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| India, Brexit, Apple: Your Friday Briefing | India, Brexit, Apple: Your Friday Briefing |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| India’s economic problems threaten to undermine the prime minister, businesses in Britain prepare for a chaotic Brexit and Apple takes a strong stand on data privacy. Here’s the latest: | India’s economic problems threaten to undermine the prime minister, businesses in Britain prepare for a chaotic Brexit and Apple takes a strong stand on data privacy. Here’s the latest: |
| India’s jobless rate hit 6.1 percent in the last year, its highest level in 45 years, according to a report published on Thursday in the independent Indian newspaper Business Standard. | India’s jobless rate hit 6.1 percent in the last year, its highest level in 45 years, according to a report published on Thursday in the independent Indian newspaper Business Standard. |
| Alarm spread over the figure, as did accusations that the government had been trying to cover up the bad news. Two government advisers resigned in protest of its failure to release the economic data. | |
| The developments could deepen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vulnerability in coming national elections that are expected to take place in early May. | The developments could deepen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vulnerability in coming national elections that are expected to take place in early May. |
| Background: Mr. Modi swept into office in 2014 with a campaign focused on jobs and reviving the economy. But since then, droughts, a sluggish manufacturing sector and Mr. Modi’s widely criticized decision to replace most of India’s currency have fueled unemployment and contributed to an economic slowdown. | Background: Mr. Modi swept into office in 2014 with a campaign focused on jobs and reviving the economy. But since then, droughts, a sluggish manufacturing sector and Mr. Modi’s widely criticized decision to replace most of India’s currency have fueled unemployment and contributed to an economic slowdown. |
| Already, the impact of the economy is beginning to hurt Mr. Modi. In recent local elections, described as the “semifinals” of Indian politics, his party suffered its worst defeat in recent years across five states. | Already, the impact of the economy is beginning to hurt Mr. Modi. In recent local elections, described as the “semifinals” of Indian politics, his party suffered its worst defeat in recent years across five states. |
| Companies across Britain, faced with increasing uncertainty around the country’s departure from the E.U., have been stockpiling products, making backup plans and exploring new shipping routes. International banks are shifting thousands of jobs from Britain to the Continent. | Companies across Britain, faced with increasing uncertainty around the country’s departure from the E.U., have been stockpiling products, making backup plans and exploring new shipping routes. International banks are shifting thousands of jobs from Britain to the Continent. |
| “It’s meant extra resources, extra overtime, to get it done,” said one executive. “It’s incredibly annoying. It’s frustrating.” | “It’s meant extra resources, extra overtime, to get it done,” said one executive. “It’s incredibly annoying. It’s frustrating.” |
| By the numbers: The economy is 2.3 percent smaller than it would have been if Britain had voted to remain in the E.U. in 2016, according to one research institution. And investment in the auto sector was found to have plunged by almost 50 percent in 2018. | By the numbers: The economy is 2.3 percent smaller than it would have been if Britain had voted to remain in the E.U. in 2016, according to one research institution. And investment in the auto sector was found to have plunged by almost 50 percent in 2018. |
| What’s next? Uncertainty is intensifying. Parliament remains at an impasse, with under 60 days to the March 29 deadline to leave the E.U. | What’s next? Uncertainty is intensifying. Parliament remains at an impasse, with under 60 days to the March 29 deadline to leave the E.U. |
| Solidarity elsewhere: The messy and self-destructive Brexit process in Britain has made E.U. membership more popular in other member countries, even among populists, writes our chief diplomatic correspondent in Brussels. | Solidarity elsewhere: The messy and self-destructive Brexit process in Britain has made E.U. membership more popular in other member countries, even among populists, writes our chief diplomatic correspondent in Brussels. |
| The kingdom announced that its crackdown on high-level corruption, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was over and claimed it had helped retrieve $106 billion for the state treasury. | The kingdom announced that its crackdown on high-level corruption, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was over and claimed it had helped retrieve $106 billion for the state treasury. |
| A government statement said that the “anticorruption committee” had summoned 381 people. Of those detained, 87 were released after signing confessions and agreeing to settlements, while 64 had been referred to the public prosecutor. | A government statement said that the “anticorruption committee” had summoned 381 people. Of those detained, 87 were released after signing confessions and agreeing to settlements, while 64 had been referred to the public prosecutor. |
| Background: About 15 months ago, the Saudi government detained hundreds of businessmen, former officials and even members of the royal family at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, where many were subject to coercion and physical abuse, according to witnesses. | Background: About 15 months ago, the Saudi government detained hundreds of businessmen, former officials and even members of the royal family at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, where many were subject to coercion and physical abuse, according to witnesses. |
| Analysis: The end of the crackdown may be part of an effort by Saudi Arabia to repair its image, which took a hit after the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives. | Analysis: The end of the crackdown may be part of an effort by Saudi Arabia to repair its image, which took a hit after the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives. |
| In other Saudi news: A Filipina maid was executed this week after being found guilty of murder, Philippine officials said, but details about her case were not made public. | |
| As negotiators were concluding the second of two days of trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, President Trump said there was a “good chance” of striking an agreement. | |
| Liu He, China’s vice premier, was expected to formally propose that Mr. Trump meet with President Xi Jinping next month. | |
| In other Washington news: The Senate voted to pass a nonbinding bipartisan legislation that expressed opposition to Mr. Trump’s withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan and Syria, the second time in two months that the Senate has rebuked the president’s foreign policy. | |
| Watch this space: Our reporters will sit down for an interview with the president shortly. | |
| Apple: Chief executive Tim Cook cut off Facebook’s access to apps and updates that it was working on internally, because the social media company had violated Apple’s rules with a research app snooped on users’ online activity. | |
| Birth tourism: Three people who ran businesses that helped women give birth in the U.S. to secure American citizenship for their babies were arrested as part of a broad federal probe cracking down on an industry that has become increasingly popular, particularly among Chinese nationals. | |
| Polar vortex: At least eight deaths have been associated with the record-breaking cold snap sweeping through much of the U.S. Midwest, and hospitals have been treating dozens of frostbite and hypothermia cases. Thousands of flights were canceled, and schools and universities were closed. | Polar vortex: At least eight deaths have been associated with the record-breaking cold snap sweeping through much of the U.S. Midwest, and hospitals have been treating dozens of frostbite and hypothermia cases. Thousands of flights were canceled, and schools and universities were closed. |
| Soccer and human rights: An increasing number of powerful sports executives have called for the release of a Bahrain-born soccer player, Hakeem al-Araibi, who has refugee status in Australia but has been detained in Thailand since late November. The case represents the first time that sporting bodies have come together to “address the fate of a single person,” one of Mr. Araibi’s supporters said. | Soccer and human rights: An increasing number of powerful sports executives have called for the release of a Bahrain-born soccer player, Hakeem al-Araibi, who has refugee status in Australia but has been detained in Thailand since late November. The case represents the first time that sporting bodies have come together to “address the fate of a single person,” one of Mr. Araibi’s supporters said. |
| New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern scrapped her initial targets in an ambitious plan to build 100,000 new homes over the next decade, signaling that a solution to the country’s shortage of affordable housing remains out of reach. | New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern scrapped her initial targets in an ambitious plan to build 100,000 new homes over the next decade, signaling that a solution to the country’s shortage of affordable housing remains out of reach. |
| Iran: Britain, France and Germany, in an attempt to bolster Iran’s economy while skirting U.S. sanctions, have set up a company that would essentially allow goods to be bartered between companies. Whether anyone will actually use it remains to be seen. | Iran: Britain, France and Germany, in an attempt to bolster Iran’s economy while skirting U.S. sanctions, have set up a company that would essentially allow goods to be bartered between companies. Whether anyone will actually use it remains to be seen. |
| 11 days offline: Tonga, a remote island northeast of New Zealand, was forced into digital darkness after an underwater fiber-optic cable was severed on Jan. 20, cutting off internet connections, international calls and even credit card payments. Repairs are underway, and some connectivity has trickled back. | 11 days offline: Tonga, a remote island northeast of New Zealand, was forced into digital darkness after an underwater fiber-optic cable was severed on Jan. 20, cutting off internet connections, international calls and even credit card payments. Repairs are underway, and some connectivity has trickled back. |
| Sri Lanka: Our Frugal Traveler hopped on a train from Colombo to Kandy, then from Kandy to Ella, to take in the lush, hilly terrain with rows of perfectly manicured tea plants. The country “is a place best seen slowly,” he writes. | Sri Lanka: Our Frugal Traveler hopped on a train from Colombo to Kandy, then from Kandy to Ella, to take in the lush, hilly terrain with rows of perfectly manicured tea plants. The country “is a place best seen slowly,” he writes. |
| Overlooked no more: Forough Farrokhzad, who was perhaps the first female Iranian poet to write about the emotions and desires of women, elevating her among the great voices of Persian literature. Her death, from a car crash in 1967, was regarded as a national tragedy in Iran, but she didn’t receive a Times obituary. Until now. | Overlooked no more: Forough Farrokhzad, who was perhaps the first female Iranian poet to write about the emotions and desires of women, elevating her among the great voices of Persian literature. Her death, from a car crash in 1967, was regarded as a national tragedy in Iran, but she didn’t receive a Times obituary. Until now. |
| Tips for a more fulfilling life. | Tips for a more fulfilling life. |
| Recipe of the day: End the week with a glass of red wine and an Italian-American classic: pasta alla vodka. | Recipe of the day: End the week with a glass of red wine and an Italian-American classic: pasta alla vodka. |
| Does your office leave you with pain in your wrists, back or neck? Here’s how to make your workstation ergonomically correct. | Does your office leave you with pain in your wrists, back or neck? Here’s how to make your workstation ergonomically correct. |
| Unfamiliar with podcasts? Our connoisseur has recommendations to help you start. | Unfamiliar with podcasts? Our connoisseur has recommendations to help you start. |
| On this day in 1786, a Briton living in India delivered a discourse on a little-known proposition: Sanskrit, Persian, Latin, Greek and other languages might have a common source. | On this day in 1786, a Briton living in India delivered a discourse on a little-known proposition: Sanskrit, Persian, Latin, Greek and other languages might have a common source. |
| The commentary set off the field of comparative linguistics. We know its fruits today as the concept of Proto-Indo-European, a mother language for dozens of tongues. The idea revolutionized not only the study of language but the sense of human history. | The commentary set off the field of comparative linguistics. We know its fruits today as the concept of Proto-Indo-European, a mother language for dozens of tongues. The idea revolutionized not only the study of language but the sense of human history. |
| The man who delivered the talk, Sir William Jones, was, predictably, a student of languages and culture. Less predictably, he was in India because he was also a legal expert — the same reason he ultimately became convinced of his theory. | The man who delivered the talk, Sir William Jones, was, predictably, a student of languages and culture. Less predictably, he was in India because he was also a legal expert — the same reason he ultimately became convinced of his theory. |
| He arrived many decades before the Raj, or British government rule. The British East India Company was increasing its control over territories it had long traded in. Some of the company’s officials wanted British justices like Jones to supervise the administration of Indian courts; translations from Sanskrit to English were crucial to that effort. | He arrived many decades before the Raj, or British government rule. The British East India Company was increasing its control over territories it had long traded in. Some of the company’s officials wanted British justices like Jones to supervise the administration of Indian courts; translations from Sanskrit to English were crucial to that effort. |
| Jones’s work with translators enabled his remarkable insights. | Jones’s work with translators enabled his remarkable insights. |
| Andrea Kannapell, the briefings editor, wrote today’s Back Story. | Andrea Kannapell, the briefings editor, wrote today’s Back Story. |
| Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. You can also receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. | Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. You can also receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. |
| 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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| What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. | What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. |