Thai Rescue, Boris Johnson, World Cup: Your Tuesday Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/briefing/thai-rescue-boris-johnson-world-cup.html

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Good morning. More good news from Thailand, concerns among NATO members and all eyes on the World Cup. Here’s what you need to know:

• That makes eight.

Four more members of the trapped Thai soccer team were evacuated by daring cave divers and hospitalized on Monday evening, after Sunday’s torrential rains cleared. Above, some of the team’s classmates celebrated.

The first four boys, rescued on Sunday, are reported to be in stable condition. Here's the latest.

A low dam outside the cave was keeping water levels inside the cave relatively stable, and the leader of the rescue operation expressed optimism about getting the remaining five team members out today. These maps and illustrations outline the challenges.

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• President Trump arrives in Brussels today as the wild card at a crucial NATO summit meeting, with member nations preparing to push back (gently) if he attacks them.

Britain, his next stop, is enmeshed in political turmoil. Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain is battling to save her government after her foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, above, became the second minister to quit her cabinet in 24 hours. The issue: her efforts to keep Britain more closely tied to the European Union than hard-line conservatives want.

Wherever Mr. Trump goes in Britain, protesters plan to find him.

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• “I don’t think we can ever live here again.”

Heavy rains in the south and west of Japan have left at least 112 people dead and 78 missing. Our reporters spoke to survivors who searched through mud and standing water for what few valuables could be salvaged from their homes.

Super Typhoon Maria, meanwhile, is bearing down on Taiwan with sustained winds of up to 124 miles per hour, spurring warnings over extreme weather that risks shuttering schools and businesses.

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• China just can’t get enough soybeans.

The country needs them for low-cost, high-protein livestock feed, and for everyday cooking oil for a vast population. China’s reliance on American soybeans — the total was $14 billion last year — means that it can hardly switch to new suppliers overnight.

So heartland farmers may not feel the pain of China’s retaliatory tariffs anytime soon.

Could China’s own farmers grow more? The math is daunting, and the obstacles are formidable.

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• The World Cup is at fever pitch.

In the next semifinal matches, Belgium will face France, and Croatia will take on England. Check back for live updates and analysis.

If you need more proof that the 2018 World Cup is one for the ages, consider its stoppage-time goals. There have been 23 goals scored in the 90th minute and second-half stoppage time so far, shattering the previous high of 14. And few have been meaningless: Of the 23, more than half have been tying or go-ahead scores.

And we looked at the bizarre Theater of the World Cup news conference.

• Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker, went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the debut didn’t go well. That may worry other Chinese tech companies hoping to follow in Xiaomi’s footsteps. Above, Lei Jun, its founder and C.E.O., in Hong Kong on Monday.

• Huawei won a $136 million contract to build 4G communications systems for trains in Perth. The deal with the Chinese telecom giant raised concerns about potential threats to Australia’s security.

• Another blow to Japan Inc. Nissan Motor became the latest Japanese automaker to admit to falsifying product-quality data. In the last two years, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Subaru have had similar scandals.

• The rise of automation is a particular concern for poor countries, where there are more unskilled laborers in agriculture and manufacturing, a new study shows.

• U.S. stocks were up. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

• President Trump is set to announce his Supreme Court nominee to replace the retiring Justice Anthony M. Kennedy at 9 p.m. Eastern. Here’s what to watch for. [The New York Times]

• In Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for another term as president, assuming sweeping powers that he says are vital to drive economic growth, ensure security after a failed 2016 military coup and protect the country from the conflict in Syria and Iraq. [Reuters]

• Bishops in the Philippines called for three days of fasting and prayers after President Rodrigo Duterte called God “stupid.” [A.P.]

• A Korean restaurant in Sydney was fined for dumping two unconscious women on the street after serving them eight shots each in 40 minutes. [ABC]

• In Iran, a 19-year-old who posted videos of herself dancing on Instagram had to publicly confess her “crime” on TV. Now, scores of women are posting videos of themselves dancing. [The New York Times]

Tips for a more fulfilling life.

• Why your brain tricks you into doing less important tasks.

• Using a rival job offer for leverage? Be careful.

• Recipe of the day: Make a bacon-wrapped meatloaf for dinner tonight, and revel in the leftovers later.

• Mixing drinks and philanthropy: Sambonn Lek sought refuge in the U.S. from a devastated Cambodia, then built a network to aid his homeland from behind the bar in a Washington hotel. His nonprofit has now built 27 schools, dug nearly 400 wells, and awarded 120 scholarships to Cambodians.

• “I couldn’t tell anyone”: Even in countries where abortion is legal, it can still be hard to talk about. When we invited readers to share their stories, nearly 1,500 responded from more than 30 countries. Here’s a selection.

• And “The Billionaire Raj,” a new book by the journalist James Crabtree, suggests that India’s current regime of the superrich can blossom into a Progressive Era that leaves behind the rampant inequality and crony capitalism.

He took a vow of silence on July 10 in 1925 and kept it for 44 years.

Today, from Ahmednagar, India, to South Carolina, followers of Meher Baba, a spiritual leader born in Pune, India, in 1894, will observe silence in his honor.

When Baba was 19, a holy woman kissed him, transforming his life. He began studying with religious masters, gained devotees, took a new name (Meher Baba means “compassionate father”) and worked to alleviate suffering.

Baba never fully explained why he stopped talking. He first communicated in written form, later in gestures. But his reputation soared.

He met Hollywood stars like Tallulah Bankhead and leaders like Gandhi (whom he told to renounce politics). He corresponded with Richard Alpert, Timothy Leary’s colleague at Harvard, later known as Ram Dass. (He told Alpert to renounce LSD.)

Pete Townshend of The Who titled “Baba O’Riley” after him and dedicated “Tommy” to him. The Bobby McFerrin song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is based on words Baba used.

He promised miraculous things would happen when he finally spoke: “There will be unfaltering love and unfailing understanding and men shall be united in an inviolable brotherhood.”

He died in 1969 without uttering a word.

Nancy Wartik wrote today’s Back Story.

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