Boeing, Brexit, Facebook
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[The New York Times](
[The New York Times](
Thursday, March 14, 2019
[NYTimes.com »](
[Your Thursday Briefing](
By PENN BULLOCK
Good morning.
President Trump grounds the Boeing 737 Max 8, Britainâs Parliament rejects a âno-dealâ Brexit, and a criminal investigation proceeds into Facebookâs data-sharing. Hereâs the latest:
[All 371 of the Max 8 planes in service worldwide now appear to be grounded.]All 371 of the Max 8 planes in service worldwide now appear to be grounded.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Data leads U.S. to ground Boeing jets
The U.S. and Canada, two of the last major holdouts, joined other countries in [grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 jets]( in the wake of a plane crash in Ethiopia. Their decisions came after new satellite-tracking data suggested [similarities between the crash and another involving a Boeing 737 Max 8]( in Indonesia in October.
Despite a personal appeal from the chief executive of Boeing, President Trump [reversed an earlier decision by U.S. aviation regulators]( to keep the planes in service. [Hereâs a guide]( to all the developments in the aftermath of the crash on Sunday of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which killed all 157 people on board.
What went wrong: Though no cause has been determined yet, one of the Ethiopian Airlines pilots reported âflight-control problemsâ to air traffic controllers, requesting permission to turn back minutes before the crash.
Fallout: Boeing, an aerospace giant with roughly $100 billion in annual revenue, faces [runaway reputational risk](. Members of Congress vowed to look into the companyâs relationship with regulators and how the Max 8 was approved for flight.
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[Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain leaving 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday ahead of another crucial Brexit vote in Parliament.]Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain leaving 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday ahead of another crucial Brexit vote in Parliament.
Leon Neal/Getty Images
Another day, another Brexit vote
After soundly rejecting Prime Minister Theresa Mayâs withdrawal plan twice, British lawmakers [voted against leaving the E.U. without a deal]( undercutting Mrs. Mayâs dwindling authority and negotiating leverage.
What next? Parliament will reconvene today to vote on whether to postpone the countryâs withdrawal, a measure that has popular support, but then the question becomes for how long and to what purpose.
If Parliament votes for an extension, Mrs. May will have to seek permission to delay Brexit from E.U. leaders next week.
Some lawmakers want to hold nonbinding votes on alternatives to Mrs. Mayâs plan. There is talk of a second referendum to confirm public support for Brexit and speculation about a general election to shake up a logjammed Parliament. Britainâs once-reliable âWestminster modelâ of a strong executive presiding over a unitary state [is out the window]( replaced by American-style wrangling and gridlock.
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[The Facebook campus in Menlo Park, Calif.]The Facebook campus in Menlo Park, Calif.
Jason Henry for The New York Times
Criminal investigation into Facebook data-sharing deals
U.S. prosecutors [are conducting a criminal investigation]( into data deals Facebook struck with some of the worldâs largest technology companies that allowed wide access to the personal information of hundreds of millions of its users.
A grand jury in New York has subpoenaed records from at least two prominent makers of smartphones and other devices, according to two people who were familiar with the requests.
Background: The two companies were among more than 150 firms, including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Sony, that had cut sharing deals with Facebook, the worldâs dominant social media platform. The agreements, [previously reported in The New York Times]( let the companies see usersâ friends, contact information and other data, sometimes without consent. Facebook has phased out most of the partnerships over the past two years.
Response: A spokesman said Facebook was cooperating with investigators.
Related: Facebook and two of the services it owns, WhatsApp and Instagram, all [experienced interruptions throughout the day]( on Wednesday, highlighting the potential risks of a consolidated social media giant.
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[A Roma camp in Kosovo built by the U.N. in 2006 was found to have very high levels of lead contamination. ]A Roma camp in Kosovo built by the U.N. in 2006 was found to have very high levels of lead contamination.
Andrew Testa for The New York Times
U.N. is rebuked over poisoned Roma victims
One of the U.N.âs own human rights experts [called on it to apologize and offer compensation]( to about 600 Roma families who were forced to live for years in camps in Kosovo that the U.N. built on land contaminated by a former lead-smelting factory.
Toxic waste at the camps caused disability and possibly deaths among families who were forced to live there starting in 1999 because of a war between Serbia and ethnic Albanian separatists seeking an independent Kosovo.
The U.N. took action in 2000 to protect its peacekeepers from exposure to lead waste but did not act on behalf of the Roma families until 2006, said the expert, Baskut Tuncak, who monitors cases relating to hazardous substances for the U.N.
Response: There was no immediate response from U.N. offices overseeing the issue. Three years ago, a U.N. human rights panel found negligence. António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, later [expressed his âprofound regret,â]( but he offered no compensation. Instead, the U.N. set up a trust fund and called for contributions from donors. There have been no donations, Mr. Tuncak said.
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Hereâs what else is happening
Paul Manafort: The prison sentence for President Trumpâs former campaign chairman [was nearly doubled to seven and a half years]( after a second federal judge added to the 47 months he received last week for tax and bank fraud. On the same day, Mr. Manafort was charged with mortgage fraud and more than a dozen other New York felonies, an effort to [ensure that he will face prison time even if Mr. Trump pardons his federal crimes](.
Kazakhstan: Serikzhan Bilash, an activist who was instrumental in detailing Chinaâs detention of Muslim minorities, has been [placed under house arrest in Kazakhstan]( where he is accused of âinciting ethnic hatred,â his lawyer said. The U.S. and other Western governments have [stepped up their criticism of the detentions]( ahead of Chinaâs appearance today before the U.N. Human Rights Council.
[A child pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Lagos, Nigeria.]A child pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Lagos, Nigeria.
Sunday Alamba/Associated Press
Nigeria: At least eight people have died after [a building with a primary and nursery school collapsed in Lagos](. At least 70 people were inside when it fell, and possibly many more, neighbors said, as rescue efforts continued. Some residents blamed government negligence, saying that the school building had been marked for demolition with a large âX,â but that instead it was recently refurbished.
Iran: Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who was detained for eight months without explanation, has been [sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes]( her husband said. Ms. Sotoudeh was known for defending women who had been arrested for removing their head scarves in public protests.
College admissions scandal: Among the 50 people caught up in a U.S. government investigation into college admissions fraud are [giants of finance and law]( whose careers are now at risk. Meanwhile, two colleges whose coaches were accused of taking bribes said they were [considering disciplining students connected to the scheme](. Hereâs the [full list of the accused](.
Spotify: The music streaming platform [filed a complaint with European regulators saying that Apple]( was using its App Store to undercut companies that compete with its own services, like Apple Music.
Amy Schumer: The comic, who is pregnant and has faced an onslaught of criticism recently, claims [she is still indifferent to what people think of her](. âBeing cool is powerful in this industry,â but thereâs nothing more powerful than not caring, she told The Times ahead of the release of her new Netflix special, âGrowing.â
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Smarter Living
Tips for a more fulfilling life.
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Christine Albano.
Recipe of the day: This[lemon snacking cake with a coconut glaze]( is perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up.
Refrigerators are filled with clues about a person. And one company is trying to [turn that idea into a dating app](.
Wedding planning can be physically and mentally exhausting. But it [doesnât have to be](.
Back Story
The Times recently published a story about [a Central Park detective who is retiring]( along with his horse, from the New York Police Department. Which got us wondering about how mounted units have managed to endure.
One of the first on record is the London Bow Street Horse Patrol, established in the mid-18th century [to patrol country roads to ward off petty crime](. The idea soon spread to cities across Britain and around the world.
[Detective John Reilly, 63, and Trooper, 15, both retired from the New York Police Department's mounted unit at the end of February.]Detective John Reilly, 63, and Trooper, 15, both retired from the New York Police Department's mounted unit at the end of February.
James Estrin/The New York Times
These days, mounted officers are usually used for crowd control and easy navigation through traffic (mobility and sightlines from horseback are better than on foot or in a car). And, [according to a study in 2015]( the benefits go beyond that, to building public trust.
In comparison to foot patrols, the report said, âMounted police were observed to generate over six times as many instances of casual public engagements â such as greetings and brief exchanges â over equivalent time periods in neighborhood patrols.â
Remy Tumin, on the briefings team, wrote todayâs Back Story.
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