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| Turkey, Taliban, Peter Strzok: Your Tuesday Briefing | Turkey, Taliban, Peter Strzok: Your Tuesday 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. Economic fears in Turkey, a possible Taliban milestone and obesity among Thailand’s monks. Here’s what you need to know: | |
| • Fears of a global contagion. | • Fears of a global contagion. |
| Turkey’s currency hit another record low, dragged down by soaring inflation, economic mismanagement and tensions with the U.S. There are growing fears of an impending economic meltdown that could spread to other emerging economies. | Turkey’s currency hit another record low, dragged down by soaring inflation, economic mismanagement and tensions with the U.S. There are growing fears of an impending economic meltdown that could spread to other emerging economies. |
| The plunge of the lira hit stocks in Asia and Europe, and played havoc with currency markets. The Indian rupee dropped to a record low against the dollar; the Indonesian rupiah flirted with a three-year low. | The plunge of the lira hit stocks in Asia and Europe, and played havoc with currency markets. The Indian rupee dropped to a record low against the dollar; the Indonesian rupiah flirted with a three-year low. |
| China’s main stock index lost nearly 2 percent at one point on Monday, but largely recovered. In Tokyo, the main index closed 2 percent lower. Stocks in Seoul fell 1.5 percent. European markets fared only slightly better. U.S. markets dipped but didn’t sag. | |
| Beijing also further weakened its currency, the renminbi, against the dollar, setting the benchmark rate for trading in Shanghai at its weakest level in 15 months. | Beijing also further weakened its currency, the renminbi, against the dollar, setting the benchmark rate for trading in Shanghai at its weakest level in 15 months. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • President Trump signed a defense-spending bill named in honor of Senator John McCain — without once mentioning Mr. McCain — at Fort Drum Army Base in New York. | • President Trump signed a defense-spending bill named in honor of Senator John McCain — without once mentioning Mr. McCain — at Fort Drum Army Base in New York. |
| The bill authorizes $717 billion for military funding over the next year. Mr. Trump called it the most significant investment in the military in modern history. | The bill authorizes $717 billion for military funding over the next year. Mr. Trump called it the most significant investment in the military in modern history. |
| As is often the case, there were many threads to follow in news related to the president. | As is often the case, there were many threads to follow in news related to the president. |
| Peter Strzok, the F.B.I. senior counterintelligence agent who disparaged Mr. Trump in text messages, was fired for violating F.B.I. policies. He helped oversee the Hillary Clinton email and Russia investigations. | Peter Strzok, the F.B.I. senior counterintelligence agent who disparaged Mr. Trump in text messages, was fired for violating F.B.I. policies. He helped oversee the Hillary Clinton email and Russia investigations. |
| And as the fraud trial of Paul Manafort enters its second week, Times reporters looked back at his lobbying career. | And as the fraud trial of Paul Manafort enters its second week, Times reporters looked back at his lobbying career. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • “There is no such thing as re-education centers.” | • “There is no such thing as re-education centers.” |
| China on Monday flatly denied accusations from U.N. experts that it had detained more than a million ethnic Uighur Muslims in re-education camps in its western Xinjiang region. The denial came after a U.N. official last week spoke of Xinjiang becoming “something resembling a massive internment camp,” with mass detention and disappearances. | China on Monday flatly denied accusations from U.N. experts that it had detained more than a million ethnic Uighur Muslims in re-education camps in its western Xinjiang region. The denial came after a U.N. official last week spoke of Xinjiang becoming “something resembling a massive internment camp,” with mass detention and disappearances. |
| But China stood firm: A senior Chinese Communist Party official said the country’s ethnic minorities lived in peace and contentment enjoying freedom of religious belief. Above, Chinese military police at a rally in Xinjiang, last year. Beijing has progressively tightened security in the region. | But China stood firm: A senior Chinese Communist Party official said the country’s ethnic minorities lived in peace and contentment enjoying freedom of religious belief. Above, Chinese military police at a rally in Xinjiang, last year. Beijing has progressively tightened security in the region. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • In Afghanistan, after four days of fighting, the Taliban appear to control most neighborhoods in the city of Ghazni. They have also taken over most of the province’s rural areas. | |
| That raises the prospect that if the insurgents do fully take the city, they may be in a position to control an entire province for the first time in the 17-year war in Afghanistan. | That raises the prospect that if the insurgents do fully take the city, they may be in a position to control an entire province for the first time in the 17-year war in Afghanistan. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • “Obesity in our monks is a ticking time bomb.” | • “Obesity in our monks is a ticking time bomb.” |
| Buddhist monks are at the front lines of a fight against obesity in Thailand, which is the second-heaviest nation in Asia, after Malaysia. A study found that nearly half of Thai monks are obese, more than 40 percent have high cholesterol, nearly 25 percent have high blood pressure and one in 10 are diabetic. | Buddhist monks are at the front lines of a fight against obesity in Thailand, which is the second-heaviest nation in Asia, after Malaysia. A study found that nearly half of Thai monks are obese, more than 40 percent have high cholesterol, nearly 25 percent have high blood pressure and one in 10 are diabetic. |
| But the monks consume fewer calories than the general population, and are forbidden to eat after midday. Researchers found one major culprit: To keep their energy up, many monks rely on highly sweetened beverages, including sugary drinks. | But the monks consume fewer calories than the general population, and are forbidden to eat after midday. Researchers found one major culprit: To keep their energy up, many monks rely on highly sweetened beverages, including sugary drinks. |
| • Elon Musk offered a fuller explanation of his “funding secured” Twitter post on Aug. 7 about taking Tesla private. He said, among other things, that he had held meetings with representatives of a Saudi sovereign wealth fund who expressed an eagerness to help him take the electric-car maker private. | • Elon Musk offered a fuller explanation of his “funding secured” Twitter post on Aug. 7 about taking Tesla private. He said, among other things, that he had held meetings with representatives of a Saudi sovereign wealth fund who expressed an eagerness to help him take the electric-car maker private. |
| • Biometrics beyond fingerprints: To fight fraud, some large banks and retailers are amassing tens of millions of profiles that can identify customers by how they touch, hold and tap their devices. | • Biometrics beyond fingerprints: To fight fraud, some large banks and retailers are amassing tens of millions of profiles that can identify customers by how they touch, hold and tap their devices. |
| • Foreign business boom: New figures showed that as many as one million Australians now work for companies with more than 50 percent foreign ownership. | • Foreign business boom: New figures showed that as many as one million Australians now work for companies with more than 50 percent foreign ownership. |
| • An Australian law firm is urging women to sign onto its class-action lawsuit against Bayer, the German pharmaceutical giant, over its Essure sterilization implant, which has been blamed for medical problems. The lawsuit follows similar moves in the U.S., Britain and Canada. | • An Australian law firm is urging women to sign onto its class-action lawsuit against Bayer, the German pharmaceutical giant, over its Essure sterilization implant, which has been blamed for medical problems. The lawsuit follows similar moves in the U.S., Britain and Canada. |
| • Most U.S. stocks were lower. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | • Most U.S. stocks were lower. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. |
| • In Taiwan, a fire raged through a floor of Taipei Hospital filled with elderly patients, killing at least nine people and injuring two dozen more. [The New York Times] | • In Taiwan, a fire raged through a floor of Taipei Hospital filled with elderly patients, killing at least nine people and injuring two dozen more. [The New York Times] |
| • Aretha Franklin, 76, the legendary “Queen of Soul,” is gravely ill, family members told a Detroit news outlet on Monday. [Variety] | • Aretha Franklin, 76, the legendary “Queen of Soul,” is gravely ill, family members told a Detroit news outlet on Monday. [Variety] |
| • The U.S. is set to return three church bells to the Philippines that were taken as war trophies 117 years ago. Their ringing set off the worst U.S. defeat in the Philippine-American war and spurred retaliation that left thousands dead. [The New York Times] | • The U.S. is set to return three church bells to the Philippines that were taken as war trophies 117 years ago. Their ringing set off the worst U.S. defeat in the Philippine-American war and spurred retaliation that left thousands dead. [The New York Times] |
| • President Moon Jae-in of South Korea will visit Pyongyang next month for his third summit meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un. [The New York Times] | • President Moon Jae-in of South Korea will visit Pyongyang next month for his third summit meeting with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un. [The New York Times] |
| • “This racist fearmongering must be stopped.” Melbourne officials joined with South Sudanese-Australian leaders to accuse the media of overemphasizing the crimes committed by “African gangs.” [The Guardian] | • “This racist fearmongering must be stopped.” Melbourne officials joined with South Sudanese-Australian leaders to accuse the media of overemphasizing the crimes committed by “African gangs.” [The Guardian] |
| • A Swedish doctor visited Gui Minhai, the Hong Kong publisher who has been held by Chinese authorities off and on since 2015, when he was abducted in Thailand. [Reuters] | • A Swedish doctor visited Gui Minhai, the Hong Kong publisher who has been held by Chinese authorities off and on since 2015, when he was abducted in Thailand. [Reuters] |
| Tips for a more fulfilling life. | Tips for a more fulfilling life. |
| • How to enjoy nature on your next urban getaway. | • How to enjoy nature on your next urban getaway. |
| • Five cheap(ish) things for every college dorm. | • Five cheap(ish) things for every college dorm. |
| • Recipe of the day: Keep pasta simple: Zucchini, good ricotta and basil will do the trick. | • Recipe of the day: Keep pasta simple: Zucchini, good ricotta and basil will do the trick. |
| • The top of Mt. Fuji is one of the few places in Japan where a postmark is still more coveted than a “like” on Instagram or Facebook. But hauling all that mail down takes effort, even in the absence of snow. That’s where the bulldozer comes in. | • The top of Mt. Fuji is one of the few places in Japan where a postmark is still more coveted than a “like” on Instagram or Facebook. But hauling all that mail down takes effort, even in the absence of snow. That’s where the bulldozer comes in. |
| • In memoriam: Bui Tin, 90, a North Vietnamese colonel who accepted the surrender of South Vietnam in 1975, but who later fled Vietnam and became a critic of its ruling Communist Party. And mourners mobbed the funeral of Ellen Joyce Loo, 32, a singer-songwriter and advocate of LGBT rights in Hong Kong who suffered from bipolar disorder. | • In memoriam: Bui Tin, 90, a North Vietnamese colonel who accepted the surrender of South Vietnam in 1975, but who later fled Vietnam and became a critic of its ruling Communist Party. And mourners mobbed the funeral of Ellen Joyce Loo, 32, a singer-songwriter and advocate of LGBT rights in Hong Kong who suffered from bipolar disorder. |
| • And cautious hope for hemophiliacs. After trying for decades to develop a gene therapy to treat hemophilia, the inability to form blood clots, researchers are starting to succeed. But some patients are worried that success will not last. | • And cautious hope for hemophiliacs. After trying for decades to develop a gene therapy to treat hemophilia, the inability to form blood clots, researchers are starting to succeed. But some patients are worried that success will not last. |
| It’s just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right. Put your hands on your hips, and bring your knees in tight. | It’s just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right. Put your hands on your hips, and bring your knees in tight. |
| But as fans of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” well know, it’s the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. The cult classic film opened in London on this day in 1975. | But as fans of the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” well know, it’s the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. The cult classic film opened in London on this day in 1975. |
| Often described as a campy take on horror and science fiction films, the movie originally premiered on the London stage in 1973, and was summed up in one breathless sentence by a Times review: “Two young innocents are entrapped by Frank N. Furter, a mad, transvestite inventor from outer space, who has created a beefcake monster, Rocky Horror, who looks as though he has just stepped from the centerfold of Playgirl.” | Often described as a campy take on horror and science fiction films, the movie originally premiered on the London stage in 1973, and was summed up in one breathless sentence by a Times review: “Two young innocents are entrapped by Frank N. Furter, a mad, transvestite inventor from outer space, who has created a beefcake monster, Rocky Horror, who looks as though he has just stepped from the centerfold of Playgirl.” |
| Shortly after the premiere of the film version, it was briefly shelved before being resurrected at a midnight screening in New York. A group of fans made weekly pilgrimages to the small theater, sat in the front row and screamed for their favorite characters. A social phenomenon was born, and the film has remained in theaters ever since. | Shortly after the premiere of the film version, it was briefly shelved before being resurrected at a midnight screening in New York. A group of fans made weekly pilgrimages to the small theater, sat in the front row and screamed for their favorite characters. A social phenomenon was born, and the film has remained in theaters ever since. |
| Audience participation, props and costumes are widely encouraged at regularly scheduled screenings around the world. | Audience participation, props and costumes are widely encouraged at regularly scheduled screenings around the world. |
| We’ll end with the words of Frank N. Furter: Don’t dream it. Be it. | We’ll end with the words of Frank N. Furter: Don’t dream it. Be it. |
| Remy Tumin wrote today’s Back Story. | Remy Tumin wrote today’s Back Story. |
| _____ | _____ |
| 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. You can also receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. | 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. You can also receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. |
| 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. |
| Browse our full range of Times newsletters here. | Browse our full range of Times newsletters here. |
| 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. |