Features

LOS ANGELES — Mark Wahlberg has a famously punishing physical routine that has kept the 50-year-old in enviable shape.

But for his latest outing, “Father Stu”, he had to ditch the training and eat. A lot. 

“Porterhouse steaks, baked potatoes, a dozen eggs every morning, a dozen pieces of bacon, two bowls of white rice, a glass of olive oil,” he tells AFP.

“Lots of high protein for the first two weeks; second two weeks, we had lots of starch. And then the last two weeks, we had lots of sodium to kind of get the bloating effect, but not fun at all.”

The physical transformation from taut athlete to out-of-shape and overweight was in aid of his role as Stuart Long, an amateur boxer who hangs up his gloves after an injury and moves to Hollywood to become an actor.

Odd-jobbing in a supermarket, Long meets Carmen, played by Teresa Ruiz (“Narcos”), and sets out to win her heart by going to her church.

His avowed agnosticism gives way to genuine faith, and he decides he will become a priest, despite the scepticism of his parents, played by Jacki Weaver (Oscar-nominated for “Silver Linings Playbook”) and Mel Gibson (“Braveheart”).

He must also face his biggest challenge: a diagnosis of a degenerative disease that will rob him of the use of his body.

For Wahlberg, who also produced the movie, the real-life story of “Father Stu” is a departure from previous action outings like “Mile 22” and “Uncharted” — but, he insists, not unexpected.

“It’s an unusual role, but it’s also [a] pretty obvious choice if you kind of know me and my own personal journey and what I’m looking to do as I get older and try to find things that have a little bit more meaning and purpose,” he told AFP.

“But I always felt like I was... tasked to do it for a reason.

“This is for God’s greater good and so to do that, and utilise my talents and gifts for that particular purpose is something that I embraced,” he said.

Reflection of community

Along with its unabashedly religious theme — the film was released in the United States ahead of the Easter Weekend — “Father Stu” also zooms in on family, and on human kindness.

For Ruiz, these elements all came together in her character.

“I liked that she was very kind and very generous and she had a very rooted faith,” Ruiz said.

“That was something that I’ve seen in my community, it’s something that I’ve seen in my mother, so I really enjoyed being able to portray that for a worldwide audience.”

The cast of “Father Stu”, which also includes Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange”), afforded Ruiz the chance to work alongside a different generation of actors — at close quarters.

“My camper was right next to Mel [Gibson’s] camper. So sometimes I would peek and hear him, how he prepped and that was very important to me as a young actor, you know, to hear how one of the greats works. 

“And then I would go on set with him and it was just this presence that he has, and his incredible talent.”

For Weaver, Wahlberg was one of the biggest revelations of the project.

“I thought he might be a bit of a ruffian, because he always played those tough roles,” the Australian told AFP.

“But he’s a wonderful person.”

LOS ANGELES — Robert Pattinson had never been interested in playing a superhero — until Ben Affleck quit his role as Batman, leaving the famous cape unexpectedly up for grabs.

Having spent the past decade mainly working on critically acclaimed arthouse movies, former “Twilight” actor Pattinson requested a meeting with the filmmakers entrusted by Warner Bros. to revitalise the beloved franchise. 

“He sought me out... and somewhere in that meeting, he brought up Batman,” producer Dylan Clark told AFP.

Although Pattinson, now 35, appeared to feel “a little bit suspiciously” about fronting a “giant big studio movie” again, he was “genuinely interested in the character of Batman and Bruce Wayne”, said Clark.

“And he has that jawline, so that was very helpful!” added Clark.

The result is “The Batman,” starring Pattinson and directed by Clark’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” collaborator Matt Reeves.

It finds Bruce Wayne in only his second year as Batman, when his nocturnal detective work has not yet earned him the trust of Gotham’s police or public.

Pattinson’s vigilante is still figuring out his tactics and his motivations for stalking the dystopian city’s criminals, and his famous villain-busting gadgets are still rough prototypes.

Even compared to Christopher Nolan’s gritty trilogy starring Christian Bale, “The Batman” is notable for its macabre, noirish tone.

Batman himself cuts a forlorn, almost depressive figure, partially inspired by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, whose music also features prominently in the soundtrack.

Pattinson, fresh from a supporting role in Nolan’s mega-budget sci-fi film “Tenet”, “wanted to play a part that was physical”, recalled Clark.

“What he didn’t know was that Matt’s script was going to take that character on an emotional-physical ride, and that he was going to really have to put himself through the wringer.”

‘Disgruntled’

This Batman, Clark added, “is a dark hero and he can sometimes come across as an antihero. Vengeance definitely fuels his drive”.

The film finds Batman on the heels of the Riddler (Paul Dano) — a serial killer in the sinister style of the real-life Zodiac Killer, or the recent Netflix true-crime series “Mindhunter”.

The Riddler claims to be impelled by a sense of justice against Gotham’s corrupt elite, and his crimes — broadcast on social media — attract a cult-like following among the city’s disaffected and disenfranchised.

“Matt wrote this script two years before we went into production [in 2020]. I think it was just looking at our world and our landscape and the things that were going on,” said Clark.

“The best part about Gotham is it’s a mirror to our societies. And I think it was a representation of these people that are feeling on the fringes, and they’re disgruntled.”

While Clark insists “we’re certainly not trying to be political” or “sensational,” the movie carries the message that “the world needs faith in their elected officials.”

‘Terrifying’

Pattinson takes over the role from Affleck, whose appearances as Batman in two DC Comics-based ensemble superhero movies — “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League” — were poorly received by fans.

Affleck had written, and was also due to direct, a standalone Batman movie, but ultimately withdrew entirely from the franchise at a turbulent time in his personal life, including renewed struggles with alcoholism and his divorce from Jennifer Garner.

“We had come in at a time of transition,” said Clark.

“DC had to have some transition. And Ben, I think, was looking at his life, and reflected on where he wanted to be, and made that decision on his own.”

Recasting Batman allowed the filmmakers to attempt a “fresh new take” on a franchise that has existed in some form for eight decades.

“Matt’s idea was ‘Let’s try to introduce this new Batman in a place where we have never seen before,’” said Clark.

“It’s the most exciting proposition but it’s also one of the most terrifying,” he added. 

“You have to set out with great ambition, because the title, the character, the history is so large.

“The demand is, ‘You’d better try to make a great Batman or we’re going to hate you.’”

First launched in 2006, the Toyota FJ Cruiser was a re-interpretation of past glory through rose-tinted glasses. Since then, it has itself become nostalgic slice of pre-global recession 2000s design, tech and engineering sensibilities.

As capable an off-roader as ever, the FJ Cruiser’s heavily stylised design, unconventionally accessible doors and sense of adventure made it Toyota’s only “fun” vehicle at a time when the Japanese brand was renowned for its practical, reliable and thoroughly sensible, but mostly uninspiring product portfolio.

Resilient re-interpretation

Predating other “fun” enthusiast-oriented Toyotas like the Supra, GR 86, Yaris GR and anticipated Corolla GR, the FJ Cruiser is still selling in certain markets, including parts of the Middle East. A long-running model that has seen very mild and gradual updates rather than outright replacement, the FJ Cruiser’s big displacement naturally-aspirated engine and uncomplicated technology add-ons makes it a breath of fresh air and antidote to overly-complicated and tech-laden cars that lack the driver-involvement, purposefulness, clarity and sense of connection of their predecessors.

Launched when stylised retro designs were the trend from small runarounds like the Fiat 500 to supercars like the Ford GT, the FJ Cruiser’s design harked back to the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40, with its bulbous extremities, tapered bonnet, round headlights, exaggerated wraparound indicators and upright cabin. Sitting wide and high off the ground, the FJ Cruiser’s playfully retro-futuristic interpretation was, however, accentuated by its wide B-pillar, high waistline and low glasshouse that lent it a more squat and wide stance. 

Incremental improvement

Powered by naturally-aspirated engine with smooth, progressive delivery, the FJ Cruiser’s venerable 4-litre V6 engine initially produced 239BHP at 5,200rpm at launch, but has since seen the introduction of dual variable valve technology by 2011 and incremental power hikes to the current 268BHP achieved at a higher 5,600rpm. Responsive and eager through revs, the FJ’s engine also produces a healthy mid-range torque band with a 280lb/ft peak at 4,400rpm, which allows it to carry its upright body through air resistance to a 175km/h maximum.

Slightly heavier at 2,065 kg, the latest FJ Cruiser is nevertheless confidently versatile and reasonably brisk in performance, with 0-100km/h arriving in an estimated 8-seconds or less, while combined fuel consumption is estimated at a not too thirsty 11.6l/100km. Driving the rear wheels through a smooth-shifting 5-speed automatic gearbox under normal on-road conditions, the FJ’s four-wheel-drive can be engaged for low traction off-road and snow conditions, while high power crawling pace low gear four-wheel-drive is available for more demanding terrain.

Rigid and refined

Best in manual gearbox guise where it receives a centre Torsen differential that allows full-time variable and locking four-wheel-drive for on-road and off-road driving the automatic FJ Cruiser is nevertheless a highly capable off-roader in most circumstances, with a locking rear differential for additional sure-footed traction. Effortlessly traversing steep inclines, loose gravel, deep ruts and sharp rises, the FJ Cruiser benefits from high 245mm ground clearance and short overhangs, which allow for generous 34° approach, 27.4° break-over and 31° departure angles.

With rugged body-on-chassis construction and rigid rear axle for excellent off-road articulation and durability, the FJ Cruiser is also surprisingly agile and alert changing directions on loose surfaces and dirt tracks, and seemed considerably more connected and responsive in dynamic ability and steering feel than other Toyota SUVs of its vintage. Manoeuvrable and light-footed for an SUV of its weight, the FJ Cruiser’s body and construction seemed reassuringly rigid and free of rattles, squeaks, excessive flex or suspension imprecision.

Accessibly utilitarian

Stable and refined on road, the FJ Cruiser rides slightly firm, even with absorbent high sidewall 265/70R17 tyres. However, this translates into better than expected cornering body control for a vehicle of this height and weight. Dispatching rough road surfaces and large bumps in its stride, the FJ’s double wishbone front suspension is sophisticated and smooth, while its rugged rear axle is tempered by more refined and precise coil springs rather than leaf springs, and delivers a settled ride quality. 

A stylised and unambiguous adventure-wagon, the FJ Cruiser’s cabin reflects its utilitarian appeal with big, user-friendly buttons, dial and levers, and clear instrumentation. Functional and unpretentious, its cabin incorporates rubberised surfaces and water resistant upholstery for easy cleaning. With long front and small rear hinged rear doors, the FJ Cruiser provides excellent, un-obstructed cabin access, generous front, very accommodating rear and maximum 990-litre cargo space, with rear seats folded. Visibility is decent, while improved equipment includes an Android Auto and Apple Carplay enabled 12-inch screen infotainment system.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 4-litre, in-line, V6-cylinders

Bore x Stroke: 94 x 95mm

Compression ratio: 10.0:1

Valve-train: DOHC, 24-valve, variable timing

Gearbox: 5-speed automatic

Drive-line: four-wheel-drive, low ratio transfer, rear differential lock

Gear ratios: 1st 3.52:1; 2nd 2.042:1; 3rd 1.4:1; 4th 1.0:1; 5th 0.716:1

Reverse/final drive: 3.224:1/3.727:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 268 (272) [200] @5,600rpm

Specific power: 67.7BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 129.8BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 280 (380) @4,400rpm

Specific torque: 96Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 184Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: under 8-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 175km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 11.6 litres/100km (estimate)

Fuel capacity: 159-litres

Wheelbase: 2,690mm

Tread: 1,605mm

Ground clearance: 245mm

Approach/break-over/departure angles: 34°/27.4°/31°

Seating: 5

Cargo volume, max: 990-litres

Towing weight, braked/un-braked: 1,500/750kg

Turning circle: 12.4-metres

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbone/live axles, 4-link, coil springs

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 265/70R17

Women are taught to take care of others before taking care of themselves. Yet, self-care is crucial to health and a mother’s self-care in particular if it affects the well-being of the whole family.

Self-care is just another name or term for taking care of yourself, which is essential for any person. Most women struggle to meet this need as their responsibility towards their family and house becomes a priority. Ironically, it is precisely self-care that makes a woman able to give more to her family, kids, house and community.

So you can stop feeling guilty about making time for yourself because this precious time you give yourself will greatly impact your family and community. You just need between 15 minutes to an hour a day for self-care. Let this time be the daily ritual that brings you inner peace and calmness. It should lower the stress hormone (cortisol), which is responsible for anxiety, lower blood pressure and improve your brain health. 

How sleep training your child benefits you

When a baby is sleep trained, your child will be less fussy throughout the day and night. This will lead to a happy baby that sleeps within the correct windows of age-appropriate timing. As a result, your baby will sleep at night without being overtired. When reaching this level of stability in the house, a mother can have some time to look and take care of herself as she is confident about the routine and the timings in which the baby naps and sleeps at night. She can socialise, spend quality time with herself and her spouse and continue her career or household work.

It all starts when children are on a routine day and night. Programming this routine from the day your baby is born is crucial to giving time and space for the family’s wellbeing. The happiness and stability of the whole family start with a happy and relaxed mama.

Self-care practices

•Practising 15 minutes of yoga or meditation usingYouTube videos

•Making sure to go to bed early. For new mothers, try to nap whenever your newborn naps, even if it means having to ask for help

•Taking a 20-minute walk

•Reading a book or working on a puzzle

•Sipping a soothing cup of herbal tea

•Talking with a friend or a relative and reaching out to them any time you need a helping hand or a listening ear

•Journaling – write down your thoughts and feelings and think about what you’re thankful for

•Spending time with your inner self without any social media or other interactions

•Implementing a nightly routine that helps you to unwind and create a sleeping environment that’s calming

Perfecting your child’s bedtime routine

•Making sure your child is not hungry or too full at bedtime; keep in mind that the stomach needs several hours to digest a large meal, so consuming it too close to sleep time means the body will remain active when what you want is for it to relax. Plus, eating fatty foods before bed can negatively impact sleep quality

•Encouraging your child to get as much natural light through the day as possible for a good night’s sleep. Getting exposed to bright light during the day helps to synchronise circadian rhythms that regulate the sleep-wake cycle and repeat every 24 hours. Light also promotes sleepiness at bedtime

•Ceasing the use of electronics one hour before bedtime and planning other calming activities before bed, such as reading, puzzles, colouring or bedtime yoga; be an example for your child too by doing the same! 

•Encouraging your child to avoid eating or drinking anything in the late afternoon loaded with caffeine like chocolate, sugary juices, tea, coffee, or fizzy drinks. These will lead to your child being more alert around sleeping time

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

LIMA — Three months after an oil spill that polluted beaches and killed wildlife in Peru, hundreds of fishermen remain out of work as Easter approaches.

"We never imagined spending such a sad Holy Week because normally people eat fish at this time," Anthony Chumpitaz, president of a local traditional fishermen association, told AFP.

Almost 12,000 barrels of crude spilled into the sea off Peru on January 15 as a tanker unloaded oil at a refinery owned by Spanish energy giant Repsol in Ventanilla, some 30 kilometres north of Lima.

Carried by ocean currents, the oil spread some 140 kilometres northwards, killing hundreds of sea birds and forcing fishermen to abandon their work due to pollution described as an ecological disaster by the government.

At least 5,000 traditional fishermen and traders in Lima and the neighbouring province of Huaral have been affected by the spill, according to the government.

Many fish and seafood restaurants have been forced to close.

"I feel outraged. I have no work. We weren't ready for this spill," Rocio Alonzo Espinar, 30, a fish merchant in Ventanilla, told AFP as he cooked noodles with canned tuna at a soup kitchen.

Several soup kitchens have sprung up in the area since the spill.

Repsol, which blamed the spill on a volcanic eruption 10,000 kilometres away near Tonga in the Pacific, has agreed to pay fishermen and shopkeepers compensation.

Chumpitaz says those affected have so far only received a payment of 500 soles ($125) in January plus another advance payment of 3,000 soles.

There has still been no agreement on the total compensation to be paid to individuals.

"The cost of living is increasing and that's affecting us a lot," said Chumpitaz from the Cavero beach in Ventanilla, where several Repsol employees continue to clean up and decontaminate the area.

At the end of March, the Spanish company said it had cleaned up 95 per cent of the coastal and maritime areas suffering from pollution.

Repsol denies responsibility for the spill and has made a claim against the Italian owner of the tanker involved in the accident.

Peruvian authorities have ordered the Mare Doricum tanker to remain anchored off its coast for the duration of the investigation into the disaster.

Eight directors of Repsol Peru, including its Spanish president Jaime Fernandez-Cuesta Luca de Tena, are under investigation and have been barred from leaving the country for 18 months.

Peru's environmental evaluation and control body has hit Repsol with five fines for a total of $620,000.

The environment ministry says at least 500 hectares of protected marine reserve have been affected by the spill.

By Pierre Celerier and Daniel Lawler
Agence France-Presse

PARIS — For two million years African cuckoo finches have been tricking other birds into raising their young by mimicking the colour of their eggs, but new research suggests the tables may be turning in this evolutionary scam.

The cute yellow appearance of the cuckoo finch belies its nefarious nature: It smuggles its forged eggs into foreign nests, where unwitting foster parents treat them like their very own.

The cuckoo finch eggs then hatch a little earlier than the others in the nest, allowing them to grow quicker and beg more loudly for food than the host chicks — which starve to death as their confused parents prioritise the imposter.

Aiming to save their young from this grisly fate, birds like the African tawny-flanked prinia, a common victim of the ruse, have evolved ever more colourful and elaborate patterns for their eggs to avoid falling for counterfeits.

But the wily cuckoo finch has responded in kind, evolving the ability to copy a variety of egg colours and signatures of several different bird species.

Way back in 1933, British geneticist Reginald Punnett hypothesised that cuckoo finches inherited this remarkable talent of mimicry from their mothers.

His theory has been proved for the first time by a study published in the PNAS science journal this week, which confirmed that the skill is inherited via the W chromosome which only female birds have — similar to how only human males have the Y chromosome.

However the study said that “in this particular arms race, played out in grasslands of central Africa, natural selection has shaped a genetic architecture that appears to be a double-edged sword”.

Studying the DNA samples of 196 cuckoo finches from 141 nests of four grass-warbler species in Zambia, the researchers found that the long-term dupes have evolved new ways to sniff out the cuckoo finch’s deceptions.

The uncrackable 

green egg

Claire Spottiswoode, an evolutionary biologist of the University of Cambridge and University of Cape Town who led the research, gave the example of the olive-green egg, laid by the tawny-flanked prinia.

A single female cuckoo finch cannot produce an infinite variety of differently coloured eggs, she said.

It can only mimic the egg of the bird that raised it — the cuckoo finch is “imprinted” with how to target its future victims from the shells of its foster siblings.

This means that different cuckoo finches can lay blue or white eggs, while others can produce them in red and white — but because the skill is inherited via the female chromosome, they can never combine those pigments to make that olive green.

“Maternal inheritance is the reason why they’re unable to mimic that particular deep olive green colour,” Spottiswoode told AFP.

That puts the cuckoo finch at a evolutionary disadvantage — their rivals the prinias can inherit the genetic talents of both parents to make increasingly complicated eggs.

“We may see the emergence of unforgeable egg signatures which could force cuckoo finches to switch to other naive host species,” Spottiswoode said.

Even now cuckoo finches “make a lot of mistakes” she said, and once prinias spot a forgery they spear the egg and throw it out of the nest.

But if an egg avoids detection long enough to hatch, the parents lose all ability to detect the much larger fraud in their nest.

“It’s really remarkable how you have this beautiful adaptation at the egg stage, then at the chick stage the hosts seem to be completely stupid and raise a chick that looks completely unlike their own,” Spottiswoode said.

LOS ANGELES — Sending miniature robots deep inside the human skull to treat brain disorders has long been the stuff of science fiction — but it could soon become reality, according to a California start-up.

Bionaut Labs plans its first clinical trials on humans in just two years for its tiny injectable robots, which can be carefully guided through the brain using magnets.

“The idea of the micro robot came about way before I was born,” said co-founder and CEO Michael Shpigelmacher.

“One of the most famous examples is a book by Isaac Asimov and a film called ‘Fantastic Voyage,’ where a crew of scientists goes inside a miniaturised spaceship into the brain, to treat a blood clot.”

Just as cellphones now contain extremely powerful components that are smaller than a grain of rice, the tech behind micro-robots “that used to be science fiction in the 1950s and 60s” is now “science fact”, said Shpigelmacher. 

“We want to take that old idea and turn it into reality,” the 53-year-old scientist told AFP during a tour of his company’s Los Angeles research and development centre.

Working with Germany’s prestigious Max Planck research institutes, Bionaut Labs settled on using magnetic energy to propel the robots — rather than optical or ultrasonic techniques — because it does not harm the human body.

Magnetic coils placed outside the patient’s skull are linked up to a computer that can remotely and delicately manoeuvre the micro-robot into the affected part of the brain, before removing it via the same route.

The entire apparatus is easily transportable, unlike an MRI, and uses 10 to 100 times less electricity.

In a simulation watched by AFP, the robot — a metal cylinder just a few millimetres long, in the shape of a tiny bullet — slowly follows a pre-programed trajectory through a gel-filled container, which emulates the density of the human brain.

Once it nears a pouch filled with blue liquid, the robot is swiftly propelled like a rocket and pierces the sack with its pointed end, allowing liquid to flow out.

Inventors hope to use the robot to pierce fluid-filled cysts within the brain when clinical trials begin in two years.

If successful, the process could be used to treat Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a rare brain malformation affecting children.

Sufferers of the congenital ailment can experience cysts the size of a golf ball, which swell and increase pressure on the brain, triggering a host of dangerous neurological conditions.

Bionaut Labs has already tested its robots on large animals such as sheep and pigs, and “the data shows that the technology is safe for us” human beings, said Shpigelmacher.

If approved, the robots could offer key advantages over existing treatments for brain disorders.

“Today, most brain surgery and brain intervention is limited to straight lines — if you don’t have a straight line to the target, you’re stuck, you’re not going to get there,” said Shpigelmacher.

Micro-robotic tech “allows you to reach targets you were not able to reach, and reaching them repeatedly in the safest trajectory possible”, he added.

The US Food and Drug Administration last year granted Bionaut Labs approvals that pave the way for clinical trials to treat Dandy-Walker Syndrome, as well as malignant gliomas — cancerous brain tumours often considered to be inoperable.

In the latter case, the micro-robots will be used to inject anti-cancer drugs directly into brain tumours in a “surgical strike”.

Existing treatment methods involve bombarding the whole body with drugs, leading to potential severe side effects and loss of effectiveness, said Shpigelmacher.

The micro-robots can also take measurements and collect tissue samples while inside the brain.

Bionaut Labs — which has around 30 employees — has held discussions with partners for the use of its tech to treat other conditions affecting the brain including Parkinson’s, epilepsy or strokes.

“To the best of my knowledge, we are the first commercial effort” to design a product of this type with “a clear path to the clinic trials”, said Shpigelmacher.

“But I don’t think that we will be the only one... This area is heating up.”

PARIS — Three years after the devastating fire, Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris is mostly cleared of a thick layer of soot as an army of craftsmen race to meet a deadline to reopen in time for the 2024 Olympics.

Ahead of the anniversary of the blaze on Friday, the mammoth cleaning job of the walls, vaults and floor is almost completed, restoring the cathedral to its original whiteness.

The inferno that engulfed the 12th century Gothic landmark on April 15, 2019 caused its central frame to collapse and ravaged the famous spire, clock and part of the vault — shocking millions around the world.

The cathedral typically welcomed nearly 12 million visitors a year, as well as hosting 2,400 services and 150 concerts.

As an icon of the globally beloved city, the fire triggered an outpouring of generosity with nearly 844 million euros in donations collected from 340,000 donors in 150 countries to date, according to the public body overseeing the restoration.

The gaping hole left in the building is now filled by a forest of scaffolding.

The first stage of the titanic project involved clearing the rubble and burnt beams, reinforcing the flying buttresses, and removing the deadly dust unleashed from 450 tonnes of lead in the structure.

A temporary metal scaffolding had to be built for the task, which was completed last summer at a cost of 151 million euros, largely on schedule despite a three-month pause in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

1,000 trees 

Many of the tasks have been farmed out to specialist workshops around France.

They include dismantling and cleaning the huge 18th century organ, the largest in France, that was spared by the fire but coated in lead dust.

The stained glass windows, several statues and the 22 large-format paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries have also been sent for restoration.

The next major phase is to reinstall the medieval wooden framework of the nave and choir, and the 19th century spire — which the team hopes will be completed in the first half of 2023.

A thousand trees have already been cut down in national and private forests across France in preparation.

Meanwhile, stones are this week being extracted from quarries to start rebuilding the damaged vaults.

Tests have been carried out on two of the cathedral's 24 chapels to practise the techniques needed to recreate their original colours.

Work was slowed down in March by a major surprise, when a lead sarcophagus and the remains of a decorative stone dividing barrier from the 14th century were discovered in the ground.

As well as restoring the building to its former glory, the diocese has plans to add a few new touches, integrating contemporary art and old masters, along with a more modern lighting system, moveable benches and biblical phrases projected on the walls in different languages.

A new system for visitors and worshippers will mean that when they return to the iconic cathedral in 2024, they will enter through the large central door rather than side doors.

FAIRFAX/WASHINGTON — “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp physically and sexually abused his then-wife Amber Heard during drug- and alcohol-fuelled binges in which he became a “monster”, her lawyers told a court on Tuesday.

Depp’s attorneys countered on the opening day of his blockbuster defamation case against Heard that the allegations were untrue and have had a “devastating” impact on his Hollywood career.

The 58-year-old Depp filed a defamation suit against the 35-year-old Heard after she wrote a column for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”.

The actress never named Depp, who she met in 2009 on the set of the film “The Rum Diary”, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages.

Heard, who was married to Depp from 2015 to 2017, countersued, asking for $100 million and claiming she suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.

Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, one of Heard’s lawyers, detailed the alleged abuse in her opening statement in the case being heard in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

She told the jury they would be shown graphic photographs. “They show bruises, they show cut lips, they show hair pulled out,” Bredehoft said. “They show two black eyes when he head-butted her.”

She said Heard would always carry a makeup kit around with her to hide bruises.

“He has an enormous amount of rage,” Bredehoft said. “It’s during these rages that Mr Depp engaged in verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse of Amber.”

“She loved the side of Johnny that we see in the movies — the charismatic one, the charming one, the generous one,” Bredehoft said. “That’s the man she fell in love with.

“But sadly, the monster came in the way and that monster would come out when he was drinking and when he would take drugs.”

Ben Rottenborn, another lawyer for Heard, told the jury they are “going to see who the real Johnny Depp is”.

“Behind the red carpets, behind the fame, behind the money, behind the Pirate costumes you’re going to see who that man really is.”

‘Tell him he was a coward’

Benjamin Chew, one of Depp’s lawyers, rejected the accusations of abuse and said the actor had never struck Heard — or any other woman.

“No one had ever in five decades accused Johnny Depp of being violent with a woman,” Chew said.

Camille Vasquez, another lawyer for Depp, alleged it was Heard who could be violent, “throwing things at him, hitting him”.

“She would tell him he was a coward, tell him he wasn’t man enough because he wouldn’t stay and fight with her,” Vasquez said.

Chew said the allegations of domestic abuse levelled against Depp had harmed his career.

“For nearly 30 years, Mr Depp built a reputation as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood,” Chew told the jury. “Today his name is associated with a lie, a false statement uttered by his former wife, the defendant, Amber Heard.

“And when like Mr Depp, your career depends upon your image and your reputation, or whether movie producers want their films associated with you, that harm can be particularly devastating,” Chew said.

“Hollywood studios don’t want to deal with the public backlash from hiring someone accused of abuse,” he said. “A false allegation can devastate a career.”

Depp filed the defamation complaint against Heard in the United States after losing a separate, high-profile libel case in London in November 2020 which he brought against The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater”.

In 2016, Heard sought a restraining order against Depp amid abuse allegations. Their divorce was finalized in 2017 with Heard receiving a $7 million settlement.

A panel of seven jurors and four alternates is hearing the case between Depp, star of “Edward Scissorhands” and the “Pirates” series, and Heard, who had a starring role in “Aquaman”.

Depp was wearing a black three-piece suit with a black shirt and white tie in court and did not appear to look over at Heard, who was wearing a grey pant suit and black shirt.

Both Depp and Heard are expected to testify along with actors James Franco and Paul Bettany, and billionaire Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, Heard’s former boyfriend.

Depp filed his case in Virginia since the Post is printed there, but he is not taking action against the newspaper itself.

The state also has defamation laws considered to be more favourable to plaintiffs than those in California, where the actors live.

The trial, presided over by Judge Penney Azcarate, is expected to last several weeks.