| |  | Debris from Monday's devastating fire covers the floor of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Source: Getty |
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In just a day and a half since firefighters finally extinguished the blaze that ravaged the 12th-century Gothic cathedral, ordinary citizens and wealthy tycoons alike collectively pledged nearly $1 billion to rebuild the revered landmark. French President Emmanuel Macron, who will hold a Cabinet meeting on the disaster later today, set a five-year deadline for the effort.
Is that timeline realistic? Despite the generosity, experts say reconstruction could take at least a decade — though recent 3D maps and computer models of the structure could prove helpful.
Don’t miss OZY’s Special Briefing on the Notre Dame fire.
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Polls have closed in a nationwide vote during which 192 million Indonesians were registered to elect some 20,000 national and local lawmakers at more than 800,000 polling places. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is eyeing a second five-year term, facing down magnate Prabowo Subianto, a retired general and former son-in-law to late Indonesian strongman Suharto. Preliminary results are expected later today.
What are the options? Jokowi promises to push ahead with economic reforms, while Prabowo — whose record on human rights is tainted from serving under Suharto — could govern the predominantly Muslim country with a heavier hand.
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In the second veto of his tenure, President Donald Trump rejected a bipartisan effort by both houses of Congress to end U.S. support for a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen’s civil war. In his veto note, Trump called the measure — an attempt to roll back American involvement in foreign wars — “an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities.”
What’s behind Trump’s move? Although he’s long spoken out against protracted U.S. military campaigns abroad, the president is prioritizing his relationship with Saudi Arabia, a key ally in keeping Iran isolated.
Read this OZY op-ed about how Yemen’s crisis isn’t “just another dirty little war.”
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Thanks to an uptick in factory production and increasing consumer activity, the Chinese economy grew 6.4 percent during the first quarter of 2019 — higher than many expected. Last year’s unusually sharp downturn compelled authorities to “front-load” the economy through tax cuts, increased infrastructure spending and more, while an easing of trade tensions between Beijing and Washington may have boosted business confidence.
Is China out of the woods? Not quite: Given the government’s short-term, hands-on approach, some economists expect another drop in growth before a boost later in the year.
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Local authorities have closed public schools in the Denver area after a woman “infatuated” with the 1999 Columbine High School shooting made threats days before the 20th anniversary of that tragedy. After a long, high-profile legal dispute, Apple and Qualcomm have agreed to end all litigation against one another and signed a new six-year license agreement. And Singapore’s $1.25 billion Jewel Changi Airport is now officially open.
#OZYfact: The NBA’s turnover rate is at an all-time low this season. 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 tomorrow.
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| INTRIGUING | | 01 |
By a vote of 591-29, the European Parliament approved a directive Tuesday that would allow whistleblowers to report abuses of European law — from money laundering to violations of product safety — without fearing for their jobs or facing other forms of retaliation. While the measure still needs approval from EU ministers before becoming law, free-speech advocates have already hailed the vote as a victory for civil society.
Does the EU have a corruption problem? More than 80 percent of respondents in a 2017 survey who witnessed corruption said they didn’t report it.
Read OZY’s profile of Latvia’s corruption-fighting finance minister.
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Watch what you tweet. Crediting the same technology it uses to fight spam and platform manipulation, the company claimed in a Tuesday blog post that 38 percent of abusive content is now “surfaced proactively” for humans to review — up from 0 percent last year. The social media platform, which typically relies on abuse reports from users, also said it now responds 60 percent faster to requests for appeals.
How else is Twitter fighting abuse? In June, it’ll begin testing a “hide replies” feature allowing users to select which responses are displayed in a given thread.
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Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine director for Human Rights Watch, has vowed to appeal after an Israeli court rejected his petition to remain in the country. The government’s decision last May to deport the American lawyer was based on his activism dating back to 2006, including his alleged support for boycotts of Israeli businesses in the West Bank.
Will he win? Shakir might have a fighting chance, since in October the Supreme Court overturned the deportation of Lara Alqasem, a Palestinian-American student who had been denied entry over her membership in an Israel-boycotting organization.
Don’t miss OZY’s Special Briefing on Israel’s recent elections.
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Major brands are increasingly sizing up Chinese consumers before launching their designs worldwide, OZY reports. Ermenegildo Zegna is moving its test market there, while Gucci and Calvin Klein both recently customized ad campaigns for Chinese platforms before anywhere else. Experts say the country’s ahead of the game when it comes to integrating e-commerce into social media platforms, while brands benefit from early feedback.
What’s next? Consultants expect China’s fashion market to eclipse America’s this year for the first time — so what’s hot there could determine what you’ll see next season in New York City boutiques.
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On paper, the Lightning were unstoppable, with 128 regular-season points and tied for the most wins in NHL history with the 1995-96 Red Wings. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, had never won a playoff series in their 18 years. But in Game 4 of Tuesday’s Eastern Conference quarterfinal, the underdogs toppled Tampa 7-3 with strong defense and effective power plays. Columbus center Matt Duchene said, “This was the loudest crowd I’ve ever played in front of.”
Can the Blue Jackets win it all? If goalie Sergei Bobrovsky can keep up his .932 postseason save percentage, their luck might hold against the winner of the Boston-Toronto series.
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Rising Stars
Elizabeth Prelogar, a former Miss Idaho, is going places in Washington.
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