Your Monday Briefing

Xi Jinping, National Rifle Association, Syria | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, February 26, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By PENN BULLOCK Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Greg Baker/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • “Essentially, he has become emperor for life.” That’s how a biographer described Xi Jinping after China’s Communist Party floated a momentous proposal [to lift the two-term limit]( on the presidency. It’s almost certain to pass during the annual session of China’s congress, which begins next Monday. Mr. Xi has been increasingly wielding his power. The government’s [takeover of the debt-ridden Anbang Insurance Group]( sent a blunt warning against corporate debt, and he is sending [his top economic policymaker to]( this week]( to address trade frictions. _____ Doug Mills/The New York Times • The 23rd Winter Olympics [wrapped up]( in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a rousing closing ceremony that included [K-pop and a conga line](. (Here’s the [medal count]( Norway claimed the most and South Korea was first among Asian nations.) These Games are likely to be most remembered for the scandal over Russian doping and for the brief unity of the Koreas — an extraordinary diplomatic moment that raised the possibility of renewed international talks with the North. Our correspondents look at whether South Korea’s president, [Moon Jae-in, can turn the Olympic truce into a lasting peace]( a challenge made tougher by [new U.S. sanctions]( targeting the North’s clandestine shipping fleet. _____ Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, via Associated Press • In the U.S., classes resume on Monday at the Florida school where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting nearly two weeks ago. Many survivors are publicly pushing for gun control, and privately [suffering through the emotional aftermath of the massacre](. A growing number of businesses are [cutting ties with the National Rifle Association]( the country’s chief gun lobby. President Trump remains focused on shifting the discussion to “hardening” schools by arming teachers, and expressing fury at the F.B.I. for ignoring reports that the suspect was [“going to explode.”]( Amid rage over revelations that a deputy took cover instead of entering the school during the shooting, the county sheriff [defended his own actions]( as “amazing leadership.” _____ • Questions are swirling over if and when President Trump might answer questions from Robert Mueller, the special counsel. His investigation seems to be racing, [our correspondent writes]( but toward an as-yet-undefined goal. After the former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates [pleaded guilty]( to a variety of charges, speculation is rife about the nature of his cooperation with Mr. Mueller. And new charges accuse Paul Manafort, a one-time Trump campaign chairman, of [paying off prominent Europeans]( to serve as boosters for an autocratic Ukrainian client. _____ Hamza Al-Ajweh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Airstrikes continued against a rebel-held suburb of Damascus where more than 500 civilians have been killed, despite the U.N. Security Council’s resolution calling for a 30-day cease-fire. “We all failed them this week,” said Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. “I guess there is unity in that.” Our correspondents examined two phenomena in the regional turmoil: a Russian effort to [repatriate women and children]( from territory held by the crumbling Islamic State, and [a wave of feminist power]( that’s swelling in Kurdish-controlled areas. _____ Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times • Against the grain: Opposition figures in Malaysia pounced after Prime Minister [Najib Razak said he preferred quinoa to rice](. The former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad tweeted, “I only eat local rice” — a statement one-upped by another opposition leader, who announced that he didn’t know what quinoa was. _____ Business Matthew Abbott for The New York Times • Wombaroo, an Australian company, started with [powdered milk formula for koalas]( but now has a vibrant international niche market that helps nurture a variety of exotic baby animals, including pandas and lions. (Getting milk samples can be a challenge.) • Tug of war: Li Shufu, one of China’s wealthiest men, has amassed a [nearly 10 percent stake, worth $9 billion, in Daimler](. But the Germany-based automaker just confirmed plans with a different Chinese partner, BAID, to [invest]( $2 billion]( in a factory in China to build premium Mercedes-Benz cars, including electric vehicles. • Fast-food fixes: In Britain, [KFC made a cheeky apology]( to fans furious over its shortage of chicken. And [McDonald’s “szechuan sauce,”]( a popular ’90s condiment, goes back in wide circulation in the U.S. Its rarity in a limited return in October incensed customers. • Samsung is expected to unveil its [latest Galaxy S-class smartphone]( at the GSMA World Congress in Barcelona. • “Peace pipe”: Construction has been ceremonially kicked off on a [$22.5 billion natural gas pipeline]( crossing Afghanistan’s war-ravaged south, which will connect the country to Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News • Pakistan expects to be returned to an international terrorism-financing watchlist in June. The U.S. urged the move, and China dropped efforts to block it. [[The New York Times]( • Two accidents involving speeding vehicles killed at least 16 people, most of them children, in the Indian state of Bihar. [[The New York Times]( • An opinion column in China’s Global Times called the U.S. hypocritical for condemning other countries over human rights violations while failing to stem gun violence. [[The New York Times]( • In Italy, the Roman Colosseum — a symbol of the martyrdom of early Christians — was lit up in red in protest of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. [[Today]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. • You can weather [a turbulent stock market](. • Traveling? Here are [some simple tips to get by]( if you don’t know the language. • Try a meatless meal of [Sri Lankan dal with coconut and lime kale](. Noteworthy Sujit Jaiswal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • In memoriam: [Sridevi Kapoor]( the widely beloved Bollywood superstar, died at the age of 54 in Dubai, where she was visiting for a wedding. The cause was given as cardiac arrest. ([Watch a trailer for her film “Vinglish.”]( • We like good news as much as anybody. Here’s a roundup of [positive stories we wrote about last week](. • And check out your fellow readers’ answers to the question, [What are you most proud of?]( (Even some of our journalists piled in.) Back Story Ruby Washington/The New York Times “Was it really that bad?” That’s what Arthur Bicknell asked years after his play, a mystery-farce called “Moose Murders,” opened and closed on the same night this month in 1983 — setting a punishing new standard for Broadway flops. “The simple answer,” he [conceded to The Times]( “is yes.” [Reviews at the time]( were brutal. Brendan Gill of The New Yorker said it “would insult the intelligence of an audience consisting entirely of amoebas.” Dennis Cunningham of CBS advised, “If your name is Arthur Bicknell, change it.” (In one account, a woman leaving the theater shouted to a policeman, “Arrest this play!”) Here’s the [Times review]( by Frank Rich, who years later would call it “the worst play I’ve ever seen on a Broadway stage.” In the years since its ill-fated Feb. 22 debut, “Moose Murders” has gained notoriety, if not respect. In 2011, Mr. Bicknell published “[Moose Murdered]( How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Broadway Bomb.”) In fact, there have been “revivals” of “Moose Murders” around the world — and at least one comical twist. In 2007, the Repertory Philippines misidentified the author of the play in its posters and playbills around Manila. Instead of [Mr. Bicknell, it credited The Times’s critic, Mr. Rich](. Charles McDermid contributed reporting. _____ This briefing was prepared for the Asian morning. You can also [sign up]( to get the briefing in the Australian, European or American morning, or to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. Browse our full range of Times newsletters [here](. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [asiabriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:asiabriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Asia)). LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing: Asia Edition newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018