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| North Korea, Indonesia, Venezuela: Your Monday Briefing | North Korea, Indonesia, Venezuela: Your Monday Briefing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) |
| Good morning. A harrumph from North Korea, an earthquake in Indonesia, and exploding drones in Venezuela. Here’s what you need to know: | Good morning. A harrumph from North Korea, an earthquake in Indonesia, and exploding drones in Venezuela. Here’s what you need to know: |
| • North Korea is accusing the U.S. of failing to live up to its end of their nuclear bargain. | • North Korea is accusing the U.S. of failing to live up to its end of their nuclear bargain. |
| At the Asean security forum in Singapore over the weekend, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said the North’s concessions, like dismantling a missile engine test site, had brought nothing from Washington. That was after Mr. Ri had a cordial, if brief, encounter with the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, above. | At the Asean security forum in Singapore over the weekend, Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said the North’s concessions, like dismantling a missile engine test site, had brought nothing from Washington. That was after Mr. Ri had a cordial, if brief, encounter with the U.S. secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, above. |
| Mr. Pompeo is now heading back to the U.S., after finishing his Asia tour in Indonesia. | Mr. Pompeo is now heading back to the U.S., after finishing his Asia tour in Indonesia. |
| And our reporter dug into a supposed mass defection of North Korean waitresses to South Korea and found a tale of lies, blackmail and betrayal. | And our reporter dug into a supposed mass defection of North Korean waitresses to South Korea and found a tale of lies, blackmail and betrayal. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Thirty-seven dead. | • Thirty-seven dead. |
| That’s the toll, as of this writing, from a powerful earthquake that struck off the coast of the Indonesian resort island of Lombok near Bali on Sunday evening. Above, the aftermath at a Bali hospital. | That’s the toll, as of this writing, from a powerful earthquake that struck off the coast of the Indonesian resort island of Lombok near Bali on Sunday evening. Above, the aftermath at a Bali hospital. |
| The quake, magnitude 7.0, sent panicked residents and tourists fleeing to safety on both Lombok and Bali. It was followed by a 5.6 aftershock and a tsunami warning, which was later lifted. | The quake, magnitude 7.0, sent panicked residents and tourists fleeing to safety on both Lombok and Bali. It was followed by a 5.6 aftershock and a tsunami warning, which was later lifted. |
| Just days before, on July 29, an earthquake struck around the same area, killing 17 people. | Just days before, on July 29, an earthquake struck around the same area, killing 17 people. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • “Cracks appeared in the official story line.” | • “Cracks appeared in the official story line.” |
| That was our reporter’s observation on a government-led trip for journalists in northern Rakhine State, in Myanmar. They met with a group of Rohingya Muslims, who the government said had been repatriated. | That was our reporter’s observation on a government-led trip for journalists in northern Rakhine State, in Myanmar. They met with a group of Rohingya Muslims, who the government said had been repatriated. |
| But the supposed returnees told our reporter that they had never left Myanmar. | But the supposed returnees told our reporter that they had never left Myanmar. |
| The government spun other stories: that the Rohingya were terrorists or else their pawns, and that, rather than being the victims of what much of the world has called ethnic cleansing, they had burned down their own homes. | The government spun other stories: that the Rohingya were terrorists or else their pawns, and that, rather than being the victims of what much of the world has called ethnic cleansing, they had burned down their own homes. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • President Trump found a new target on Twitter, insulting the intelligence of the basketball star LeBron James, above, among others. | • President Trump found a new target on Twitter, insulting the intelligence of the basketball star LeBron James, above, among others. |
| Was there a quiet rebuke from his wife? Her spokeswoman issued a statement saying that Melania Trump was open to visiting Mr. James’s new school for disadvantaged children in Ohio. | Was there a quiet rebuke from his wife? Her spokeswoman issued a statement saying that Melania Trump was open to visiting Mr. James’s new school for disadvantaged children in Ohio. |
| In another tweet, Mr. Trump acknowledged that his campaign aides had held a Trump Tower meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer to “get information on an opponent” — contradicting a statement he dictated last year. | In another tweet, Mr. Trump acknowledged that his campaign aides had held a Trump Tower meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer to “get information on an opponent” — contradicting a statement he dictated last year. |
| Mr. Trump’s proclamations on matters like Russia, North Korea and Iran have created two foreign policies: his administration’s, and his own. | |
| And we unspooled the many connections between prominent Republicans and Maria Butina, a Russian woman charged with waging an illegal influence campaign within the National Rifle Association and beyond. | And we unspooled the many connections between prominent Republicans and Maria Butina, a Russian woman charged with waging an illegal influence campaign within the National Rifle Association and beyond. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • The Afghan government has taken custody of 250 Islamic State fighters and their commander, who surrendered to avoid being captured by the Taliban. | |
| But the terms of surrender were rather loose. The fighters are now in a comfortable compound under guard against any Taliban attack. Afghans whose relatives were shot dead or beheaded by the Islamic State are outraged, and the Taliban are reaping a propaganda bonanza. | |
| “Why didn’t we just let the Taliban kill them, instead of treating them like honored guests?” one police officer said. | |
| Outside Kabul, a suicide bomber killed three NATO service members from the Czech Republic. | |
| _____ | _____ |
| • China countered U.S. threats of sharply increasing import tariffs by threatening to levy its own taxes on an additional $60 billion a year worth of U.S. imports. | • China countered U.S. threats of sharply increasing import tariffs by threatening to levy its own taxes on an additional $60 billion a year worth of U.S. imports. |
| • Iran will try to bolster its currency with new measures on Monday, as U.S. sanctions are reimposed. | • Iran will try to bolster its currency with new measures on Monday, as U.S. sanctions are reimposed. |
| • Oligopoly in Australia: A government report found that Australia’s four largest banks control more than 75 percent of the country’s lending, deposit and credit card businesses. | |
| • “Mission Impossible — Fallout,” the sixth film in Tom Cruise’s action series, has taken in $330 million worldwide as of its second weekend. It opens in China on Aug. 31. “Christopher Robin,” Disney’s computer-generated version of Winnie-the-Pooh, had a modest North American opening. | • “Mission Impossible — Fallout,” the sixth film in Tom Cruise’s action series, has taken in $330 million worldwide as of its second weekend. It opens in China on Aug. 31. “Christopher Robin,” Disney’s computer-generated version of Winnie-the-Pooh, had a modest North American opening. |
| • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. |
| • “I am fine, I am alive”: President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, above shielded by bulletproof screens, was unharmed after an apparent assassination attempt fit for Hollywood. Drones exploded midair during a military ceremony in the capital, Caracas, and the ensuing chaos was broadcast live on television. [The New York Times] | • “I am fine, I am alive”: President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, above shielded by bulletproof screens, was unharmed after an apparent assassination attempt fit for Hollywood. Drones exploded midair during a military ceremony in the capital, Caracas, and the ensuing chaos was broadcast live on television. [The New York Times] |
| • Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the drought punishing Australia “shocking” and signed off on special emergency payments for some farmers. An aid worker pleaded with him to do more. “It’s worse than anything you are seeing in the media,” she told him, weeping. “It’s far worse.” [ABC] | • Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called the drought punishing Australia “shocking” and signed off on special emergency payments for some farmers. An aid worker pleaded with him to do more. “It’s worse than anything you are seeing in the media,” she told him, weeping. “It’s far worse.” [ABC] |
| • Hamza bin Laden, a son of Osama bin Laden, is said to have married the daughter of Mohammad Atta, the lead hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. [The Guardian] | • Hamza bin Laden, a son of Osama bin Laden, is said to have married the daughter of Mohammad Atta, the lead hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. [The Guardian] |
| • Sky News Australia apologized for broadcasting an interview with a notorious far-right figure, Blair Cottrell, who has called for hanging portraits of Hitler in classrooms. [The Sydney Morning Herald] | • Sky News Australia apologized for broadcasting an interview with a notorious far-right figure, Blair Cottrell, who has called for hanging portraits of Hitler in classrooms. [The Sydney Morning Herald] |
| • “Shining Mondays”: Companies should give workers a late start one Monday a month, says the government in Japan, where death from overwork is such a problem that it has its own word: karoshi. [The Telegraph] | |
| Tips for a more fulfilling life. | Tips for a more fulfilling life. |
| • Here’s how to fight autoplay videos. | • Here’s how to fight autoplay videos. |
| • Take a vacation from exercise? Your body may not thank you. | • Take a vacation from exercise? Your body may not thank you. |
| • Recipe of the day: Sweet and citrusy, these lemon-blueberry bars should be dusted with powdered sugar just before serving. | • Recipe of the day: Sweet and citrusy, these lemon-blueberry bars should be dusted with powdered sugar just before serving. |
| • Luxury for less: An expensive vacation doesn’t actually have to be, well, expensive. We looked at 10 cities, including Paris, above, Hong Kong and Mumbai, where luxury experiences can be had on the cheap. | • Luxury for less: An expensive vacation doesn’t actually have to be, well, expensive. We looked at 10 cities, including Paris, above, Hong Kong and Mumbai, where luxury experiences can be had on the cheap. |
| • Lagman House is likely the first restaurant in New York to specialize in the food of the Dungans, Muslims who fled China in the late 19th century and settled in what is today Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Our reviewer was sated. | • Lagman House is likely the first restaurant in New York to specialize in the food of the Dungans, Muslims who fled China in the late 19th century and settled in what is today Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Our reviewer was sated. |
| • Zombie Boy, the heavily tattooed model whose real name was Rick Genest, has died at 32. Lady Gaga, in whose “Born This Way” music video he made a star turn, said the cause was suicide. | • Zombie Boy, the heavily tattooed model whose real name was Rick Genest, has died at 32. Lady Gaga, in whose “Born This Way” music video he made a star turn, said the cause was suicide. |
| Hercule Poirot was fictional, but an obituary for Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective nevertheless appeared on the front page of The Times on this day in 1975. | Hercule Poirot was fictional, but an obituary for Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective nevertheless appeared on the front page of The Times on this day in 1975. |
| Poirot, fastidious and impeccably dressed, made his debut in 1920 in Christie’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and appeared in more than 30 novels by the British mystery writer. | Poirot, fastidious and impeccably dressed, made his debut in 1920 in Christie’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and appeared in more than 30 novels by the British mystery writer. |
| But “at the end of his life, he was arthritic and had a bad heart,” according to the obituary, which ran the month before Poirot’s final appearance, in “Curtain.” Above, the British actor David Suchet took on the role for TV. | But “at the end of his life, he was arthritic and had a bad heart,” according to the obituary, which ran the month before Poirot’s final appearance, in “Curtain.” Above, the British actor David Suchet took on the role for TV. |
| Although “Curtain” was published in 1975, Christie wrote the book during World War II as a gift for her daughter in the event that Christie did not survive the bombings in London. The book — as well as one featuring her other famous sleuth, Miss Jane Marple — were locked away for more than 30 years. | Although “Curtain” was published in 1975, Christie wrote the book during World War II as a gift for her daughter in the event that Christie did not survive the bombings in London. The book — as well as one featuring her other famous sleuth, Miss Jane Marple — were locked away for more than 30 years. |
| Christie died in 1976, and received her own front-page obit in The Times. With a prolific output and global appeal, she remains at the top of Unesco’s list of the world’s most translated authors. | Christie died in 1976, and received her own front-page obit in The Times. With a prolific output and global appeal, she remains at the top of Unesco’s list of the world’s most translated authors. |
| It’s hard to pinpoint why Poirot’s death got such prominent treatment in 1975. | It’s hard to pinpoint why Poirot’s death got such prominent treatment in 1975. |
| “There’s a deep psychological level to Christie’s work,” Mark Aldridge, the author of the book “Agatha Christie on Screen,” said in an interview last year. “You can watch a film of her work purely for the plot, but you can also watch it for insights into the characters and the human conditions.” | “There’s a deep psychological level to Christie’s work,” Mark Aldridge, the author of the book “Agatha Christie on Screen,” said in an interview last year. “You can watch a film of her work purely for the plot, but you can also watch it for insights into the characters and the human conditions.” |
| Claire Moses wrote today’s Back Story. | Claire Moses wrote today’s Back Story. |
| _____ | _____ |
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| And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers. | And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers. |
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