| | | Onlookers pray as they watch Notre Dame Cathedral burn in central Paris Monday night. Source: Getty |
| | IMPORTANT | | 01 | “We will rebuild it together.” That’s what French President Emmanuel Macron promised last night as firefighters raced to save the 12th-century Gothic masterpiece and national symbol from the flames. Although the roof and spire collapsed, they were able to bring the blaze under control after about eight hours. Meanwhile, world leaders expressed their condolences as various fundraising efforts — including a $226 million pledge by French tycoon Bernard Arnault — kicked off.
Will there be global ramifications? As OZY reports, the fire could serve as a wake-up call for fire safety at historic structures across Europe, particularly those with wooden ceilings. | |
| | 02 | Show them the money. The Democrat-chaired House Financial Services and Intelligence Committees have subpoenaed Deutsche Bank and other unidentified financial institutions as they probe President Donald Trump’s business interests. The German lender, which said it’s “engaged in a productive dialogue” with the two panels, has reportedly lent Trump-affiliated companies at least $2.5 billion since 1998.
What’s next for Trump? All eyes will be on Thursday’s release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted Russia report, which Trump slammed again in a series of tweets yesterday.
Check out OZY’s take on what’s next for the special counsel. | |
| | 03 | Just 85 percent of people around the world have received the first of two necessary vaccine doses, the World Health Organization said, and only 67 percent received the second. The WHO pointed to rapid contagion “among clusters of unvaccinated people,” although even countries with high vaccination rates have seen spikes in measles cases. Authorities from New York to Australia are moving to control the highly contagious disease, while Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil saw the largest increases in reported cases.
Will it get worse? Typically just 1 in 10 cases is reported globally, the WHO says — meaning the total figure could be much higher. | |
| | 04 | German prosecutors have accused Martin Winterkorn of fraud, breach of trust and violation of competition laws over his inaction following revelations in May 2014 that Volkswagen manipulated its diesel emissions tests. They also claim he failed to alert European and American regulators and customers that VW cars didn’t meet fuel standards. Four others were indicted alongside the disgraced CEO on lesser charges.
What’s in store for Winterkorn? While he’s unlikely to be extradited to the U.S. to face similar charges, the German fraud indictment alone carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. | |
| | 05 | U.S. Democratic presidential candidates have raised about $75 million so far this year, with Sen. Bernie Sanders leading the pack with $18 million. Sudan’s main protest group has warned that “the remnants” of deposed ex-President Omar al-Bashir’s regime threaten the country’s popular revolution. And New Zealand is facing an egg shortage as it transitions to free-range farming and demand for eggs soars.
#OZYfact: Taking a full year of maternity leave boosted the entrepreneurship of Canadian women by 39 percent compared to male partners and those who took half as much time off. Read more on OZY.
Vote for us! OZY’s been nominated for two Webby Awards this year — and we’d love your help to win. Go to vote.webbyawards.com and cast your vote for The Thread for best podcast miniseries, as well as Unapologetic for best social content series. But hurry! Voting ends April 18. |
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| | | | INTRIGUING | | 01 | It’s state-of-the-heart technology. Tel Aviv University researchers say they’ve 3D printed a rabbit heart-sized organ with four contracting chambers, ventricles and blood vessels for the first time. Previous attempts only produced simple tissues without cells or blood vessels. The breakthrough, published in the journal Advanced Science, involved harvesting fatty tissue from a patient to use as the “ink.”
When will hospitals be able to print organs on demand? Today transplant recipients often wait six months or more for a new heart, but this project’s lead researcher believes organ printing could be “conducted routinely” within 10 years. | |
| | 02 | With customers and drivers alike flustered by the difficulty of airport ride-sharing, the San Francisco-based company is trying something radical at San Diego International Airport next month: It’s going back to the old-fashioned taxi line, where riders and vehicles physically stand and wait their turn. When a rider hops into a Lyft vehicle, they give the driver a four-digit code to sync their smartphones and provide trip information.
How is Lyft performing on the market? Not well: The company’s under pressure from a stock slide since going public several weeks ago.
Don’t miss OZY’s Special Briefing on this year’s tech IPOs. | |
| | 03 | When Sunita Dhairyam decided to make her life on the edge of Bandipur National Park, she found her calling in protecting wildlife and educating local cattle owners on conservation, OZY reports. India’s rapid development led to the loss of 1 percent of its forest cover in 2018 alone, while logging, sand mining, tourism and other industries further squeeze wildlife habitats. So Dhairyam, 57, is building a self-sustaining trust that helps farmers see the benefits of leaving wild animals in peace.
Will she succeed? Experts believe that fostering a sense of empathy toward local wildlife will ultimately be the key catalyst for change. | |
| | 04 | The Pulitzer Prize Board took the unusual step yesterday of honoring the Capital Gazette — the Annapolis, Maryland, newspaper where five journalists were gunned down in a June attack — with a special citation and an extraordinary $100,000 award. The staff was recognized for covering the aftermath of the shooting amid “unspeakable grief” in the community. “It’s a complicated feeling,” said one reporter.
Who else won? The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal won awards for their coverage of President Trump, while soul icon Aretha Franklin was posthumously honored “for her indelible contribution to American music.” | |
| | 05 | Two events on the same course Monday were miles apart in style. In the men’s race, Kenyan Lawrence Cherono managed a semblance of a sprint after 26 grueling miles to win in 2 hours, 7 minutes and 57 seconds — just two seconds ahead of Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa. Meanwhile, in the women’s heat, Worknesh Degefa, also from Ethiopia, broke from the pack after five miles and had the course to herself, handily winning by 42 seconds with a final time of 2:23:31.
Were there other memorable moments? The closest Boston Marathon since 1988 also saw Marine veteran Micah Herndon, who ran to honor three comrades he lost in Afghanistan, crawl across the finish line after collapsing.
Read OZY’s feature about how Japan became a marathon mecca. | |
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