today's international story

Six presumed dead after Baltimore bridge collapse

What happened 
The US Coast Guard has ended its search for six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore when it collapsed after being rammed by a cargo ship.

Who said what
"At this point we do not believe we are going to find any of these individuals still alive," said Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath at a news conference, citing the cold water temperatures and the amount of time since the incident. US President Joe Biden said all indications were that the bridge collapse was a "terrible accident" rather than an "intentional act".

The commentary 
The ship appears to have "lost power" around the time it hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the crew issued a "mayday" request, The Guardian said. Elected officials from across the region joined local parishioners near the foot of where the bridge once stood to "pray for victims", said The Washington Post. For many in Baltimore the bridge was the city's "blue collar" bridge, said The New York Times. "An emblem of Baltimore's identity as a working port city." 

What next? 
President Biden said he expects the federal government will pay for the "entire cost" of rebuilding the bridge, a task observers say could take up to a year. The president called on Congress to support efforts to fund the repairs.

 
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today’s environment story

Sewage spills on the rise

What happened
Sewage spills rose to a record high last year, according to data from the Environment Agency to be released today. More than 477,000 releases of sewage over 4 million hours were estimated to have occurred in 2023, representing a 58% increase on 2022.

Who said what
The scale of the discharges was "a final indictment of a failing industry", said James Wallace, CEO of charity River Action.

The commentary 
"For the first time" the industry apologised last year for dumping sewage into rivers and waterways over the course of decades, said The Telegraph. Water companies said tens of billions of dollars would be needed to update the UK's Victorian era sewers and asked Ofwat to approve bill rises to help cover infrastructure improvement.

What next?
New measures to clamp down on sewage spills and tighten regulations have been introduced by the government in recent weeks and a planned £180 million of water company investment over the next year has been brought forward.

 
 
Today’s crime story

Police comb US rapper's homes in sex slavery probe

What happened
Two properties belonging to rapper and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs have been raided by US Homeland security as part of an investigation into sex trafficking.

Who said what
In a statement New York's Department of Homeland Security Investigations said it had "executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners".

The commentary
The raids were "part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by federal authorities in New York", said the Associated Press. But it was not clear whether Combs was the target of the investigation or if the raid was related to several ongoing lawsuits filed against the music mogul in recent months, including for sexual misconduct.

What next?
Combs has denied all wrongdoing in the string of allegations against him. "Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth," he said in a statement in December.

 
 

It's not all bad

Leading an active lifestyle leads to better sleep, according to new research. The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, found people who engage in regular exercise –  like jogging or swimming at least twice weekly – were 42% less prone to insomnia and more likely to sleep at least six hours a night. The research, led by a team at Reykjavik University in Iceland, demonstrates how maintaining good exercise habits is "vital to preventing insomnia from taking hold", said The Times.

 
 
under the radar

Germany's pro-Israel political consensus

The relationship between Germany and Israel carries a unique historic and symbolic significance.

Berlin's political leaders declare Israel's security to be a "raison d'etre for the German republic", said Politico. They even have a word for it: "Staatsräson".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made it clear on a trip to Israel shortly after the 7 October Hamas attacks. "German history and our responsibility arising from the Holocaust make it our duty to stand up for the existence and security of the State of Israel."

The notion of a "special relationship" with Israel took hold in Germany in the 1970s. In recent years it has received "near-universal approval among Germany's political class", said Leandros Fischer in the Journal of Palestine Studies in 2019.

On a trip to Berlin last year Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed Germany was too absorbed by historical remorse to grasp the reality of the Middle East. It is a sentiment reflected by the far-right party AfD (Alternative for Deutschland), which has surged in the polls, aided in part by its rejection of Germany's culture of remembrance "as a mere Schuldkult (cult of guilt)", said Joerg Lau in The Guardian.

"The idea that Germany suffers from an overdose of Vergangenheitsbewältigung – the German term for dealing with the Nazi past – is not new," he said. But to believe the German political establishment is "captive to an oppressive mindset that limits its ability to speak out against Israel" is "a dangerous conspiracy theory that needs to be debunked".

 
 
on this day

27 March 2020

North Macedonia becomes the 30th state to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato). The international military alliance was first formed by 12 countries in 1949 and a further 20 member states have joined since. Finland and Sweden are the newest members, joining last year and this year respectively.

 
 
Today’s newspapers

"Just 1 in 4" say the NHS is working, reports The Times. An annual report by the King's Fund and Nuffield Trust think tank found seeing a GP was the biggest source of frustration. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the Confederation of British Industry is using gagging clauses to prevent staff discussing experiences of sexual misconduct and bullying.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Whale of a story

A group of sperm whales blasted a poo "bubble" at an orca pod to stave off an impending attack, Live Science reported. Scientists described how a "cloud of diarrhoea" permeated the water, a protective tactic described by marine biologist Jennah Tucker as "defence defecation". The "faecal warfare worked" and the orcas quickly dispersed.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Julia O'Driscoll Sorcha Bradley and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images; Ben Stansall / AFP via Getty Images; Mega / GC Images / Getty Images.