
"This is the first time we found a juvenile of this species, that is to say, it had not reached its maximum size yet. It died before that," vertebrate paleontologist Mario Gamarra told a news conference.
The skull and jaws of these specimens differed from that of today's crocodiles and alligators, according to Gamarra, who headed the reconstruction of the fossil.
"They had an elongated snout and their diet was entirely piscivorous, feeding on fish," said Gamarra.
"The closest current relative to this crocodile would be the Indian gharial," he added.
The discovery was made jointly by Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute and the La Union school.
Peru's Ocucaje desert is rich in fossils, such as four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period -- between 5 and 23 million years ago -- that were previously discovered there.