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Donald Trump, Samsung, World Economic Forum: Your Morning Briefing Donald Trump, Samsung, World Economic Forum: Your Morning Briefing
(35 minutes later)
Good morning.Good morning.
Here’s what you need to know:Here’s what you need to know:
• President Xi Jinping addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today, the first Chinese head of state to do so.• President Xi Jinping addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today, the first Chinese head of state to do so.
Mr. Xi is expected to champion globalization, even as trends toward nationalism and against free trade and globalism raise doubts about the relevance — and effect — of the elites known as the “Davos class.”Mr. Xi is expected to champion globalization, even as trends toward nationalism and against free trade and globalism raise doubts about the relevance — and effect — of the elites known as the “Davos class.”
Wealth has grown so concentrated that the holdings of eight of the richest men on earth equal those of the poorer half of the human race.Wealth has grown so concentrated that the holdings of eight of the richest men on earth equal those of the poorer half of the human race.
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• Just days before the inauguration, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s penchant for unpredictable disruption is playing out across the world.• Just days before the inauguration, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s penchant for unpredictable disruption is playing out across the world.
In an interview with two European publications, he called NATO “obsolete” and predicted that more nations would follow Britain out of the European Union.In an interview with two European publications, he called NATO “obsolete” and predicted that more nations would follow Britain out of the European Union.
After he suggested in a separate interview that Washington’s “one-China” policy could be up for negotiation, the state-run China Daily warned that Beijing would “have no choice but to take off the gloves.”After he suggested in a separate interview that Washington’s “one-China” policy could be up for negotiation, the state-run China Daily warned that Beijing would “have no choice but to take off the gloves.”
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• Mr. Trump sought to ease tensions domestically on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, setting up a meeting with King’s eldest son, above, after feuding with Representative John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights icon.• Mr. Trump sought to ease tensions domestically on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, setting up a meeting with King’s eldest son, above, after feuding with Representative John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights icon.
Mr. Lewis and several other lawmakers say they will not attend the inauguration on Friday.Mr. Lewis and several other lawmakers say they will not attend the inauguration on Friday.
The group planning the festivities said it raised more than $100 million, nearly double the record. The most prolific donors will gain access to private events that will allow them to mingle out of public sight with members of the incoming administration.The group planning the festivities said it raised more than $100 million, nearly double the record. The most prolific donors will gain access to private events that will allow them to mingle out of public sight with members of the incoming administration.
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• South Korea’s Constitutional Court will begin deliberations Wednesday over whether to issue an arrest warrant for Jay Y. Lee, the Samsung heir apparent, in the corruption scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye.• South Korea’s Constitutional Court will begin deliberations Wednesday over whether to issue an arrest warrant for Jay Y. Lee, the Samsung heir apparent, in the corruption scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-hye.
The possibility of his arrest, over allegations that he bribed Ms. Park and her secretive confidante in exchange for helping him secure control of Samsung, threatens a carefully crafted narrative in which he was portrayed as a new kind of South Korean executive.The possibility of his arrest, over allegations that he bribed Ms. Park and her secretive confidante in exchange for helping him secure control of Samsung, threatens a carefully crafted narrative in which he was portrayed as a new kind of South Korean executive.
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• And outrage continues in the Philippines after President Rodrigo Duterte rekindled fears of the Marcos dictatorship by warning that he would impose martial law if the country’s drug problem worsened.• And outrage continues in the Philippines after President Rodrigo Duterte rekindled fears of the Marcos dictatorship by warning that he would impose martial law if the country’s drug problem worsened.
More than 6,000 killings have been linked to his antidrug campaign since June.More than 6,000 killings have been linked to his antidrug campaign since June.
“The truth is, mere talk of martial law is enough to send chills to the spine of any Filipino,” a Senate leader said.“The truth is, mere talk of martial law is enough to send chills to the spine of any Filipino,” a Senate leader said.
Above, Mr. Duterte in December.Above, Mr. Duterte in December.
• China has built 92,000 wind turbines, accounting for a third of the world’s total. But many wind farms are underused or idle thanks to the economic slowdown, weak demand and inadequate transmission lines.• China has built 92,000 wind turbines, accounting for a third of the world’s total. But many wind farms are underused or idle thanks to the economic slowdown, weak demand and inadequate transmission lines.
• Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest man, announced a deal for the Duet Group, an Australian energy company, worth about $5.5 billion, up slightly from a previous offer last month. Duet shares rose 5.4 percent.• Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong’s richest man, announced a deal for the Duet Group, an Australian energy company, worth about $5.5 billion, up slightly from a previous offer last month. Duet shares rose 5.4 percent.
• The International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for China’s economic growth to 6.5 percent, anticipating more government stimulus.• The International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for China’s economic growth to 6.5 percent, anticipating more government stimulus.
• JPMorgan Chase upgraded its assessment of Indonesia’s stock market, two weeks after the government cut business ties in anger over an earlier downgrade.• JPMorgan Chase upgraded its assessment of Indonesia’s stock market, two weeks after the government cut business ties in anger over an earlier downgrade.
• U.S. markets will reopen after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.• U.S. markets will reopen after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
• A Boeing 747 cargo jet owned by a Turkish airline crashed on approach to the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, killing more than 30 people, most of them on the ground. [The New York Times]• A Boeing 747 cargo jet owned by a Turkish airline crashed on approach to the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, killing more than 30 people, most of them on the ground. [The New York Times]
• A shooting attack at an electronic music festival in Playa del Carmen, a resort area of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, left five people dead. [Associated Press]• A shooting attack at an electronic music festival in Playa del Carmen, a resort area of Mexico’s Caribbean coast, left five people dead. [Associated Press]
• Representatives of some 70 nations met in Paris over the weekend to endorse the two-state Mideast solution, trying to keep the peace process on the international agenda. [The New York Times]• Representatives of some 70 nations met in Paris over the weekend to endorse the two-state Mideast solution, trying to keep the peace process on the international agenda. [The New York Times]
• A cold front later in the week should ease the latest blanket of smog in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Shaanxi. [Ecns.cn]• A cold front later in the week should ease the latest blanket of smog in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Henan and Shaanxi. [Ecns.cn]
• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, that Japan would provide six patrol boats as part of a $1 billion package to boost the country’s maritime security. [South China Morning Post]• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, that Japan would provide six patrol boats as part of a $1 billion package to boost the country’s maritime security. [South China Morning Post]
• The British police are trying to recruit women and minorities in a bid to diversify a force that is often derided as “male, pale and stale.” [The New York Times]• The British police are trying to recruit women and minorities in a bid to diversify a force that is often derided as “male, pale and stale.” [The New York Times]
• The Philippine pop star Mocha Uson backs President Duterte — even naming a dance after him, but she is also at the center of the country’s battle over fake news. [Quartz]• The Philippine pop star Mocha Uson backs President Duterte — even naming a dance after him, but she is also at the center of the country’s battle over fake news. [Quartz]
• How to be healthy, happy and a little bit Canadian in 2017: 11 ways to be a better person this year.• How to be healthy, happy and a little bit Canadian in 2017: 11 ways to be a better person this year.
• Even if you don’t buy into self-help mumbo-jumbo, it’s hard to deny the mood-altering benefits of dressing like a sunbeam personified. Here’s how to pull it off.• Even if you don’t buy into self-help mumbo-jumbo, it’s hard to deny the mood-altering benefits of dressing like a sunbeam personified. Here’s how to pull it off.
• Recipe of the day: Tonight, make a rich, vegetable-filled chicken-tarragon potpie for the family.• Recipe of the day: Tonight, make a rich, vegetable-filled chicken-tarragon potpie for the family.
• China’s tycoons, inspired in part by the “Downton Abbey” television drama, are aspiring to old-school decorum, fueling demand for the services of homegrown butlers trained in the ways of a British manor.• China’s tycoons, inspired in part by the “Downton Abbey” television drama, are aspiring to old-school decorum, fueling demand for the services of homegrown butlers trained in the ways of a British manor.
• Zhou Youguang, who created the Pinyin system of rendering Chinese in roman characters and in his later years was an outspoken critic of the government, died in Beijing. He was 111.• Zhou Youguang, who created the Pinyin system of rendering Chinese in roman characters and in his later years was an outspoken critic of the government, died in Beijing. He was 111.
• President Obama’s “secret weapon.” Perhaps more shaped by reading and writing than any American president since Lincoln, he discussed the role books have played during his presidency and throughout his life.• President Obama’s “secret weapon.” Perhaps more shaped by reading and writing than any American president since Lincoln, he discussed the role books have played during his presidency and throughout his life.
Celebrations and tributes took place yesterday across the U.S. for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, but honors for the slain civil rights hero extend beyond America’s borders.Celebrations and tributes took place yesterday across the U.S. for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, but honors for the slain civil rights hero extend beyond America’s borders.
Statues of King appear in Westminster Abbey in London, as well the city of Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Martin Luther King III visited the monument in 2009 during a tour to promote tolerance a decade after a war fed by ethnic divisions tore the region apart.Statues of King appear in Westminster Abbey in London, as well the city of Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Martin Luther King III visited the monument in 2009 during a tour to promote tolerance a decade after a war fed by ethnic divisions tore the region apart.
A bust of King at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, may have been the most subversive. Above, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington. A bust of King at the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, may have been the most subversive.
The American sculptor Zenos Frudakis recalled that he risked imprisonment for sneaking the work into the country in 1989, when apartheid was still in effect.The American sculptor Zenos Frudakis recalled that he risked imprisonment for sneaking the work into the country in 1989, when apartheid was still in effect.
Mr. Frudakis said he was warned by the U.S. government that he was running the risk of imprisonment, and might end up joining Nelson Mandela “breaking rocks” on Robben Island.Mr. Frudakis said he was warned by the U.S. government that he was running the risk of imprisonment, and might end up joining Nelson Mandela “breaking rocks” on Robben Island.
“I did not breathe easy until my return flight,” he said.“I did not breathe easy until my return flight,” he said.
The bust was placed inside the embassy near its outer fence, safe from the South African authorities but viewable by the public._____The bust was placed inside the embassy near its outer fence, safe from the South African authorities but viewable by the public._____
Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings.Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings.
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