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| Shinzo Abe, Catalonia, Jimmy Carter: Your Monday Briefing | Shinzo Abe, Catalonia, Jimmy Carter: Your Monday Briefing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| Here’s what you need to know: | Here’s what you need to know: |
| • Early voting results in Japan show Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s party and its allies winning two-thirds of the seats in the lower house of Parliament, enough to boost Mr. Abe’s dream of revising the nation’s pacifist Constitution. | • Early voting results in Japan show Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s party and its allies winning two-thirds of the seats in the lower house of Parliament, enough to boost Mr. Abe’s dream of revising the nation’s pacifist Constitution. |
| This election still won’t correct Japan’s dismal record of women in politics — which is dead last among wealthy nations. And the voting was hindered by drenching rains from Typhoon Lan, which is weakening as it reaches Tokyo. | This election still won’t correct Japan’s dismal record of women in politics — which is dead last among wealthy nations. And the voting was hindered by drenching rains from Typhoon Lan, which is weakening as it reaches Tokyo. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • President Xi Jinping is pushing the theme of national rejuvenation and global leadership during the current Communist Party congress, which is expected to give him a second five-year term by Wednesday. | • President Xi Jinping is pushing the theme of national rejuvenation and global leadership during the current Communist Party congress, which is expected to give him a second five-year term by Wednesday. |
| But Mr. Xi’s global ambition has worried some nations. Australia is vexed by what it sees as Beijing’s meddling in domestic politics, and in Southeast Asia and Africa, there are complaints about a new era of Chinese colonialism. | But Mr. Xi’s global ambition has worried some nations. Australia is vexed by what it sees as Beijing’s meddling in domestic politics, and in Southeast Asia and Africa, there are complaints about a new era of Chinese colonialism. |
| And in China’s hinterlands, locals complain of a stark disconnect between Mr. Xi’s bright promises and their own hardscrabble reality. | And in China’s hinterlands, locals complain of a stark disconnect between Mr. Xi’s bright promises and their own hardscrabble reality. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • President Trump greets Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, at the White House today, with much to discuss. Mr. Lee is set to take over as the chair of Asean, and Mr. Trump makes his first trip to Asia as president next month. | • President Trump greets Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, at the White House today, with much to discuss. Mr. Lee is set to take over as the chair of Asean, and Mr. Trump makes his first trip to Asia as president next month. |
| Mr. Trump’s secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, started a tour of the Middle East in Saudi Arabia to urge a united front against Iran and press for a solution to a feud with Qatar. In our podcast “The New Washington,” Mr. Tillerson discusses Mr. Trump and the state of the State Department. | |
| There was also an unexpected offer from a former president: Jimmy Carter, 93, said he would help the White House reach out to North Korea. | There was also an unexpected offer from a former president: Jimmy Carter, 93, said he would help the White House reach out to North Korea. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • The standoff over Catalonia reached a crucial moment for Spain with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s announcement that he would throw out the region’s secessionist leaders, made after he presided over an emergency cabinet meeting, above, on Saturday. | |
| Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis denied that the move to amounted to a “coup,” as Catalan leaders charge. | |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Alibaba dominates online sales in China, as Amazon does in the U.S. Now, they’re in a billion-dollar competition for other markets, particularly in Southeast Asia and India. Above, Alibaba’s Redmart warehouse in Singapore. | • Alibaba dominates online sales in China, as Amazon does in the U.S. Now, they’re in a billion-dollar competition for other markets, particularly in Southeast Asia and India. Above, Alibaba’s Redmart warehouse in Singapore. |
| The challenges are countless. “It’s a mix of urban, semi-urban and rural areas, separated by large distances and — in the Philippines and Indonesia — by water,” said one analyst. “Cash on delivery is still prevalent, and other local players are in the fray.” | The challenges are countless. “It’s a mix of urban, semi-urban and rural areas, separated by large distances and — in the Philippines and Indonesia — by water,” said one analyst. “Cash on delivery is still prevalent, and other local players are in the fray.” |
| _____ | _____ |
| • President Trump decided to release thousands of classified government documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. | • President Trump decided to release thousands of classified government documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. |
| Kennedy experts don’t expect any bombshells that significantly alter the official narrative — that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in Dallas — but they said the documents were likely to “help fuel a new generation of conspiracy theories.” | Kennedy experts don’t expect any bombshells that significantly alter the official narrative — that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in Dallas — but they said the documents were likely to “help fuel a new generation of conspiracy theories.” |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Fox News gave Bill O’Reilly a new anchoring contract early this year even after it emerged that he had recently settled a previously undisclosed $32 million sexual harassment case, a Times investigation found. | • Fox News gave Bill O’Reilly a new anchoring contract early this year even after it emerged that he had recently settled a previously undisclosed $32 million sexual harassment case, a Times investigation found. |
| • Silicon Valley’s giants are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence — and offering A.I. specialists startlingly high compensation. | • Silicon Valley’s giants are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence — and offering A.I. specialists startlingly high compensation. |
| • The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by the Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, is one of the new megadonor initiatives upending the staid world of big philanthropy. | • The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by the Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, is one of the new megadonor initiatives upending the staid world of big philanthropy. |
| • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. |
| • The World Health Organization dropped Zimbabwe’s authoritarian leader, Robert Mugabe, as a “good-will ambassador” after days of widespread, bitter criticism. [The New York Times] | • The World Health Organization dropped Zimbabwe’s authoritarian leader, Robert Mugabe, as a “good-will ambassador” after days of widespread, bitter criticism. [The New York Times] |
| • In Malaysia, anger is mounting after 11 people, mostly foreign workers, were killed in a landslide at a construction site that residents considered too dangerous. [Agence France-Presse] | • In Malaysia, anger is mounting after 11 people, mostly foreign workers, were killed in a landslide at a construction site that residents considered too dangerous. [Agence France-Presse] |
| • The Times mapped 30 videos in an attempt to draw a complete picture of what happened during the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. [The New York Times] | |
| • Iraq’s government and the country’s Kurds, two American allies, are vying for international support days after Iraqi forces recaptured almost all areas controlled by the separatist Iraqi Kurds since 2014. [The New York Times] | • Iraq’s government and the country’s Kurds, two American allies, are vying for international support days after Iraqi forces recaptured almost all areas controlled by the separatist Iraqi Kurds since 2014. [The New York Times] |
| • Indonesia asked for clarification from Washington after its military chief was denied entry to the U.S. [Jakarta Globe] | • Indonesia asked for clarification from Washington after its military chief was denied entry to the U.S. [Jakarta Globe] |
| • Ryota Murata became Japan’s first middleweight boxing champion in 22 years. [ESPN] | • Ryota Murata became Japan’s first middleweight boxing champion in 22 years. [ESPN] |
| • Scientists are racing to counter threats from poaching and land-clearing to save the Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster. The world’s largest freshwater invertebrate, it can live 60 years and reach the size of a small dog. [ABC] | • Scientists are racing to counter threats from poaching and land-clearing to save the Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster. The world’s largest freshwater invertebrate, it can live 60 years and reach the size of a small dog. [ABC] |
| Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. | Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. |
| • Recipe of the day: Find perfection at the bottom of a perfectly cooked katsudon, Japan’s pork-cutlet rice bowl. | • Recipe of the day: Find perfection at the bottom of a perfectly cooked katsudon, Japan’s pork-cutlet rice bowl. |
| • Exercise isn’t just good for your body, a new study suggests. It also protects your brain against dementia. | • Exercise isn’t just good for your body, a new study suggests. It also protects your brain against dementia. |
| • Get a jump on next season’s fashion trends. | • Get a jump on next season’s fashion trends. |
| • Hiroyuki Ito, a Tokyo-raised photographer, captured the way people live in the rest of Japan — the faces, architecture and, sometimes, what’s in the trash can. | • Hiroyuki Ito, a Tokyo-raised photographer, captured the way people live in the rest of Japan — the faces, architecture and, sometimes, what’s in the trash can. |
| • To revamp Thor for the “Ragnarok” movie, Marvel turned to Taika Waititi, an eccentric indie filmmaker from New Zealand. | • To revamp Thor for the “Ragnarok” movie, Marvel turned to Taika Waititi, an eccentric indie filmmaker from New Zealand. |
| • In memoriam: Rosemary Leach, 81, an English stage, TV and film actress who starred in “Room With a View” and “That’ll Be the Day.” | • In memoriam: Rosemary Leach, 81, an English stage, TV and film actress who starred in “Room With a View” and “That’ll Be the Day.” |
| • And our behavioral science reporter explains why so many of us are vulnerable to fake news on social media. | • And our behavioral science reporter explains why so many of us are vulnerable to fake news on social media. |
| “They’re two inches tall and very German. They’re blue and live deep in the forest.” | “They’re two inches tall and very German. They’re blue and live deep in the forest.” |
| That’s how The Times eventually introduced its readers to the Smurfs, a cartoon and merchandising series that first appeared in a European comic magazine on this day in 1958. | That’s how The Times eventually introduced its readers to the Smurfs, a cartoon and merchandising series that first appeared in a European comic magazine on this day in 1958. |
| The Smurfs were the work of the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who penned his work under the pseudonym Peyo. | The Smurfs were the work of the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who penned his work under the pseudonym Peyo. |
| At first, the uniform gnomelike characters played a secondary role as “Schtroumpfs” in another comic series, but they soon had their own albums and movies. (Here’s a detailed history.) | At first, the uniform gnomelike characters played a secondary role as “Schtroumpfs” in another comic series, but they soon had their own albums and movies. (Here’s a detailed history.) |
| In the U.S., they gained popularity under their Dutch name, the “Smurfs,” becoming a perennial pop culture reference after a Saturday morning TV show began airing in 1981. | In the U.S., they gained popularity under their Dutch name, the “Smurfs,” becoming a perennial pop culture reference after a Saturday morning TV show began airing in 1981. |
| Now, there’s the concept of “smurfing” among computer gamers, referring to skilled gamers who play anonymously. In the banking industry, “smurfing” is a form of money laundering carried out by a multitude of couriers. There’s the 1980s break-dance style and there are Smurf conspiracy theories. | Now, there’s the concept of “smurfing” among computer gamers, referring to skilled gamers who play anonymously. In the banking industry, “smurfing” is a form of money laundering carried out by a multitude of couriers. There’s the 1980s break-dance style and there are Smurf conspiracy theories. |
| Six years ago, a village in Spain agreed to have all of its buildings painted in blue to mark the premiere of a Smurf movie. The publicity stunt worked and turned the sleepy settlement into a tourist attraction. | Six years ago, a village in Spain agreed to have all of its buildings painted in blue to mark the premiere of a Smurf movie. The publicity stunt worked and turned the sleepy settlement into a tourist attraction. |
| Patrick Boehler contributed reporting. | Patrick Boehler contributed reporting. |
| _____ | _____ |
| Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Browse past briefings here. | Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Browse past briefings here. |
| We have briefings timed for the Australian, Asian, European and American mornings. And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters here. | We have briefings timed for the Australian, Asian, European and American mornings. And our Australia bureau chief offers a weekly letter adding analysis and conversations with readers. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters here. |
| If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app from iTunes or Google Play. | If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app from iTunes or Google Play. |
| 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. |