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| Vladimir Putin, Tech Espionage, Markets: Your Friday Briefing | Vladimir Putin, Tech Espionage, Markets: Your Friday Briefing |
| (about 3 hours 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. | Good morning. |
| Thank you for reading this edition of the Morning Briefing. And special thanks to those of you who wrote in with comments and ideas on improving it. We’re taking a break next week, and we’ll be back on Jan. 3 with an even better briefing. | Thank you for reading this edition of the Morning Briefing. And special thanks to those of you who wrote in with comments and ideas on improving it. We’re taking a break next week, and we’ll be back on Jan. 3 with an even better briefing. |
| Now, back to the news: Vladimir Putin’s approval of Donald Trump, market sell-offs and a look at the year in news. Here’s the latest. | |
| • “Donald’s right, and I agree with him.” | • “Donald’s right, and I agree with him.” |
| President Vladimir Putin, above, welcomed President Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, calling it “the right decision.” | President Vladimir Putin, above, welcomed President Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, calling it “the right decision.” |
| But at home, Mr. Trump was defending the withdrawal from bipartisan criticism, not least for leaving Syria open territory for the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and Iran. America’s Kurdish allies in Syria discussed releasing 3,200 Islamic State prisoners in response. And analysts called the decision an abandonment of key allies and a boon for ISIS. | But at home, Mr. Trump was defending the withdrawal from bipartisan criticism, not least for leaving Syria open territory for the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and Iran. America’s Kurdish allies in Syria discussed releasing 3,200 Islamic State prisoners in response. And analysts called the decision an abandonment of key allies and a boon for ISIS. |
| → Go deeper: Mr. Trump doesn’t believe U.S. forces can alter the strategic balance in the Middle East, a view shared by Barack Obama, our national security correspondent writes in an analysis. | → Go deeper: Mr. Trump doesn’t believe U.S. forces can alter the strategic balance in the Middle East, a view shared by Barack Obama, our national security correspondent writes in an analysis. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Will the U.S. government shut down? | • Will the U.S. government shut down? |
| A deal to avert a U.S. government shutdown was teetering as the White House called an emergency meeting with House Republicans and President Trump fumed over not getting border-wall funding in a bill passed by the Senate late Wednesday. | A deal to avert a U.S. government shutdown was teetering as the White House called an emergency meeting with House Republicans and President Trump fumed over not getting border-wall funding in a bill passed by the Senate late Wednesday. |
| Separately, Mr. Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, criticized the investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, in a memo to top Justice Department officials in June. He objected to the notion that the president may have obstructed justice. | Separately, Mr. Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, criticized the investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, in a memo to top Justice Department officials in June. He objected to the notion that the president may have obstructed justice. |
| If you missed it: In a farewell speech to Congress on Wednesday, Speaker Paul Ryan said American politics were “broken.” A former rising star in the Republican Party, Mr. Ryan, above, oversaw the enactment of a tax overhaul that many welcomed — but that also contributed to a growing deficit. | If you missed it: In a farewell speech to Congress on Wednesday, Speaker Paul Ryan said American politics were “broken.” A former rising star in the Republican Party, Mr. Ryan, above, oversaw the enactment of a tax overhaul that many welcomed — but that also contributed to a growing deficit. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Tensions with China grow. | • Tensions with China grow. |
| China acknowledged that it had detained a third Canadian citizen, a teacher from Alberta, making her the most recent casualty in a diplomatic standoff between the two countries. The three detentions appear to be in retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, the giant Chinese technology company. | China acknowledged that it had detained a third Canadian citizen, a teacher from Alberta, making her the most recent casualty in a diplomatic standoff between the two countries. The three detentions appear to be in retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, the giant Chinese technology company. |
| And in a wide-ranging indictment, the U.S. Justice Department described what it called a yearslong campaign by Beijing to steal American technological secrets, to allow Chinese companies to undercut competitors and to help bolster its military. | And in a wide-ranging indictment, the U.S. Justice Department described what it called a yearslong campaign by Beijing to steal American technological secrets, to allow Chinese companies to undercut competitors and to help bolster its military. |
| And North Korea said it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the U.S. lessened its military capacity, confirming that the North’s position on denuclearization remains unchanged despite President Trump and Kim Jong-un’s meeting in Singapore in June. | And North Korea said it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the U.S. lessened its military capacity, confirming that the North’s position on denuclearization remains unchanged despite President Trump and Kim Jong-un’s meeting in Singapore in June. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Global investors retreat. The poorest countries pay. | |
| Stocks extended their run of losses as investors reacted with disappointment to decisions from central banks around the world. | |
| Money that once flowed into emerging markets has been reversing course, driving up prices and compounding economic hardship in the world’s most vulnerable economies. | |
| Above, a worker in India, which has seen an overall decline, as have Turkey, Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and South Africa. | |
| Last year, global investors delivered $315 billion in fresh capital to the stock and bond markets of emerging economies, not counting China, according to one analysis. This year, the flow dropped to $105 billion through October. | |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Hakuna Matata™. Disney popularized the phrase worldwide with “The Lion King” — and then claimed it as its intellectual property. Now 100,000 people have signed a petition calling the 20-year-old trademark an “assault on the Swahili people.” | • Hakuna Matata™. Disney popularized the phrase worldwide with “The Lion King” — and then claimed it as its intellectual property. Now 100,000 people have signed a petition calling the 20-year-old trademark an “assault on the Swahili people.” |
| • Ofo, one of China’s leading bike start-ups, is facing serious financial problems, a sign of the limits of a common tech business model — spend furiously to acquire new users, worry about profits later. | |
| • The “Yellow Vests” protests show how globalization and its inequities have led to a crisis of mobility — geographic, economic and social — in France. | |
| • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | |
| Our Year in Pictures takes you around the world, month by month. | Our Year in Pictures takes you around the world, month by month. |
| Our list of most-read stories provides another kind of map of the major themes of the year. | Our list of most-read stories provides another kind of map of the major themes of the year. |
| Below are some of the story lines your Morning Briefing has followed — and will be following — most closely. | Below are some of the story lines your Morning Briefing has followed — and will be following — most closely. |
| • Climate change: Wildfires, hurricanes, drenching rains — as in India, above — and drought ravaged communities around the world. Temperatures reached new highs (check the change in your own area). Arctic ice melted more rapidly than ever. Will nations follow through on a global climate framework agreed upon in Poland? | • Climate change: Wildfires, hurricanes, drenching rains — as in India, above — and drought ravaged communities around the world. Temperatures reached new highs (check the change in your own area). Arctic ice melted more rapidly than ever. Will nations follow through on a global climate framework agreed upon in Poland? |
| • Trade: The U.S. and China, two of the world’s largest economies, spent the year engaged in a tit-for-tat trade war. The global economy appears to be slowing down, and rising U.S. interest rates are worrying markets. | • Trade: The U.S. and China, two of the world’s largest economies, spent the year engaged in a tit-for-tat trade war. The global economy appears to be slowing down, and rising U.S. interest rates are worrying markets. |
| • Privacy: A Times investigation revealed that a consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, used private Facebook data to help President Trump’s campaign, raising alarming questions about Silicon Valley’s privacy practices. Months later, we found that the social network gave Microsoft, Amazon, Spotify and others far greater access to people’s data than it had disclosed. And we learned that location data pulled from your phone apps is more personal (and public) than companies say it is. | • Privacy: A Times investigation revealed that a consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, used private Facebook data to help President Trump’s campaign, raising alarming questions about Silicon Valley’s privacy practices. Months later, we found that the social network gave Microsoft, Amazon, Spotify and others far greater access to people’s data than it had disclosed. And we learned that location data pulled from your phone apps is more personal (and public) than companies say it is. |
| • Migration: A record 68.5 million people, including people fleeing war in Syria and persecution in Myanmar, were forcibly displaced by the end of 2017. Venezuela’s misery is causing a refugee crisis in South America, above, and migrants are piling up at the U.S. border with Mexico. Migration may increase with climate change, and migrants are the targets of anti-immigration rhetoric around the world. | • Migration: A record 68.5 million people, including people fleeing war in Syria and persecution in Myanmar, were forcibly displaced by the end of 2017. Venezuela’s misery is causing a refugee crisis in South America, above, and migrants are piling up at the U.S. border with Mexico. Migration may increase with climate change, and migrants are the targets of anti-immigration rhetoric around the world. |
| • President Trump’s legal troubles: getting more serious. Many of the investigations into Mr. Trump’s business dealings, potential campaign finance violations and whether his campaign had connections to Russia could come to a head in the new year, particularly with Democrats taking control of the House. | • President Trump’s legal troubles: getting more serious. Many of the investigations into Mr. Trump’s business dealings, potential campaign finance violations and whether his campaign had connections to Russia could come to a head in the new year, particularly with Democrats taking control of the House. |
| • Russia: The country’s increasingly aggressive behavior, including the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter on British soil, worsened relations between the Kremlin and many Western allies. | • Russia: The country’s increasingly aggressive behavior, including the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter on British soil, worsened relations between the Kremlin and many Western allies. |
| • Saudi Arabia: The brutal killing of a dissident journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, shone a harsh light on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is believed to have ordered the assassination, and also on Saudi Arabia’s broader human rights abuses, particularly in the Yemen war. None of this was good optics for the prince’s plans to engage international investors and move the Saudi economy away from oil. | • Saudi Arabia: The brutal killing of a dissident journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, shone a harsh light on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is believed to have ordered the assassination, and also on Saudi Arabia’s broader human rights abuses, particularly in the Yemen war. None of this was good optics for the prince’s plans to engage international investors and move the Saudi economy away from oil. |
| • Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May tried to steer Britain through one of its biggest political crises, but Parliament still has to vote on the deal she struck with the E.U. on the country’s planned departure from the bloc in March. The throughline is “uncertainty.” | • Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May tried to steer Britain through one of its biggest political crises, but Parliament still has to vote on the deal she struck with the E.U. on the country’s planned departure from the bloc in March. The throughline is “uncertainty.” |
| • North Korea: This year saw the first one-on-one between a sitting U.S. president and a leader of North Korea, at a splashy summit meeting in Singapore. But progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has since stalled. | • North Korea: This year saw the first one-on-one between a sitting U.S. president and a leader of North Korea, at a splashy summit meeting in Singapore. But progress toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has since stalled. |
| • Nationalism: From Hungary to Brazil, the march of nationalism and populism continued. But in some arenas — Canada, for instance, and much of the business world — affirmations of global engagement countered the narrative. | • Nationalism: From Hungary to Brazil, the march of nationalism and populism continued. But in some arenas — Canada, for instance, and much of the business world — affirmations of global engagement countered the narrative. |
| #MeToo: The testimonies of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the U.S. Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault, along with Judge Kavanaugh’s subsequent confirmation, highlighted the country’s deep, lingering gender divide. | #MeToo: The testimonies of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accused the U.S. Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault, along with Judge Kavanaugh’s subsequent confirmation, highlighted the country’s deep, lingering gender divide. |
| Tips for a more fulfilling life. | Tips for a more fulfilling life. |
| • In a snacking mood? Try tempura-fried green beans. | • In a snacking mood? Try tempura-fried green beans. |
| • Party dress codes: the dos and don’ts. | • Party dress codes: the dos and don’ts. |
| • Help the environment by tuning up your heating system. Here’s how. | • Help the environment by tuning up your heating system. Here’s how. |
| Today is the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, also known as the shortest day of the year — shorthand for the day that gets the least sunlight. | Today is the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, also known as the shortest day of the year — shorthand for the day that gets the least sunlight. |
| Some of us earthlings may grumble about the darkness. But without it, we might not be alive. | Some of us earthlings may grumble about the darkness. But without it, we might not be alive. |
| Seasons occur because most planets do not spin perfectly upright like a top. The earth’s “axial tilt” is a jaunty 23.5 degrees, for example, while Uranus, above, spins at 98 degrees, or nearly sideways. | Seasons occur because most planets do not spin perfectly upright like a top. The earth’s “axial tilt” is a jaunty 23.5 degrees, for example, while Uranus, above, spins at 98 degrees, or nearly sideways. |
| The earth’s tilt is good for humans because it helps to moderate our sun exposure. Our four seasons are comparatively mild and, thanks to our proximity to the sun, fairly brief. | The earth’s tilt is good for humans because it helps to moderate our sun exposure. Our four seasons are comparatively mild and, thanks to our proximity to the sun, fairly brief. |
| Much of Uranus, by contrast, spends winters in permanent darkness and summers under constant sunlight. And those seasons last decades in Earth years. | Much of Uranus, by contrast, spends winters in permanent darkness and summers under constant sunlight. And those seasons last decades in Earth years. |
| “If there were creatures on Uranus — and I don’t think there are — seasonal affective disorder would be a lifetime thing,” the planetary scientist Heidi Hammel told The Times. | “If there were creatures on Uranus — and I don’t think there are — seasonal affective disorder would be a lifetime thing,” the planetary scientist Heidi Hammel told The Times. |
| Mike Ives, a reporter in our Hong Kong office, wrote today’s Back Story. | Mike Ives, a reporter in our Hong Kong office, 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. |
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