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| Mosul, Italy, Michel Aoun: Your Tuesday Briefing | Mosul, Italy, Michel Aoun: Your Tuesday Briefing |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| We’re trying something new for our readers in Asia and Australia: a morning briefing to jump-start your day. | We’re trying something new for our readers in Asia and Australia: a morning briefing to jump-start your day. |
| What do you like? What do you want to see here? Email us with your feedback at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. | What do you like? What do you want to see here? Email us with your feedback at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. |
| Here’s what you need to know: | Here’s what you need to know: |
| • F.B.I. analysts are examining the new cache of Hillary Clinton’s State Department emails discovered on the computer of a top aide’s estranged husband. | |
| It is unclear if the F.B.I.’s investigation will be completed by next Tuesday, Election Day. But what is certain is that the presidential contest has become so intense that even governmental institutions have been swept into the appearance of partisan fighting. | |
| Early voting has given Mrs. Clinton a narrow lead, which her opponent, Donald J. Trump hopes to overcome with gains in battleground states like Michigan. | |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Iraqi special forces backed by tanks and American-led airstrikes took heavy fire from Islamic State fighters as they advanced ever closer to the city of Mosul. | • Iraqi special forces backed by tanks and American-led airstrikes took heavy fire from Islamic State fighters as they advanced ever closer to the city of Mosul. |
| Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias are converging on the northern city from all directions. | Iraqi forces and their Kurdish allies, Sunni tribesmen and Shiite militias are converging on the northern city from all directions. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak, is in China, ready to sign military and economic deals, two weeks after the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, signed his own deals and excoriated the United States during a visit to Beijing. | • Malaysia’s prime minister, Najib Razak, is in China, ready to sign military and economic deals, two weeks after the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, signed his own deals and excoriated the United States during a visit to Beijing. |
| The combination adds to the sense that China is chipping away at the United States’ network of allies in Southeast Asia. | The combination adds to the sense that China is chipping away at the United States’ network of allies in Southeast Asia. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Geert Wilders, the Dutch lawmaker whose tirades against Islam and immigration have made him one of the most divisive figures in Europe, refused to attend the start of his trial on hate-speech charges. | • Geert Wilders, the Dutch lawmaker whose tirades against Islam and immigration have made him one of the most divisive figures in Europe, refused to attend the start of his trial on hate-speech charges. |
| And officials in Berlin and Brussels are struggling to account for disparaging remarks made about Chinese people, including the term “sly dogs,” by Günther Oettinger, above, a German member of the European Commission. | And officials in Berlin and Brussels are struggling to account for disparaging remarks made about Chinese people, including the term “sly dogs,” by Günther Oettinger, above, a German member of the European Commission. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, rejected criticism from rights groups over his proposed law to stop asylum seekers who try to arrive by boat from ever setting foot in Australia. | • Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, rejected criticism from rights groups over his proposed law to stop asylum seekers who try to arrive by boat from ever setting foot in Australia. |
| The amendment, which the Refugee Action Coalition called “inherently discriminatory” and “legally dubious,” is expected to go before Parliament next week. | The amendment, which the Refugee Action Coalition called “inherently discriminatory” and “legally dubious,” is expected to go before Parliament next week. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Twenty years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modifications in agriculture. At the same time, the United States and Canada were embracing it. | • Twenty years ago, Europe largely rejected genetic modifications in agriculture. At the same time, the United States and Canada were embracing it. |
| For countries considering the technology, our analysis of the results on the two continents is cautionary. There appears to be no discernible advantage in yields, suggesting G.M.O. crops have fallen short of their promise. | |
| • The merger of the container businesses of Japan’s three largest shipping companies will most likely face scrutiny from regulators. One of the company’s executives said the slowdown in global trade had made the deal crucial. | • The merger of the container businesses of Japan’s three largest shipping companies will most likely face scrutiny from regulators. One of the company’s executives said the slowdown in global trade had made the deal crucial. |
| “If we don’t want the number of Japanese shipping companies to be zero, we need to create one strong, splendid company,” another executive said. | “If we don’t want the number of Japanese shipping companies to be zero, we need to create one strong, splendid company,” another executive said. |
| • The 19-nation eurozone economy grew steadily in the third quarter, with gross domestic product rising and economic growth and inflation in line with analysts’ forecasts. | • The 19-nation eurozone economy grew steadily in the third quarter, with gross domestic product rising and economic growth and inflation in line with analysts’ forecasts. |
| • China releases October’s purchasing managers index data, or P.M.I., today, which should offer an indication of the health of the manufacturing sector and the country’s overall economy. | • China releases October’s purchasing managers index data, or P.M.I., today, which should offer an indication of the health of the manufacturing sector and the country’s overall economy. |
| • New rules for the ride-sharing industry are now in effect in China, the first country to impose national regulations on the sector. Among the measures: Drivers must be licensed by a local taxi authority and have three years of experience and no criminal convictions for drunken driving. | • New rules for the ride-sharing industry are now in effect in China, the first country to impose national regulations on the sector. Among the measures: Drivers must be licensed by a local taxi authority and have three years of experience and no criminal convictions for drunken driving. |
| • The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has exceeded 20 million so far this year, a record high. | • The number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has exceeded 20 million so far this year, a record high. |
| • United States stocks rose, helped by big mergers over the weekend. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | • United States stocks rose, helped by big mergers over the weekend. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. |
| • More than 15,000 people were left homeless by the latest in a series of powerful earthquakes to hit Italy. [BBC] | • More than 15,000 people were left homeless by the latest in a series of powerful earthquakes to hit Italy. [BBC] |
| • It took two and a half years and 46 tries, but Lebanon’s Parliament finally managed to elect a president: Michel Aoun, 81, long a player in the tiny country’s troubled politics, who has allied with the Syrian government and Hezbollah. [The New York Times] | • It took two and a half years and 46 tries, but Lebanon’s Parliament finally managed to elect a president: Michel Aoun, 81, long a player in the tiny country’s troubled politics, who has allied with the Syrian government and Hezbollah. [The New York Times] |
| • The chairwoman of Taiwan’s Nationalist Party, Hung Hsiu-chu, is cautiously navigating her visit to the mainland, trying to keep cross-straits tensions from rising. [South China Morning Post] | • The chairwoman of Taiwan’s Nationalist Party, Hung Hsiu-chu, is cautiously navigating her visit to the mainland, trying to keep cross-straits tensions from rising. [South China Morning Post] |
| • A Chinese company has completed nine of 27 planned towers just outside the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, a project that furthers China’s reach into the Caucasus. [The New York Times] | • A Chinese company has completed nine of 27 planned towers just outside the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, a project that furthers China’s reach into the Caucasus. [The New York Times] |
| • A Tokyo museum dedicated to the World War II sex slaves known as comfort women appealed to news agencies for a “society that separates speech and violence” after it received a bomb threat. [Asahi Shimbun] | • A Tokyo museum dedicated to the World War II sex slaves known as comfort women appealed to news agencies for a “society that separates speech and violence” after it received a bomb threat. [Asahi Shimbun] |
| • California’s coastal ecosystem — and the fisheries that depend on it — is in the grip of a huge disruption set off by warming seawater. [San Francisco Chronicle] | • California’s coastal ecosystem — and the fisheries that depend on it — is in the grip of a huge disruption set off by warming seawater. [San Francisco Chronicle] |
| • Fireworks for Diwali celebrations worsened pollution in New Delhi, leaving the city choked with thick, dark smog. [NPR] | • Fireworks for Diwali celebrations worsened pollution in New Delhi, leaving the city choked with thick, dark smog. [NPR] |
| • Myanmar’s bewilderingly complex citizenship law excludes many ethnic groups, like the Rohingya and Tamil Hindus. [IRIN] | • Myanmar’s bewilderingly complex citizenship law excludes many ethnic groups, like the Rohingya and Tamil Hindus. [IRIN] |
| • President Obama made his latest breakthrough foray into social media, recording an interview for Snapchat (after becoming the subject of Snapchats by his 15-year-old daughter, Sasha). | • President Obama made his latest breakthrough foray into social media, recording an interview for Snapchat (after becoming the subject of Snapchats by his 15-year-old daughter, Sasha). |
| • Zhang Wei, China’s top-earning online novelist, has a made a fortune on par with Stephen King by selling his work to producers for movies, television shows and games. | • Zhang Wei, China’s top-earning online novelist, has a made a fortune on par with Stephen King by selling his work to producers for movies, television shows and games. |
| • The Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami urged people to learn to live with their “shadows” as he accepted Denmark’s Literature Award over the weekend. | • The Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami urged people to learn to live with their “shadows” as he accepted Denmark’s Literature Award over the weekend. |
| While people in the United States celebrated Halloween on Monday, in Mexico and Central America it is Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. | While people in the United States celebrated Halloween on Monday, in Mexico and Central America it is Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. |
| Hundreds of years ago, the Aztecs of that region honored their dead with elaborate rituals in the summer. | Hundreds of years ago, the Aztecs of that region honored their dead with elaborate rituals in the summer. |
| The invading Spanish could not stamp out the tradition, and it was eventually merged with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day the next day. | The invading Spanish could not stamp out the tradition, and it was eventually merged with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day the next day. |
| Decorative skulls made of sugar are the most famous symbols of the holiday. They’re sometimes eaten or used on masks and dolls to represent the sweetness of life. | Decorative skulls made of sugar are the most famous symbols of the holiday. They’re sometimes eaten or used on masks and dolls to represent the sweetness of life. |
| People honoring Day of the Dead also visit the graves of their relatives and build ofrendas, or small altars with flowers and gifts, inside their homes. | |
| On Saturday, Mexico City hosted its first official Dia de Los Muertos parade. The inspiration: last year’s James Bond movie. | On Saturday, Mexico City hosted its first official Dia de Los Muertos parade. The inspiration: last year’s James Bond movie. |
| “Spectre” begins with a chase through a Day of the Dead parade, and Mexican officials saw an opportunity to promote the capital city. | “Spectre” begins with a chase through a Day of the Dead parade, and Mexican officials saw an opportunity to promote the capital city. |
| Tens of thousands of people attended the parade. | Tens of thousands of people attended the parade. |
| Among the marchers was a troupe dressed as Aztec warriors on inline skates. “It would be hard to conserve these traditions without any changes,” its leader said. | Among the marchers was a troupe dressed as Aztec warriors on inline skates. “It would be hard to conserve these traditions without any changes,” its leader said. |
| Karen Zraick contributed reporting. | Karen Zraick contributed reporting. |
| Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings. | Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings. |
| What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. | What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. |