Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019. Photo / Getty Images
Flames and smoke are seen billowing from the roof at Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019. Photo / Getty Images
The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2019 from our premium international syndicators, including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Times of London and Harvard Business Review.
This afternoon we look at the toxic fallout of Notre Dame's fire, air pollution on theLondon Underground, the changing world of private investigators, Emma Thompson at 60 and the sounds of Cuba.
Notre Dame's toxic fallout
The Notre-Dame cathedral fire exposed schools, day cares and parks nearby to alarming levels of lead.
The April fire that engulfed Notre-Dame exposed many nearby areas to alarming levels of lead. Photo / Dmitry Kostyukov, The New York Times
London Underground: The dirtiest place in the city
If you are one of the 4.8 million passengers who uses the London Underground every day, you might think you are escaping the pollution dangers from road travel, with its exhaust fumes and soot.
The London Underground is by far the most polluted part of the city. Photo / Getty Images
This investigator used to stake out women. Now, she tails men online
Marie Schembri has been a private eye for more than 30 years, tracking down grifters and liars. In 1995, she was a queen of disguise, using wigs and props to transform. Now, she does most of her sleuthing with a cellphone and an internet connection.
When The New York Times first met Marie Schembri, she was roaming Times Square tracking down runaways and cheating spouses. 24 years later, she is still investigating. Photo / Dina Litovsky, NY Times
Emma Thompson gets a shock at 60: It turns out I have no idea who I am
If anyone did not expect to have a midlife crisis, it was Emma Thompson.
All her life, she knew who she was. Now the roles she had embraced — mother, wife, performer — have her asking, "Am I any of those things? And if I'm not, who am I?"
All her life, Emma Thompson knew who she was. Now the roles she had embraced - mother, wife, performer - have her asking, "Am I any of those things?" Photo / Elizabeth Weinberg, The New York Times
The sound of Cuba: A musical tour in the Caribbean
On a road trip across the Cuba, music is everywhere and each region moves to its own defining rhythm.
