Briefly

FRANCE

50% chance Notre Dame cannot be saved

The rector of Notre Dame Cathedral says the Paris landmark is still so fragile that there's a "50 percent chance" the structure might not be saved, because scaffolding installed before this year's fire is threatening the vaults of the Gothic monument. Monsignor Patrick Chauvet said restoration work isn't likely to begin until 2021－and described his "heartache" that Notre Dame couldn't hold Christmas services this year, for the first time since the French Revolution. "There is a 50 percent chance of scaffolding falling onto the three vaults, as you can see the building is still very fragile," he said.

UNITED STATES

Bloomberg splashes out $120m on ads

Former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has spent about $120 million on digital and television advertising since joining the presidential race last month, local media reported on Wednesday. The billionaire owner of business news company Bloomberg is running for the Democratic nomination by spending in all 50 US states. But he is targeting the big, delegate-rich Super Tuesday states－such as California, Texas and Florida－that can make or break his campaign. A report said that Bloomberg's spending on ads since late November is more than double the combined ad spending of every single non-billionaire candidate in the Democratic field this entire year.

'Student hero' honored as Jedi

A North Carolina college student hailed by police as a hero for preventing more injuries and deaths after a gunman opened fire in a classroom has now been immortalized as a Jedi by the production company for the Star Wars franchise. Media report the family of Riley Howell, the University of North Carolina student who is described as a huge Star Wars fan, was tipped off by Lucasfilm in May that it planned to honor him in a forthcoming book, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker－The Visual Dictionary. The book was released by publisher DK to coincide with the release of the new film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

TURKEY

7 killed as migrant boat sinks in lake

Seven people were killed as a migrant boat capsized in eastern Turkey's Lake Van, the state-owned Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday. The boat carrying migrants capsized at around 3 am local time as it sailed close to Adilcevaz district in Bitlis on the northern shores of Lake Van. Five people were killed on the spot and two died later in hospital. Some 64 others were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment, the report said. Lake Van lies in the far east of Turkey near the border with Iran, from where migrants often cross into Turkey before heading west to Europe. Search operations are still underway.