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North Korea, Republican Party, Facebook: Your Friday Briefing North Korea, Republican Party, Alibaba: Your Friday Briefing
(35 minutes later)
Talking orcas, steakhouses and political strongmen. Here’s your Morning Briefing: Olympic security, political strongmen and talking orcas. Here’s your Morning Briefing:
• Secrets and security.
Across the world, autocratic leaders are engaging in increasingly brazen behavior — rigging votes, muzzling the press and persecuting opponents.
The global tide is being driven by a bewildering range of factors, among them surging populism, waves of migration crises, economic inequality and the disappearance of rebukes from the U.S.
Against that backdrop, our bureau chief in Australia considers whether the country, which has long tolerated a relative lack of transparency in campaign finance and other matters of public concern, can strike a balance between keeping citizens safe and protecting their rights.
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• The Winter Games open in South Korea next week under a shadow that rivals any in Olympic history: The threat of nuclear war.• The Winter Games open in South Korea next week under a shadow that rivals any in Olympic history: The threat of nuclear war.
Security is already ultratight: The South mobilized tens of thousands of security personnel — including 50,000 soldiers — to protect the 100,000 spectators expected to converge each day on Pyeongchang, just 50 miles from North Korea.Security is already ultratight: The South mobilized tens of thousands of security personnel — including 50,000 soldiers — to protect the 100,000 spectators expected to converge each day on Pyeongchang, just 50 miles from North Korea.
Even the arrival of Pyongyang’s athletes hasn’t convinced everyone. “North Korea will cause trouble one way or another,” said one analyst.Even the arrival of Pyongyang’s athletes hasn’t convinced everyone. “North Korea will cause trouble one way or another,” said one analyst.
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• A classified Republican memo that has divided Washington could be released as early as today. • Secrets and security.
Across the world, autocratic leaders are engaging in increasingly brazen behavior — rigging votes, muzzling the press and persecuting opponents.
The global tide is being driven by a bewildering range of factors, among them surging populism, waves of migration crises, economic inequality and the disappearance of rebukes from the U.S.
President Trump “has barely paid lip service to the promotion of universal human rights,” our Cairo bureau chief writes. Experts say his embrace of hard-line leaders, like President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, shown above on a poster, has encouraged their excesses.
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• A secret Republican memo that has divided Washington could be released as early as today — after President Trump paved the way for it to be declassified.
The memo, written by staffers for Devin Nunes of California, above, purports to show how the F.B.I. and the Justice Department abused their authority to obtain a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign adviser.The memo, written by staffers for Devin Nunes of California, above, purports to show how the F.B.I. and the Justice Department abused their authority to obtain a warrant to spy on a former Trump campaign adviser.
President Trump has made clear he wants the memo made public, as have many Republicans. But the F.B.I. condemned the release, saying it had “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” The president’s decision came despite a chorus of warnings from national security officials. The F.B.I. warned that it had “grave concerns” about making the memo public.
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• It’s the big convergence of our time, and our journalists cover it every day. • “Who wouldn’t do the same to feed a family?”
As an experiment, we created a roundup of our recent culture and tech coverage to help Australian readers connect with The New York Times. Please check it out and come on over to our NYT Australia Facebook group for more discussion. That was our correspondent on the front lines of the Rohingya crisis, describing how some Rohingya refugees fabricate tales of suffering to compete for relief supplies.
(One of the Times writers featured in the roundup, Jenna Wortham, will appear at this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival, which begins Apr. 30.) The false narratives, while understandable, can buttress Myanmar’s denials of ethnic cleansing, she says.
And she emphasizes that the Muslim minority’s collective suffering is all too real. Nearly 700,000 have been driven out of Myanmar in recent months by a military campaign of murder, rape and other atrocities. Above, Rohingya children at a refugee camp in Bangladesh.
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• Health care shake-ups.
In India, the government says it will offer 100 million families up to about $7,860 a year in coverage. No word, however, on where the money would come from.
And Amazon and two other U.S. companies caused a stir this week by announcing a plan to form an independent health care company for their employees.
But in China, Alibaba and Tencent have been disrupting the health care sector for years, often by developing A.I. applications that aid doctors.
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• Way beyond whalesong.• Way beyond whalesong.
Wikie, a killer whale, can mimic human sounds, like “Amy” “bye-bye” (and a very rude raspberry). Listen to her say hello.Wikie, a killer whale, can mimic human sounds, like “Amy” “bye-bye” (and a very rude raspberry). Listen to her say hello.
The research suggests that orcas learn to communicate with one another through a social process, the lead researcher said — and adds to a growing case against capturing them.The research suggests that orcas learn to communicate with one another through a social process, the lead researcher said — and adds to a growing case against capturing them.
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• HNA of China, the big Chinese conglomerate struggling under an estimated $90 billion in debt after a global shopping spree, appears to be trying to get its employees to bail it out. We obtained emails in which they were offered big returns — as high as 40 percent — to hand over money.• HNA of China, the big Chinese conglomerate struggling under an estimated $90 billion in debt after a global shopping spree, appears to be trying to get its employees to bail it out. We obtained emails in which they were offered big returns — as high as 40 percent — to hand over money.
• Investors are worried about the health of Bitfinex, a widely used Bitcoin exchange, which was recently subpoenaed by a U.S. regulatory agency. (Our columnist calls Bitcoin “a bubble wrapped in techno-mysticism inside a cocoon of libertarian ideology.”)• Investors are worried about the health of Bitfinex, a widely used Bitcoin exchange, which was recently subpoenaed by a U.S. regulatory agency. (Our columnist calls Bitcoin “a bubble wrapped in techno-mysticism inside a cocoon of libertarian ideology.”)
• Alibaba’s revenue rose by more than half in the last quarter of 2017. It was the company’s slowest growth rate in a year, but still better than expected, and its stock more than doubled last year.• Alibaba’s revenue rose by more than half in the last quarter of 2017. It was the company’s slowest growth rate in a year, but still better than expected, and its stock more than doubled last year.
• U.S. stocks were flat. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.• U.S. stocks were flat. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
• A fire in Sapporo, Japan, ravaged a wooden housing facility for impoverished citizens, killing eight men and three women. [The Asahi Shimbun]• A fire in Sapporo, Japan, ravaged a wooden housing facility for impoverished citizens, killing eight men and three women. [The Asahi Shimbun]
• Australia’s domestic intelligence agency took custody of secret cabinet documents obtained by the national broadcaster. [ABC] • In the Philippines, the police arrested a top leader of a decades-old Communist insurgency, the latest sign that President Rodrigo Duterte is not interested in resuming peace talks. [The New York Times]
• A Chinese military aircraft crashed this week during drills in Guizhou province, killing at least 12 crew members and exposing the limits of the air force’s technology. [South China Morning Post] • A Chinese military aircraft crashed this week during drills in Guizhou Province, killing at least 12 crew members and exposing the limits of the air force’s technology. [South China Morning Post]
• A dozen U.S. lawmakers nominated Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, and its student leader, Joshua Wong, for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The move is certain to provoke anger from Beijing. [Reuters]• A dozen U.S. lawmakers nominated Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, and its student leader, Joshua Wong, for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The move is certain to provoke anger from Beijing. [Reuters]
• Australia’s Electoral Commission said that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s contribution of $1.75 million Australian (or $1.4 million U.S.) to his own party made him its biggest single donor in the last fiscal year. [The Guardian] • The water supply in Cape Town, South Africa, is dangerously close to running dry. Officials say taps for the city’s four million residents could be shut off in less than three months if the current drought continues. [The New York Times]
• David Feeney, an Australia Labor Party lawmaker, resigned from Parliament after saying that he could not prove he had renounced his inherited British citizenship. [The Age] • Three Danish tourists survived after driving into a river in northern Australia that was known to be full of crocodiles. They spent the night on the roof of their car. [ABC]
• Three Danish tourists survived after driving into a river in northern Australia that was known to be full of crocodiles. They spent the night on the roof of their car before wading to safety at daybreak. [ABC]
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
• Aiming to up your workout this weekend? Check out the rigorous gym sessions that keep the American skier Lindsey Vonn from wiping out.• Aiming to up your workout this weekend? Check out the rigorous gym sessions that keep the American skier Lindsey Vonn from wiping out.
• Kitchen advice: Learn the best ways to cut almost anything (without hurting yourself).• Kitchen advice: Learn the best ways to cut almost anything (without hurting yourself).
• Stuck waiting months for the replacement iPhone battery Apple promised? We have tips.• Stuck waiting months for the replacement iPhone battery Apple promised? We have tips.
• This week’s restaurant review: Cav’s Steakhouse on the Gold Coast, one of only a handful of surviving steakhouses with a true Australian soul. • Soumya Sankar Bose, a photographer in the Indian city of Kolkata, explored the psychological ramifications of India’s anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws and culture. The result was this dreamlike, melancholic portrait series.
• “Art belongs to life,” our film critic writes. So if you think that Woody Allen is guilty of sexual abuse, should you stop watching his movies?• “Art belongs to life,” our film critic writes. So if you think that Woody Allen is guilty of sexual abuse, should you stop watching his movies?
• Margot Robbie, the Oscar-nominated Australian actress, spoke to our reporter about her performance in “I, Tonya,” the story of Tonya Harding, the American figure skater, and her 1994 attack on her rival skater Nancy Kerrigan.
• The Times, in other words: Here’s an image of our latest front page, and links to our Opinion content and crossword puzzles.• The Times, in other words: Here’s an image of our latest front page, and links to our Opinion content and crossword puzzles.
Today is Groundhog Day, and if you’re unfamiliar with this annual American event — it’s exactly as strange as it sounds.Today is Groundhog Day, and if you’re unfamiliar with this annual American event — it’s exactly as strange as it sounds.
The groundhog, for its part, is a simple creature. A close relative of the squirrel, it digs burrows and can reach a furry 15 pounds. It’s known in some areas as a whistle pig, for its short, sharp cries, but more commonly, as a woodchuck.The groundhog, for its part, is a simple creature. A close relative of the squirrel, it digs burrows and can reach a furry 15 pounds. It’s known in some areas as a whistle pig, for its short, sharp cries, but more commonly, as a woodchuck.
That’s where the day’s simplicities end. The tradition of predicting weather by when animals wake from hibernation goes back centuries. It arrived in the U.S. with European immigrants and — though there are many Groundhog Day events — the most celebrated ceremony is in Punxsutawney, Pa.That’s where the day’s simplicities end. The tradition of predicting weather by when animals wake from hibernation goes back centuries. It arrived in the U.S. with European immigrants and — though there are many Groundhog Day events — the most celebrated ceremony is in Punxsutawney, Pa.
Each Feb. 2, a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his winter’s nap at a place called Gobbler’s Knob. (In fact, he’s looking for a mate.) Tradition holds that if Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. No shadow, and an early spring is on the way.Each Feb. 2, a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his winter’s nap at a place called Gobbler’s Knob. (In fact, he’s looking for a mate.) Tradition holds that if Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. No shadow, and an early spring is on the way.
It’s all in fun, of course. And that’s a good thing for the poor groundhog: Since 1887, according to one tally, he’s been right only 39 percent of the time.It’s all in fun, of course. And that’s a good thing for the poor groundhog: Since 1887, according to one tally, he’s been right only 39 percent of the time.
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Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning, or to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers.Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Sign up here to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning, or to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers.
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.