Scrolling through news of the Notre Dame fire on social media feeds was like watching a real-time archive of grief in the making, as people expressed their dismay and sorrow at the damage wrought, write Jose Antonio Gonzalez Zarandona and Cristina Garduño Freeman.

SWISS-BASED scientists have created an exact computer image of the huge statue of Buddha destroyed by the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan and hope it will be used to rebuild the ancient figure.

Two giant statues of Buddha have been demolished in Afghanistan, international aid workers say.