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Two broken threads on Bayeux Tapestry, but no major alteration, French minister says

Two broken threads were observed on the Bayeux Tapestry after the centuries-old artefact was transported to London, but it was more or less "in the same state", France's culture minister said Friday.

"A break of two threads over a length of 70 meters of a tapestry was reported," Catherine Pegard told the RTL broadcaster. La Croix newspaper reported that a thorough check by experts had confirmed "no major damage" in its initial findings.

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FBI's Art Crime Team returns archaeological artifacts to Lebanon

The FBI has returned three cultural artifacts to representatives of the Lebanese government at a ceremony held in New York.

On behalf of Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad, consul general of Lebanon in New York Talal Daher presided over the affair.

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Visiting French president to join King Charles III and PM to see Bayeux Tapestry

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in London on Wednesday to meet new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and visit the Bayeux Tapestry at its temporary home in the British Museum.

The two leaders and their spouses will join King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a private viewing of the 230-foot (70-meter) tapestry, a 1,000-year-old symbol of Anglo-French relations that depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

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In a scorching Spain, the traditional folding hand fan is having a moment

In crowded subway cars and sun-drenched plazas, an old-fashioned accessory in Spain has been everywhere thanks to the blistering summer heat.

Small enough to fit into a purse, the traditional Spanish folding hand fan, or abanico, snaps open into a semicircle. With little more than a flick of the wrist, it creates a surprisingly strong breeze.

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School starts soon in Lebanon but thousands still shelter in them during war

Eleven-year-old Fatima Khashab helps her mother tidy the small area where their family sleeps, in a row of makeshift living quarters in a school gymnasium.

About 200 families are sheltering in the school in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre. Most are from villages farther south that have been destroyed in the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah or are occupied by Israeli forces, like Fatima's hometown of Mansouri.

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Lebanon archaeological finds showcase rich heritage despite war woes

From a Roman temple to ancient olive presses, Lebanon keeps turning up archaeological treasures even as the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has caused excavations to grind to a halt at precious heritage sites in the country's south.

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Need spiritual guidance? Gurus join chatbot trend as people turn to AI for answers

When Kripa Vaidyanathan's 27-year-old niece died in an Alaska car crash in 2024, her family in Chennai, India, felt shell-shocked. They questioned why this tragedy would befall them when they had such "immense faith in God."

Vaidyanathan, a yoga instructor, helped her grieving sister get face time with a high-profile guru who she hoped would help.

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Butter me up: Paris gets its first boutique devoted to France's favorite fat

The contradiction of the trim Parisian and the butter croissant now has a storefront.

Le Butter Shop, billed as Paris' first boutique devoted entirely to butter, opened last month a short walk from the Eiffel Tower — with 30 varieties from small family producers in Brittany, the Loire Valley and northern France.

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AP reporter spends night locked inside Jerusalem's holiest church with clergy and pilgrims

The enormous doors were pushed shut, the clanking bolts secured from the outside and several clergy, pilgrims and one journalist — me — were locked for the night inside one of Christianity's holiest sites in Jerusalem.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built over the spots where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.

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Epic La Tomatina food fight draws thousands to small Spanish town

Thousands of revelers descended on Buñol on Wednesday for the annual La Tomatina food fight, where they painted the small Spanish town red with up to 165 tons of overripe tomatoes.

Loaded trucks proceeded through the crowd, with people standing in their cargo beds hurling tomatoes at the revelers. Their white shirts soon turned pink and red while American pop songs blasted from speakers. At one point, police appeared to use pepper spray to disperse an area of the crowd, but a festive vibe quickly resumed.

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