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Florida, Syria, Olympics: Your Wednesday Briefing Florida, Syria, Olympics: Your Wednesday Briefing
(about 2 hours later)
Good morning.Good morning.
Here’s what you need to know:Here’s what you need to know:
• The mass shooting at a high school in Florida last week appears to be changing the nature of America’s gun-control debate.• The mass shooting at a high school in Florida last week appears to be changing the nature of America’s gun-control debate.
Students are taking action: Dozens of students lay down in front of the White House on Monday, above. Survivors of the shooting are taking the long ride to the state capital, Tallahassee, to call for tighter gun-control laws. (Our reporter is tweeting from the bus.)Students are taking action: Dozens of students lay down in front of the White House on Monday, above. Survivors of the shooting are taking the long ride to the state capital, Tallahassee, to call for tighter gun-control laws. (Our reporter is tweeting from the bus.)
Teachers are grappling with the prospect of becoming first responders or, worse, human shields.Teachers are grappling with the prospect of becoming first responders or, worse, human shields.
Our DealBook columnist has an idea. Some credit cards and payment services block certain purchases, so if lawmakers won’t limit guns, let banks do it.Our DealBook columnist has an idea. Some credit cards and payment services block certain purchases, so if lawmakers won’t limit guns, let banks do it.
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• Russia’s bot army hasn’t stopped.• Russia’s bot army hasn’t stopped.
Twitter accounts suspected of having links to Russia jumped on the hashtag #Parklandshooting right after the mass shooting last week, seeking to widen divisions on gun control.Twitter accounts suspected of having links to Russia jumped on the hashtag #Parklandshooting right after the mass shooting last week, seeking to widen divisions on gun control.
President Trump continued his attempts to deflect blame for the Russian election interference detailed in U.S. indictments last week, suggesting that President Barack Obama was dismissive of the threat.President Trump continued his attempts to deflect blame for the Russian election interference detailed in U.S. indictments last week, suggesting that President Barack Obama was dismissive of the threat.
The special counsel racked up another, smaller-scale indictment: A Dutch lawyer was charged with making a false statement. And a smaller-scale victory for thespecial counsel : A Dutch lawyer pleaded guilty to making a false statement.
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• The Syrian government, with its Russian and Iranian allies, is fighting to regain control of western Syria, whatever the cost.• The Syrian government, with its Russian and Iranian allies, is fighting to regain control of western Syria, whatever the cost.
Violence that has been escalating over weeks hit a sudden crescendo. Syrian and Russian planes struck a rebel-held enclave of some 400,000 people near Damascus in one of the worst bombardments in years. Nearly 100 people were reported killed.Violence that has been escalating over weeks hit a sudden crescendo. Syrian and Russian planes struck a rebel-held enclave of some 400,000 people near Damascus in one of the worst bombardments in years. Nearly 100 people were reported killed.
And Turkish jets and artillery attacked pro-government militias for a second day, keep them from reaching the northwestern city of Afrin to reinforce Kurdish militias.And Turkish jets and artillery attacked pro-government militias for a second day, keep them from reaching the northwestern city of Afrin to reinforce Kurdish militias.
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• Winners of gold, and more than gold.• Winners of gold, and more than gold.
South Korea outdueled China in the women’s short-track speedskating 3,000-meter relay, and the Canadian ice dancing team won gold with an “athletic, sensual and expressive” performance.South Korea outdueled China in the women’s short-track speedskating 3,000-meter relay, and the Canadian ice dancing team won gold with an “athletic, sensual and expressive” performance.
The unified Korean women’s hockey team closed out its Olympic run without a single win. For many, that was hardly the point. Our photographer Chang Lee, whose own life has been shaped by the division in Korea, cried as he shot the opening ceremony. Check out his images of the Games.The unified Korean women’s hockey team closed out its Olympic run without a single win. For many, that was hardly the point. Our photographer Chang Lee, whose own life has been shaped by the division in Korea, cried as he shot the opening ceremony. Check out his images of the Games.
Other stories: Russia pushed back after confirming that one of its curlers failed a doping test, and women on the bobsled track are pushing for equality.Other stories: Russia pushed back after confirming that one of its curlers failed a doping test, and women on the bobsled track are pushing for equality.
Here’s our full coverage, plus the medals table, results and schedule.Here’s our full coverage, plus the medals table, results and schedule.
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• Persistent noise of unknown origins has been reported in at least a dozen communities worldwide, including in Australia, England, Scotland, and the U.S., scientists say. • A demographic time bomb.
And now Canada. Residents of parts of Ontario complain the mysterious thrum — like a fleet of idling diesel engines or the pulsation of a subwoofer at a concert — leaves them sleepless, depressed and suffering headaches. It can rattle windows and spook pets. South Korea’s fertility rate has plummeted to one of the lowest in the world. Add the country’s rising life expectancy, and South Korea is aging faster than any other advanced economy.
Not everyone hears it, and no one knows what it is. “Like chasing a ghost,” an investigator said. The economic fallout, as this essay for The Times Magazine points out, could be devastating.
South Korea and some other East Asian nations that need to replenish shrinking work forces — like Japan — may find their resistance to immigration unsustainable.
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• KFC is in the throes of a massive chicken shortage in Britain, its fifth biggest market, after a hiccup in the supply chain forced half of its 900 outlets across the country to close. In one area, law enforcement had to insist the problem was “not a police matter.”• KFC is in the throes of a massive chicken shortage in Britain, its fifth biggest market, after a hiccup in the supply chain forced half of its 900 outlets across the country to close. In one area, law enforcement had to insist the problem was “not a police matter.”
• Google has succeeded where Genghis Khan, communism and Esperanto all failed: It dominates the globe. Critics say the search giant squelches competition. We look at a test case and examine the arguments about whether governments should intervene.• Google has succeeded where Genghis Khan, communism and Esperanto all failed: It dominates the globe. Critics say the search giant squelches competition. We look at a test case and examine the arguments about whether governments should intervene.
• Qualcomm increased its takeover bid for rival chip maker NXP Semiconductors to about $44 billion, a move to potentially fend off its own unwanted suitor, Broadcom.• Qualcomm increased its takeover bid for rival chip maker NXP Semiconductors to about $44 billion, a move to potentially fend off its own unwanted suitor, Broadcom.
• U.S. stocks were mixed. Shanghai’s exchange is closed. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.• U.S. stocks were mixed. Shanghai’s exchange is closed. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
• A court in Thailand granted legal custody of 13 babies carried by nine surrogate Thai mothers to a 28-year-old Japanese millionaire. The ruling said the children were born before a new law was enacted banning commercial surrogacy for foreigners. [A.P.]• A court in Thailand granted legal custody of 13 babies carried by nine surrogate Thai mothers to a 28-year-old Japanese millionaire. The ruling said the children were born before a new law was enacted banning commercial surrogacy for foreigners. [A.P.]
• Be like Australia: That’s the gun-control advice an American teenager gave to the White House. [Sydney Morning Herald] • In western Afghanistan, Taliban insurgents using night-vision goggles — a technology that once gave the U.S. an edge in the conflict — overran three checkpoints in Farah Province, killing about 20 police officers before melting back into nearby villages. [The New York Times]
• A Sydney court hearing a defamation suit brought by the actor Geoffrey Rush lifted a suppression order against The Daily Telegraph, allowing the emergence of more details of the “inappropriate” conduct during a 2015 production of “King Lear” that the paper reported in November — including that the actress playing Regan, Eryn Jean Norvill, had complained that he repeatedly touched her genitals onstage. [ABC] • A Japanese court awarded $142,300 in damages to the family of a 102-year-old man who killed himself rather than evacuate his home during the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. [The Asahi Shimbun]
• Nick Xenophon, a candidate in the coming South Australian state election, released a singing campaign video that has intrigued, and confused, many voters. One pun: “Make a change in the nick of time.” [9 News] • Indonesia seized what drug officials called a “record” 1.6 metric tons, or more than 4,000 pounds, of crystal methamphetamine from a ship disguised as a fishing vessel that was believed to have come from Myanmar. [Reuters]
• Indonesia seized what drug officials called a “record” 1.6 tons of crystal methamphetamine from a ship disguised as a fishing boat that was believed to have come from Myanmar. [Reuters] • A Chinese supermodel, Liu Wen, changed her message to fans from “Happy Lunar New Year” to “Happy Chinese New Year” after a wave of bitter criticism. [South China Morning Post]
• And good news in education: Students from anywhere in the world can now qualify for the Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. [The New York Times]• And good news in education: Students from anywhere in the world can now qualify for the Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. [The New York Times]
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
• Travel to Norway without breaking the bank.• Travel to Norway without breaking the bank.
• New science shows that counting calories is not, we repeat not, the key to weight loss.• New science shows that counting calories is not, we repeat not, the key to weight loss.
• An easy weeknight fish chowder still carries the spirit of the sea.• An easy weeknight fish chowder still carries the spirit of the sea.
• A lifelong traveler revisited the city once known as Saigon with his wife and daughters to answer this question: “Would the people I love most love the land I love most?”• A lifelong traveler revisited the city once known as Saigon with his wife and daughters to answer this question: “Would the people I love most love the land I love most?”
• Fading to gray. A project that would have investigated dark energy — the force that’s speeding up the expansion of the universe — has been cut from NASA’s proposed budget as the space agency shifts its focus to the moon.• Fading to gray. A project that would have investigated dark energy — the force that’s speeding up the expansion of the universe — has been cut from NASA’s proposed budget as the space agency shifts its focus to the moon.
• The Times, in other words. Here’s an image of Tuesday’s front page, and links to our Opinion content and crossword puzzles.• The Times, in other words. Here’s an image of Tuesday’s front page, and links to our Opinion content and crossword puzzles.
Gerald Holtom, the Briton who designed the peace symbol, was in “deep despair” when he created it on this day in 1958.Gerald Holtom, the Briton who designed the peace symbol, was in “deep despair” when he created it on this day in 1958.
“I drew myself,” wrote Mr. Holtom, a World War II conscientious objector who was alarmed by the nuclear arms race. “The representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad.”“I drew myself,” wrote Mr. Holtom, a World War II conscientious objector who was alarmed by the nuclear arms race. “The representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad.”
The symbol also combined the semaphores, or flag-signaling codes, for the letters “N” and “D,” or “Nuclear Disarmament.” The circle around it represented the Earth.The symbol also combined the semaphores, or flag-signaling codes, for the letters “N” and “D,” or “Nuclear Disarmament.” The circle around it represented the Earth.
Later that spring, the symbol appeared on buttons and signs in an antinuclear march to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, a warhead factory in Aldermaston, England. (The march became an annual event.)Later that spring, the symbol appeared on buttons and signs in an antinuclear march to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, a warhead factory in Aldermaston, England. (The march became an annual event.)
The symbol, which isn’t trademarked, was embraced by the broader antiwar movement and disparaged by critics as anti-Christian.The symbol, which isn’t trademarked, was embraced by the broader antiwar movement and disparaged by critics as anti-Christian.
Mr. Holtom is said to have later expressed a desire that the symbol be inverted so that it resembled hands reaching to the sky. Such a symbol, in addition to being more celebratory of peace, would also evoke the semaphore for the letter “U” — as in “Unilateral Disarmament.”Mr. Holtom is said to have later expressed a desire that the symbol be inverted so that it resembled hands reaching to the sky. Such a symbol, in addition to being more celebratory of peace, would also evoke the semaphore for the letter “U” — as in “Unilateral Disarmament.”
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which still uses the symbol as its logo, is taking it on an anniversary tour around Britain this year.The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which still uses the symbol as its logo, is taking it on an anniversary tour around Britain this year.
Jennifer Jett contributed reporting.Jennifer Jett contributed reporting.
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And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers.And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers.
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