Monday Briefing – The New York Times

good morning. We cover the rising death toll from a building collapse in Florida and Sydney’s strict Covid-19 lockdown to contain the delta variable.

Rescue workers find more bodies at the site of a building collapse in Miami

On Sunday, four days after an apartment building collapsed north of Miami Beach, the death toll rose to nine Rescuers also found additional bodies and remains. More than 150 people are still missing. Here Live updates And the What we know so far.

searched painstakingly slow: The fire under the rubble hampered efforts and rescuers are forced to do so Balance their safety سلام with their search. More than 300 emergency personnel work 24 hours a day, and the Army Corps of Engineers has been called in to help. However, some families started it في lose hope.

The collapsed building, which was in Surfside, Florida, was about to undergo repairs”Major structural problems” identified by an engineer in 2018.

next section: The residents of the brother tower are stuck in limbo. Building inspectors decided that it was structurally soundSaid a member of the board of directors of the apartment. However, while some residents are confident; Others hastily packed bags and found other places to sleep.

Security check: The collapse raised questions about Safety of similar buildings Along the beaches of South Florida, the salty air tends to corrode steel and concrete structures. On Saturday, the mayor of Miami-Dade County announced a 30-day audit of all buildings over 40 years old.

world problem: around the worldSloppy construction, poor maintenance, or poor materials often cause buildings to collapse. But the biggest problem is weak, uneven or no oversight.

Sydney is closed

With the spread of Variable Delta in Australia’s largest city, officials put into practice Strict closure for two weeks Which started on Saturday for all Greater Sydney and its surroundings. It’s the first such shutdown since early 2020 and reflects growing concern about the rapidly growing outbreak.

The group that started with an airport limousine driver has jumped to nearly 100 cases, with dozens more expected over the coming days. Officials are also concerned about a hair salon with 900 customers while at least a few employees were infectious, and a seafood wholesaler where a delivery driver tested positive several days after ferrying fish through town.

Officials who Resist at first Such strong measures, he said, are needed now that several new chains of transmission have been found. Until at least July 9, people across Sydney can only leave their homes to exercise, seek medical attention, care for loved ones, buy food or do other essential activities.

Vaccines: Australia is one of the many countries across the Asia Pacific region that Continuing to struggle with the ups and downs of the Corona virusThis is mainly due to new variables and the slow rollout of vaccines. Most people in Sydney are not immune. Less than a quarter of Australians have received at least one dose, according to New York Times data.

Here Latest updates And the maps epidemic.

In other developments:

Dozens of climbers on Mount Everest have given firsthand accounts of having contracted the coronavirus, but Nepal refuses to admit any cases.
indonesian doctors, Who got the Chinese-made Sinovac footage, they are still sick.
Indian doctors are concerned about a new version of the virus: Delta Plus.
British Health Minister الصحة Resigned After pictures surfaced of him embracing one of his top aides – a clear violation of social distancing guidelines.

The Pope and LGBTQ rights

Pope Francis sent deeply handwritten letter of encouragement To a leader in the Roman Catholic Church’s efforts to reach LGBTQ people. But growing dissonance between his universal language and the actions of the Church.

Last week, the Vatican confirmed it grave fears About legislation currently in the Italian Parliament that increases protections for LGBT people. Days later, the second-in-command insisted the church had nothing against gay rights, but was protecting itself from potential discrimination charges arising from the new bill.

Francis’ remark adds to the political confusion over whether he is a liberal trying to reform the church or just a social conservative trying to please everyone, our Rome bureau chief wrote.

background: Francis seemed open to homosexuality: In 2016, he famously replied, “Who am I to judge?” On the issue of gay Catholics and recently, he expressed his support for Same-sex civil unions. But in March, the Church’s Supreme Doctrinal Office – with the support of Francis – deprived the Catholic clergy of the power to bless gay unions.

latest news

Chinese tourists flock to attractions to see the official version of the Communist Party’s history ahead of its centenary on July 1. This wave ofred tourism— in which the old tour sites were touted in the age of Instagram and TikTok — offer a sterile and sometimes misleading narrative.

arts and ideas

Could this meeting be an email?

People have held meetings for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphs to convey the concept of “council”. So tired of writing letters, George Washington gathered the Founders in his study to help form the government of the United States, Katie Weaver writes for The Times.

During the pandemic, in-person meetings have shifted to online meetings. But they were never without technical difficulties, and many people found them wanting.

So, Caity asks, what do we miss when we don’t meet face to face?

With their focus on collaboration, meetings can “play a psychological role in motivating the workforce,” said Catelyn Rosenthal, an economic historian.

Avoiding a bad meeting requires a purpose, a mixture of introverts, extroverts and – ideally – certain decision makers. As Caity writes, “A meeting can be good, in short – but only if it needs to be a meeting.”

For more: Do Serendipitous encounters in the office Increasing innovation actually?