A controversial redesign of the interior of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has been approved by heritage authorities, as dozens of public figures voice their objections to the plans in right-wing newspaper Le Figaro. The National Commission for Heritage and Architecture says they had minor reservations, including wanting to see a prototype of new benches (with their own lights and a mechanism to raise them in and out of the floor) that will replace the old straw chairs. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES