Thursday Briefing: Europe asks Israel for restraint on Iran

A deadly attack on Ukraine and keeping your brain waves private

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story April 18, 2024 By Daniel E. Slotnik Good morning. We're covering a deadly attack on Ukraine and European leaders' efforts to keep Israel from retaliating against Iran. Plus: Keeping brain waves private. Members of the Israeli military showing the remnants of an Iranian ballistic missile that fell on Israel over the weekend. Gil Cohen-Magen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images European leaders visit Israel, seeking restraint on Iran David Cameron, Britain's foreign secretary, acknowledged that Israel seemed certain to retaliate against Iran, despite pleas for restraint from Israel's allies. "It is clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act," Cameron told the BBC just before he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. "We hope that they do so in a way that does as little to escalate this as possible." Israel's allies have joined other world leaders in repeatedly pressing Netanyahu to avoid taking any action that could increase tensions with Iran, which launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend. Israel's war cabinet has met several times since to discuss when and how to respond, and officials are said to be considering a range of options, from a direct strike on Iran to a cyberattack or assassinations. Netanyahu, after meeting with Cameron and Germany's foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said that Israel would make its own decisions and "do everything necessary to defend itself." Miscalculation: Israeli officials said that they didn't see their strike on Iran's embassy complex in Syria as a provocation, and didn't warn Washington until moments before the attack. Several buildings, including a hospital, were damaged by a deadly Russian missile attack in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. Serhii Olexandrov/EPA, via Shutterstock At least 17 killed in attack on Chernihiv, Ukraine Three Russian missiles struck Chernihiv yesterday, north of Kyiv, killing 17 people and injuring scores more, Ukrainian officials said. President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Ukraine's lack of air defenses for the deaths. With U.S. military assistance largely suspended since the start of the year because of resistance by Republican lawmakers, the Western-supplied air defense systems needed to shoot down near-daily Russian missile bombardments are nearly out of ammunition. Ukraine has sought to target Russian weapons at their source, both in occupied parts of Ukraine and inside Russia itself. Explosions and fires were reported yesterday at a key Russian air base in the occupied Crimean Peninsula in what appeared to be a Ukrainian attack. U.S. aid: Mike Johnson, the House speaker, scheduled a vote this Saturday on foreign aid, including for Ukraine, despite resistance by fellow Republicans, including those seeking his ouster. A street in Dubai, with the Burj Khalifa in the background, after the U.A.E.'s largest rainfall event in 75 years. Amr Alfiky/Reuters Heavy flooding killed 19 in Oman Record levels of rainfall brought cities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates to a standstill, with at least 19 people killed in Oman and one dead in the Emirates. Several areas of Oman received over 230 millimeters, or about 9 inches, of rain between Sunday and Wednesday. The average annual rainfall in Muscat, the nation's capital, is about 100 millimeters. The rain also shut down Dubai's airport. Experts said the extreme deluge was most likely the result of a regular rainy weather system being supercharged by climate change. Here are pictures of the flooding. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT MORE TOP NEWS Henry Nicholls/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Britain: The Conservative government hopes to pass a highly criticized bill this week to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. U.S.: China has been trying to access critical infrastructure in the U.S. with the intent of threatening those systems during a conflict, the National Security Agency director said. Iran: The Islamic Republic has regularly targeted Iranian journalists living in London with threats, surveillance and physical attacks. Germany: One of country's most prominent far-right leaders, Björn Höcke, stands trial today on charges of using banned Nazi slogans at political rallies. Myanmar: The military junta moved Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted civilian leader, from prison to an unknown location, raising fears about her safety. Environment and Health Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Indonesia: Mount Ruang erupted, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate North Sulawesi Province. Green Islam: Clerics in Indonesia are increasingly urging their congregants to combat climate change. H.I.V.: New treatments in development, from weekly pills to semiannual shots, could help control the virus in hard-to-reach populations. Economy Trade: President Biden planned to call for some tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products to be more than tripled, part of an effort to cushion U.S. manufacturers from low-cost Chinese exports. Tesla: The board of directors outlined a plan that would give Elon Musk the biggest pay package in corporate history, days after the electric car company said it would lay off about 14,000 people. Venezuela: The U.S. will restore oil sanctions on the country, as the Maduro government has made moves that have dimmed the chances of legitimate elections. MORNING READ Steve Marcus/Reuters The advent of consumer neurotechnologies, like headbands that serve as meditation coaches, has opened a new area of intimate data for companies to monetize: the electrical signals underlying our thoughts, feelings and intentions. A new law in the U.S. state of Colorado takes aim at consumer-level brain technologies, to prevent companies from harvesting vast troves of highly sensitive brain data, sometimes for an unspecified number of years, and from sharing or selling the information to third parties. CONVERSATION STARTERS Happy, sexless marriages: Couples and experts are challenging the idea that sex is essential to strong relationships. Sober in a vineyard: Some wine-producing areas are offering mocktail trails, olive oil tours and elevated dining experiences to draw sober or sober-curious travelers. Style Olympics: Will the French team take fashion gold at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Games? Here's the verdict. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT SPORTS NEWS Ahead of schedule: The treble is on for Paris Saint-Germain. Defeat in Monte Carlo: Why Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic won't mind. Andretti push forward: Their latest Formula 1 plans, despite being rejected. ARTS AND IDEAS Greg Baker/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A new U.S.-China podcast By Amelia Nierenberg Jane Perlez, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who served as The Times's Beijing bureau chief, has spent much of her career writing about China. She covered the rise of Xi Jinping, China's leader, and how the U.S. has struggled to respond to China's growth. Now, Jane is exploring the origins of the rivalry and conflict between the two superpowers in her new podcast, "Face-Off: The U.S. vs. China." In the eight-episode series, Jane and her co-host, Rana Mitter, a historian at Harvard, talk with diplomats, spies and even Yo-Yo Ma. The podcast focuses on key parts of the unraveling relationship — including near misses between U.S. spy planes and Chinese fighter jets, and compromises by Apple as that company courts China — to dig into how the two countries, once friends, have become adversaries. "We try to provide some rationality and some ways to think about going forward without the hysteria," Jane told me. "We are trying to see China for what it is, which is a challenge, but it's something that the U.S. is immensely capable of dealing with." Check out the first three episodes here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui. Sauté: This fresh and simple way to prepare salmon is ready in about 20 minutes. Read: These books can take you through Accra, Ghana's capital. Work: Focus better with a white noise machine. Strategize: We have tips for winning at solitaire. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Thank you for spending part of your morning with us, and see you tomorrow. — Dan You can reach Dan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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