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| Sri Lanka, Trump, Scotland: Your Thursday Briefing | Sri Lanka, Trump, Scotland: Your Thursday Briefing |
| (2 days 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, |
| We start today with a continuing threat in Sri Lanka, the use of Chinese surveillance in Ecuador and the status of the Notre-Dame cathedral’s famous organ. | We start today with a continuing threat in Sri Lanka, the use of Chinese surveillance in Ecuador and the status of the Notre-Dame cathedral’s famous organ. |
| Nine suicide bombers from mostly educated, middle-class backgrounds carried out the attacks in Sri Lanka that killed more than 350 people on Easter Sunday, the authorities said. | Nine suicide bombers from mostly educated, middle-class backgrounds carried out the attacks in Sri Lanka that killed more than 350 people on Easter Sunday, the authorities said. |
| The bombers, one of whom was a woman, were all Sri Lankan, officials said. One of them was believed to have studied in Britain and Australia before returning to Sri Lanka, while two others were the sons of a spice tycoon. But the authorities are still investigating whether the Islamic State, which on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the blasts, provided more than symbolic support. | The bombers, one of whom was a woman, were all Sri Lankan, officials said. One of them was believed to have studied in Britain and Australia before returning to Sri Lanka, while two others were the sons of a spice tycoon. But the authorities are still investigating whether the Islamic State, which on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the blasts, provided more than symbolic support. |
| Officials also warned of a continuing terrorist threat and said that other people involved in the attacks remained at large. | Officials also warned of a continuing terrorist threat and said that other people involved in the attacks remained at large. |
| Sri Lanka’s president asked two top security officials to resign amid anger that the government had ignored multiple warnings that churches could be attacked. | Sri Lanka’s president asked two top security officials to resign amid anger that the government had ignored multiple warnings that churches could be attacked. |
| Muslims in some areas of the country are also facing a rising backlash. | Muslims in some areas of the country are also facing a rising backlash. |
| Go deeper: For older residents of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, the security measures after the bombings are a flashback to the country’s dark days of civil war, and for a younger generation, they are entirely disorienting. | Go deeper: For older residents of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, the security measures after the bombings are a flashback to the country’s dark days of civil war, and for a younger generation, they are entirely disorienting. |
| Ecuador is one of 18 countries using Chinese-made monitoring systems that are increasingly sophisticated and cheap. | Ecuador is one of 18 countries using Chinese-made monitoring systems that are increasingly sophisticated and cheap. |
| Police officers in Ecuador spend their days poring over computer screens, watching footage from 4,300 cameras and scanning the streets for drug deals, muggings and murders. | Police officers in Ecuador spend their days poring over computer screens, watching footage from 4,300 cameras and scanning the streets for drug deals, muggings and murders. |
| A Times investigation found that this footage also goes to the country’s feared domestic intelligence agency, which under a previous president was known for intimidating and attacking political opponents. | A Times investigation found that this footage also goes to the country’s feared domestic intelligence agency, which under a previous president was known for intimidating and attacking political opponents. |
| Watch: Is Chinese-style surveillance becoming normalized? “China’s goal is political control; that’s what these systems were designed for,” our reporter says in a video analysis. “In effect, China is exporting more than cameras. They are exporting the way they use their cameras.” | Watch: Is Chinese-style surveillance becoming normalized? “China’s goal is political control; that’s what these systems were designed for,” our reporter says in a video analysis. “In effect, China is exporting more than cameras. They are exporting the way they use their cameras.” |
| The story of a teenage girl who was allegedly raped and abused for two years, first by a teacher and then by a local police officer, has caused uproar in the Balkan country. | The story of a teenage girl who was allegedly raped and abused for two years, first by a teacher and then by a local police officer, has caused uproar in the Balkan country. |
| Hundreds of protesters, mostly women, took to the streets in support of the teenager, shouting “Shame!” and “Rapists to jail,” and accusing the police and the judiciary of failing to protect the rights of women. | Hundreds of protesters, mostly women, took to the streets in support of the teenager, shouting “Shame!” and “Rapists to jail,” and accusing the police and the judiciary of failing to protect the rights of women. |
| The teenager, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal, said, “I want them to get the highest punishment because they destroyed me.” | The teenager, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal, said, “I want them to get the highest punishment because they destroyed me.” |
| Legal consequences: President Hashim Thaci said in an interview that it was a “sad case” and promised justice, lawmakers demanded a thorough investigation and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj began an investigation into police misconduct. | Legal consequences: President Hashim Thaci said in an interview that it was a “sad case” and promised justice, lawmakers demanded a thorough investigation and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj began an investigation into police misconduct. |
| The president tried three times to pressure his attorney general to prosecute Hillary Clinton, hoping to fulfill campaign promises to “lock her up,” according to the special counsel’s report. | The president tried three times to pressure his attorney general to prosecute Hillary Clinton, hoping to fulfill campaign promises to “lock her up,” according to the special counsel’s report. |
| The episodes show President Trump trying to wield the power of law enforcement to target a political rival, a step that no president since Richard Nixon is known to have taken. | The episodes show President Trump trying to wield the power of law enforcement to target a political rival, a step that no president since Richard Nixon is known to have taken. |
| Other administration news: Kirstjen Nielsen, the former homeland security secretary, was increasingly worried about Russian interference in U.S. elections. But she was told not to discuss it at high-level White House meetings. | Other administration news: Kirstjen Nielsen, the former homeland security secretary, was increasingly worried about Russian interference in U.S. elections. But she was told not to discuss it at high-level White House meetings. |
| A company that sells love to America is also the place where many women said they experienced sexual harassment, unequal pay and worse. | A company that sells love to America is also the place where many women said they experienced sexual harassment, unequal pay and worse. |
| Almost 70,000 female employees of Sterling Jewelers — parent company of the retail chains Kay Jewelers and Jared — at one point joined a lawsuit describing a culture of discrimination and sexual coercion that many say went unchecked for decades. | Almost 70,000 female employees of Sterling Jewelers — parent company of the retail chains Kay Jewelers and Jared — at one point joined a lawsuit describing a culture of discrimination and sexual coercion that many say went unchecked for decades. |
| North Korea: The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is in Russia today meeting with President Vladimir Putin for the first time to talk about sanctions and nuclear disarmament. | North Korea: The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is in Russia today meeting with President Vladimir Putin for the first time to talk about sanctions and nuclear disarmament. |
| Facebook: The social network expects to be fined up to $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations, in what would amount to a record penalty for a technology company by the agency. | Facebook: The social network expects to be fined up to $5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations, in what would amount to a record penalty for a technology company by the agency. |
| U.S.-Mexico border: The number of children younger than 12 crossing the border without parents or guardians is soaring, with more than 8,900 unaccompanied children apprehended in March, nearly twice the number seen in October. | U.S.-Mexico border: The number of children younger than 12 crossing the border without parents or guardians is soaring, with more than 8,900 unaccompanied children apprehended in March, nearly twice the number seen in October. |
| New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she will meet with French leaders next month in hopes of forging an agreement aimed at eliminating violent extremist content online. | New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said she will meet with French leaders next month in hopes of forging an agreement aimed at eliminating violent extremist content online. |
| U.S.: Almost a year after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum, the actual damage to European exports has been surprisingly mild, according to a new study by the European Central Bank. | U.S.: Almost a year after the Trump administration imposed tariffs on European steel and aluminum, the actual damage to European exports has been surprisingly mild, according to a new study by the European Central Bank. |
| Scotland: The Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland should hold a new referendum on independence from the United Kingdom by 2021 if Britain leaves the E.U. | Scotland: The Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland should hold a new referendum on independence from the United Kingdom by 2021 if Britain leaves the E.U. |
| Germany: A woman who suffered brain damage in a car accident in 1991 woke up in a clinic after 27 years of unconsciousness. | Germany: A woman who suffered brain damage in a car accident in 1991 woke up in a clinic after 27 years of unconsciousness. |
| Snapshot: Notre-Dame’s musicians are rejoicing, after they discovered that the cathedral’s famed organ — it has five keyboards and almost 8,000 pipes, and traces its origins to the 1400s — was spared from the fire that devastated the structure last week. | Snapshot: Notre-Dame’s musicians are rejoicing, after they discovered that the cathedral’s famed organ — it has five keyboards and almost 8,000 pipes, and traces its origins to the 1400s — was spared from the fire that devastated the structure last week. |
| Birds: A giant cassowary, a flightless bird indigenous to Southeast Asia and Australia with daggerlike claws on its feet, killed its owner in Florida this month. Now it’s up for auction. | Birds: A giant cassowary, a flightless bird indigenous to Southeast Asia and Australia with daggerlike claws on its feet, killed its owner in Florida this month. Now it’s up for auction. |
| What we’re watching: This TED Talk by Mariah Gladstone, a member of the Blackfeet nation. “She’s also a cook with a degree from Columbia,” says our national food correspondent, Kim Severson, “who started a cooking show called Indigikitchen to help people remember what food was like before colonization: locavore paleo.” | What we’re watching: This TED Talk by Mariah Gladstone, a member of the Blackfeet nation. “She’s also a cook with a degree from Columbia,” says our national food correspondent, Kim Severson, “who started a cooking show called Indigikitchen to help people remember what food was like before colonization: locavore paleo.” |
| Cook: The flavors of Korean barbecue inspire this easy meatball recipe. | Cook: The flavors of Korean barbecue inspire this easy meatball recipe. |
| Listen: In his “Ring” cycle, Wagner uses musical themes to create a world of gods, heroes, dwarves and giants. Here’s how. | Listen: In his “Ring” cycle, Wagner uses musical themes to create a world of gods, heroes, dwarves and giants. Here’s how. |
| Go: With few exceptions, musical comedies today are comedic only in the sense that the protagonist doesn’t croak, and musical only in the sense that he does. The new “Tootsie” is one of those exceptions. | Go: With few exceptions, musical comedies today are comedic only in the sense that the protagonist doesn’t croak, and musical only in the sense that he does. The new “Tootsie” is one of those exceptions. |
| Read: The humorist Dave Barry describes emulating his dog’s grace in “Lessons From Lucy,” which is new this week on our hardcover nonfiction and combined print and e-book nonfiction best-seller lists. | Read: The humorist Dave Barry describes emulating his dog’s grace in “Lessons From Lucy,” which is new this week on our hardcover nonfiction and combined print and e-book nonfiction best-seller lists. |
| Smarter Living: Apologies are complicated. The urge to be polite undermines your confidence, critics say, and underscores your own insecurity. But, context matters and saying sorry isn’t always a bad thing. | Smarter Living: Apologies are complicated. The urge to be polite undermines your confidence, critics say, and underscores your own insecurity. But, context matters and saying sorry isn’t always a bad thing. |
| And eating better, it turns out, can change your mood. | And eating better, it turns out, can change your mood. |
| This is the International Year of the Periodic Table, so named by the U.N. to honor what is considered the 150th anniversary of a crucial discovery by a Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev. | This is the International Year of the Periodic Table, so named by the U.N. to honor what is considered the 150th anniversary of a crucial discovery by a Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev. |
| In 1869, he published the first recognizable periodic table, arranging the 63 elements then known by increasing atomic weight — the total number of protons in an atomic nucleus — and in vertical stacks that corresponded to recurring patterns or properties. | |
| That concise organization revealed and predicted many elemental dynamics, and the table became the foundation for chemistry, nuclear physics and other sciences. The periodic system is considered one of modern science’s most important achievements. | That concise organization revealed and predicted many elemental dynamics, and the table became the foundation for chemistry, nuclear physics and other sciences. The periodic system is considered one of modern science’s most important achievements. |
| But it can also help to explain the chemistry behind a popular party trick: inhaling helium from a balloon to make your voice sound funny. | But it can also help to explain the chemistry behind a popular party trick: inhaling helium from a balloon to make your voice sound funny. |
| Helium is lighter than oxygen, enabling the vibrations of your vocal cords to travel more quickly, which shifts the resonant frequencies in your vocal tract to the higher end. | Helium is lighter than oxygen, enabling the vibrations of your vocal cords to travel more quickly, which shifts the resonant frequencies in your vocal tract to the higher end. |
| That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. |
| — Melina | — Melina |
| Thank youChris Stanford helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Kenneth R. Rosen provided the break from the news. Katie Van Syckle wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | Thank youChris Stanford helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Kenneth R. Rosen provided the break from the news. Katie Van Syckle wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. |
| P.S.• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about the attacks in Sri Lanka.• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: operator of the world's largest cargo airline (5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • “Caliphate,” a New York Times podcast series that followed our reporter Rukmini Callimachi’s work on the Islamic State into Iraq, won a 2018 Peabody Award. | P.S.• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about the attacks in Sri Lanka.• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: operator of the world's largest cargo airline (5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • “Caliphate,” a New York Times podcast series that followed our reporter Rukmini Callimachi’s work on the Islamic State into Iraq, won a 2018 Peabody Award. |