Latest news with #SaintThomas
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- Japan Times
Hurricane Erin intensifies offshore, lashes Caribbean with rain
Hurricane Erin rapidly strengthened offshore to a "catastrophic" Category 5 storm on Saturday, as rain lashed Caribbean islands and weather officials warned of possible flash floods and landslides. The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin is expected to drench Caribbean islands with rain and strong winds but not make landfall. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 255 kilometers per hour. It was located about 215 kilometers northwest of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A flash flood warning was issued for Saint Thomas and Saint John in the U.S. Virgin Islands as outer rain bands from Erin swept across, according to the U.S. National Weather Service. Tropical storm watches were in effect for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands. "Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane," the NHC announced earlier Saturday, denoting highly dangerous storms with sustained wind speeds above above 157 miles per hour (253 kph). The storm reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale just over 24 hours after becoming a Category 1 hurricane, a rapid intensification that scientists say has become more common due to global warming. The hurricane's center is expected to move over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It is then forecast to pass east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday night before weakening. The storm could drench the islands with as much 15 centimeters of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said. "Continued rapid strengthening is expected today, followed by fluctuations in intensity through the weekend," the agency said in an earlier report. It also warned of "locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides." Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend. Those swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the U.S. East Coast early next week, creating "life-threatening surf and rip currents," the NHC said. The hurricane is expected to turn northwest on Saturday night, then turn northward early next week. It is expected to weaken from Monday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the U.S. coastline, they said the storm could still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places such as North Carolina. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, U.S. meteorologists predict. Several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region last year, including Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people in the southeastern United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — which operates the NHC — has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting. Human-driven climate change — namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels — has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.
France 24
2 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Hurricane Erin intensifies offshore, lashes Caribbean with rain
The first hurricane of what is expected to be a particularly intense Atlantic season, Erin is expected to drench Caribbean islands with rain and strong winds but not make landfall. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report the storm's maximum sustained winds had increased to 160 miles (255 kilometers) per hour. It was located about 135 miles (215 kilometers) northwest of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands. A flash flood warning was issued for Saint Thomas and Saint John in the US Virgin Islands as outer rain bands from Erin swept across, according to the US National Weather Service. Tropical storm watches were in effect for St Martin, St Barthelemy, Sint Maarten and the Turks and Caicos Islands. "Erin is now a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane," the NHC announced earlier Saturday, denoting highly dangerous storms with sustained windspeeds above above 157 mph. The storm reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale just over 24 hours after becoming a Category 1 hurricane, a rapid intensification that scientists say has become more common due to global warming. The hurricane's center is expected to move over the weekend just north of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It is then forecast to pass east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas on Sunday night before weakening. The storm could drench the islands with as much as six inches (15 centimeters) of rain in isolated areas, the NHC said. "Continued rapid strengthening is expected today, followed by fluctuations in intensity through the weekend," the agency said in an earlier report. It also warned of "locally considerable flash and urban flooding, along with landslides or mudslides." Climate hazard Swells generated by Erin will affect portions of the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands through the weekend. Those swells will spread to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the US East Coast early next week, creating "life-threatening surf and rip currents," the NHC said. The hurricane is expected to turn northwest on Saturday night, then turn northward early next week. It is expected to weaken from Monday. While meteorologists have expressed confidence that Erin will remain well off the US coastline, they said the storm could still cause dangerous waves and erosion in places such as North Carolina. The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June until late November, is expected to be more intense than normal, US meteorologists predict. Several powerful storms wreaked havoc in the region last year, including Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people in the southeastern United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- which operates the NHC -- has been subject to budget cuts and layoffs as part of US President Donald Trump's plans to greatly reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, leading to fears of lapses in storm forecasting. Human-driven climate change -- namely, rising sea temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels -- has increased both the possibility of the development of more intense storms, and their more rapid intensification, scientists say.
Toronto Sun
25-07-2025
- General
- Toronto Sun
Notre-Dame cathedral gets back St. Thomas statue adorning spire base
The statue was unaffected by the blaze, having been removed just days before for routine restoration Published Jul 25, 2025 • Last updated 7 minutes ago • 1 minute read The statue had been removed only days before a 2019 devastating fire. Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP PARIS — A statue of the apostle Saint Thomas was on Thursday returned to Notre-Dame in Paris, which has now recovered all 16 statues that adorned the base of its spire before a 2019 devasting fire. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The statue, three metres (10 feet) tall and weighing 100 kilograms (220 pounds), was unaffected by the blaze, having been removed from the cathedral just days before for routine restoration, along with the other 15. 'It's almost a miracle,' said Marie-Helene Didier, in charge of historic buildings in the Paris region. 'It's a very powerful symbol to see all the statues up there,' she told AFP. After receiving a blessing from the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, it was heaved on the spire's base by crane. The statue, currently hidden behind by scaffolding around the spire, will be fully visible by the end of August. Notre-Dame nearly burned down in 2019, but was fully renovated inside and fitted with a new roof and spire during a frenzied five-year refit. It held its first mass since the blaze in December, and reopened to the public shortly after. The 16 statues, representing the 12 apostles as well the four evangelists in the Catholic tradition, were designed in 1857 by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, the architect of the spire, and sculpted by Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume. Geoffroy-Dechaume gave the statue of Saint Thomas, patron saint of architects, the features of Viollet-le-Duc. The exact cause of the 2019 blaze has never been identified despite a forensic investigation, which pointed to a likely accident such as an electrical fault. Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls News
The Guardian
23-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Giant statues of saints to crown latest step in £600m restoration of Notre Dame
Sixteen giant statues are to be hoisted back on to the spire of Notre Dame in the latest step of the cathedral's £600m reconstruction after the devastating fire of 2019. The copper-coated figures, each weighing almost 150kg, escaped the blaze because they were removed from the Parisian landmark for renovation just four days before flames consumed the roof and destroyed the spire. On Monday evening, after a blessing from the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, the statue of St Thomas will be returned to the reconstructed spire. The depictions of the 11 other apostles and four evangelists will be put back 'in stages' according to the Notre Dame team. The statues were designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc for his 19th-century overhaul of Notre Dame and made by the sculptor, Adophe Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume. Installed in 1861, the apostles are 3.4 metres (11ft) tall and arranged in four groups around the 96-metre (315ft) spire, which was added by Viollet-le-Duc in 1858. In front of each group is a statue of an evangelist: a bull for Saint Luke, a lion for Saint Mark, an eagle for Saint John and an angel for Saint Matthew. All the statues look out over Paris except for that of Saint Thomas, the patron saint of architects who looks toward the spire and is said to be modelled on Viollet-le-Duc. The statues have undergone a complete renewal, with damaged parts replaced and corrosion removed, returning them to their original dark brown colour. They have also been Teflon-proofed against damage from the elements. During the renovation, workers discovered bullet holes on the statue of Saint Mark thought to date back to the second world war. The statues will stand in their original places below the spire's new golden rooster, a symbol of hope and faith and an emblem of France. Installed last December, it houses cathedral relics and a sealed tube holding a list of almost 2,000 people who have worked on the cathedral's reconstruction since the fire on 15 April 2019. The spire's original rooster survived the fire and was discovered battered but intact among the debris. It is on display at Paris's architecture and heritage museum but will be moved to a new museum dedicated to Notre Dame. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The cathedral was officially reopened last December by Emmanuel Macron in a ceremony attended by world leaders, including the French president's counterparts, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
NDTV
07-05-2025
- NDTV
This Special Fountain In Italy Flows With Red Wine, And It's Free
Tucked away in the charming Abruzzo region of Italy is something that feels too good to be true - a fountain that flows with red wine and does not cost a thing. Set up by the Dora Sarchese Winery, this quirky fountain sits along the Cammino di San Tommaso, a pilgrimage trail that runs from Rome all the way to the coastal town of Ortona, where the remains of Saint Thomas are kept. Every single day, people stop at this wine fountain for endless sips of Montepulciano - a bold, locally made red wine with deep flavour. Reports say the wine flows daily during the winery's opening hours, and yes, it is open to anyone passing by, whether they are walking the trail or simply doing wine tourism in Italy. A Wine Fountain That Started With A Simple Idea The idea came from two travellers, Dina and Luigi, who saw something similar while walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain - a wine fountain for pilgrims. That spark turned into reality thanks to Nicola D'Auria, the man behind Dora Sarchese winery, and architect Rocco Antonini, who helped bring the project to life. Unlike pop-up versions you may find elsewhere in Europe, this fountain is a permanent setup. It flows on the regular and stays completely free - something that makes any walk, drive, or trip feel way more exciting. While the wine is for everyone, it is still important to sip mindfully. Where To Find This Free Wine Fountain To visit this unusual spot, you need to follow the Cammino di San Tommaso - the same route that links Rome to Ortona, where St. Thomas' body is kept. Whether you are doing the full trail or just road-tripping through Italy, this wine fountain is worth a stop. It turns an ordinary moment into something completely different. More Wine Fountains You Can Visit Across Europe While Dora Sarchese's fountain is Italy's first free red wine fountain, Europe has more of these little wonders. If you are chasing fun wine experiences, here are a few more to look out for: 1. Bodegas Irache, Navarra, Spain Found on the Camino de Santiago, this famous Fuente del Vino has two taps - one for water and one for wine - and gives out up to 100 litres of red wine daily between 8 am and 8 pm. 2. Milestii Mici, Moldova At these iconic underground wine cellars, visitors are welcomed with a wine fountain right at the entrance, pouring some of Moldova's best-known wines. 3. Font del Vi, Burriana, Spain Each February, during the Fiesta de Sant Blai, this fountain gushes red wine, creating a buzzing party vibe for both locals and tourists. 4. Munsterhof Fountain, Zurich, Switzerland On special dates, one of the taps in this historic square surprises visitors by serving wine instead of water. It is all about catching it at the right moment. 5. San Marco's Red Wine Fountain, Venice, Italy During Venice's famous carnival, this temporary fountain in San Marco Square pours wine from 9 am to 5 pm, adding even more colour to the celebration. Whether you are walking a pilgrimage route, road-tripping through vineyards, or just into unique wine-related travel, these fountains turn the journey into something you will actually talk about for years.
