Hello Australia!! - France looks ahead to rebuilding Notre Dame - Egypt's al-Sisi consolidates power - Saying "no" to Bolsonaro - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

French billionaires are committing huge piles of money for the reconstruction and restoration of Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, which was heavily damaged by fire yesterday.  The billionaires behind the fashion and luxury giants LVMH Group, Kering, and L'Oreal on Tuesday pledged a combined 500 Million Euros, which works out to about AU$786 Million.  Other huge pledges are coming from the French oil and gas giant Total, which wants to kick in 100 Million Euros.  Apple computer and the University of Notre Dame in the central US are also expressing interest in contributing to what could be a ten to 15 year project.  Although French President Emmanuel Macron went on national TV to say he wants to make it "even more beautiful" and get it done in five years.

As for the damage to the 850-year old Paris landmark, it's pretty bad - but it could have been worse.  The roof is, of course, gone - so is the spire, a 200-year old recreation.  The vaulted ceiling, a miracle of medieval engineering, has collapsed in several places and left the interior exposed to the elements.  But firefighters prevented the blaze from reaching the twin bell towers.  The Rose Window and much of the stained glass is not damaged, nor are the cross, the altar, or the pulpit.  A crown of thorns that some believe was the one worn by Jesus on the day of the crucifixion and several other relics were whisked out of the building.

"We are favouring the theory of an accident," said Paris public prosecutor Remy Heitz who is investigating the cause of the fire.  He adds that there is no evidence of arson as of yet.  His team is interviewing the workers on the roof renovation project, who were closest to the place where the flames first broke out.

Moving along...

Egypt's parliament has approved constitutional changes that allow President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to stay in power until 2030, and deepen the military's involvement in the government.  The changes must be put to a referendum within 30 days, and critics are already guessing the outcome under al-Sisi's authoritarian regime.  This will pretty much overturn the referendum approved by Egyptian voters in 2014, which limited presidential terms to four years, and limited presidents to one reelection. 

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City has scrapped an event honoring Brazil's leader Jair Bolsonaro.  Aside from being a fascist, racist, homophobe, and misogynist, Bolsonaro also champions some chilling threats against the environment in the form of clear-cutting Amazon Rainforests and drilling for oil in sensitive wilderness areas.  The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce which booked the AMNH to honor Bolsonaro will have to find another venue.

The world is in the middle of a measles crisis, partially because of anti-vaxxers.  Worldwide, the number of infections reported in the first three months of 2019 is four-times that o the same time a year earlier.  Africa is suffering the worst, with a 700 percent increase.  As for individual countries, Ukraine, Madagascar, and India have been worst affected by the disease.  Outbreaks in Brazil, Pakistan, and Yemen are "causing many deaths - mostly among young children", according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO).  Global immunization rates are stalled at 85 percent, which is short of the 95 percent needed to stall outbreaks.  WHO's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote that "the proliferation of confusing and contradictory information" about vaccines was partly to blame.