Good morning. We’re covering the fallout from sectarian violence in Syria and a plan to lower the voting age to 16 in Britain. Plus, panic-buying K-beauty products.
Syrians surveyed the damage after a spasm of violenceMore than 500 people have been killed in the sectarian violence that has consumed the southern province of Sweida in Syria since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The recent violence was one of the deadliest bouts of unrest in Syria since the collapse of the Assad regime. Our reporters spoke to 33-year-old Hossam, who barricaded himself inside his house for days as clashes between government forces and militias of the Druse minority raged around him. Hossam, who is Druse, drove around yesterday to survey the damage. Wherever he went, there was blood in the streets, smashed windows and the smell of death. The violence in Sweida drew in neighboring Israel, which has a sizable Druse minority population. After the Israeli military carried out airstrikes on Damascus, President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria accused Israel yesterday of seeking to sow “chaos” in the country. The treatment of the Syrian Druse this week set off unrest among members of Israel’s own small but influential Druse community, who held protests, blocked roads and in some cases forced their way into Syria after reports, which The Times could not confirm, of extrajudicial killings there. Israel: It is unclear how committed Israel is to a prolonged military campaign in southern Syria, or whether its strikes were mainly a short-term attempt to quell the fury of Israeli Druse, writes Patrick Kingsley, our Jerusalem bureau chief.
The U.K. plans to lower the voting age to 16The British government said yesterday that it would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. The plan has been described as Britain’s largest expansion of voting rights in decades. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government announced the initiative in a policy paper, saying the move would address declining trust in British institutions and renew democracy. Allowing votes for 16-year-olds was part of the Labour Party’s official platform on which it won last year’s general election. Paul Holmes, a Conservative Party lawmaker, described the plan as a “brazen attempt by the Labour Party, whose unpopularity is scaring them into making major constitutional changes without consultation.” Here’s what to know. Implications: Voter turnout in the U.K. has been dropping. Polls have showed that younger Britons skew left, which could benefit Labour. But some recent polling has also found growing support among young people for Reform U.K., a new right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage.
A U.S. vote on cutting billions in foreign aidThe House of Representatives was preparing yesterday to approve President Trump’s demand to claw back $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting. About $8 billion of that was for foreign assistance programs, and the remainder was for the group that funds NPR and PBS. The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday night, with only two Republicans objecting, but even some of those who voted for the bill said they were uncomfortable. The senators said that the Trump administration had not provided details about which programs would be affected.
Sales of Korean beauty products are booming in the U.S. Fans say the products offer good value for money and are often lighter and less abrasive than those in the U.S. So when Trump threatened 25 percent tariffs on South Korea’s exports, it set off panic buying. Some consumers are buying a year’s worth of Korean mascara. Lives lived: Connie Francis, who ruled the charts in the late 1950s and early ’60s with songs like “Who’s Sorry Now” and “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You,” died at 87.
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It’s always a great time to read Jane AustenJane Austen, whose 250th birthday is being celebrated this year, wrote six complete novels and died without seeing her own extraordinary success. But few authors have had such an enduring afterlife. You can read Austen’s novels for their intricately arranged marriage plots, for their sly humor, for what they say about women and the financial arrangements that underpinned their search for husbands, for their vivid representation of a particular stratum of English life at a particular time. For my colleague Sarah Lyall, there’s no one like her using comic observation to alleviate a vexing situation. Read Sarah’s guide to the essential Jane Austen.
Make: This may be quite simply the best tomato sandwich you’ll ever have. Watch: “Smurfs” is a lavish cinematic take on the wee creatures. Travel: Looking for a ski fix? Head to South America. Work out: Exercise can help reduce anxiety and depression. Game: There’s a lot to dig in Donkey Kong Bananza, a Times critic’s pick. |
