Your Friday Briefing

Apple, Paul Manafort, Pope Francis | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, August 3, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Friday Briefing]( By PENN BULLOCK Good morning. The prospect of dirtier cars in the U.S., an interview cut short in China, and a policy change from the pope. Here’s what you need to know: Jim Wilson/The New York Times • The Trump administration released a proposal to [drastically weaken Obama-era rules]( that would have sharply increased auto fuel efficiency and therefore reduced greenhouse gas emissions from one of the world’s largest producers. A mix of state governments, environmentalists and consumer groups is fighting the plan. And even the automakers who had complained about the expense of raising fuel efficiency plan to lobby for changes, fearing that legal challenges could leave them in limbo, or split the domestic market into more and less stringent sectors. The administration sought to emphasize that lighter, more efficient cars would be more dangerous in crashes, but [experts dispute that](. _____ Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press • The trillion-dollar company. In 1997, Apple was on the verge of running out of cash. Two decades later, the company is unimaginably flush, reaching a [market capitalization of $1 trillion](. That’s just $200 billion shy of Australia’s entire annual economic output. The company was propelled to planetary dominance by the vision of its late co-founder, Steve Jobs, and by smash-hit products like the iPod and then the iPhone. Above, Mr. Jobs’s successor, Tim Cook. But let’s not forget cheap global labor — much of it in China, now embroiled in a trade war with the U.S. that could affect Apple’s supply chain. And, as one analyst put it, “The question going forward is: Can Apple continue to innovate?” _____ Atul Loke for The New York Times • “A culture of death is spreading across Kashmir.” Our reporter found resentment of India at every corner in the disputed territory, neighbors turning against neighbors. Imran Khan, Pakistan’s presumed new prime minister, says he wants to end the nuclear-tipped struggle with India over control of the predominantly Muslim region. But Kashmiris are smoldering with anger as India veers increasingly into Hindu nationalism and brings down an iron fist on separatists, who are lionized by locals. _____ Erin Schaff for The New York Times • President Trump wants to talk. He is [eager to sit down for an interview]( with investigators for the special counsel Robert Mueller, several people familiar with the matter told our reporters, even though his lawyers advise against it. Mr. Trump is confident that he can exonerate himself of any suspicions that he colluded with Russia in the 2016 election or obstructed justice. And the [tax and money-laundering trial]( of Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, above, is shining a light on [a lucrative Washington sideline]( that of American consultants doing the bidding of foreign clients. Such lobbying was on full display with the Chinese tech giant ZTE, which hired Washington guns to [beat back U.S. sanctions](. _____ “It’s illegal for you to come to my home. I have my freedom of speech!” Sun Wenguang, a veteran Chinese rights activist in his 80s, [protested as police officers burst into his home]( during a live TV interview with Voice of America Mandarin. The telephone line soon went dead, and Mr. Sun could not be reached again. “This is the status quo of human rights in China,” the host said. But the [#MeToo phenomenon is proving resilient]( Two female monks this week accused a powerful Buddhist official, the Venerable Xuecheng, of sexual harassment. In denying the allegations, the official has been helped by China’s state censorship apparatus, which is scrubbing any mention of the scandal. _____ Business Roman Pilipey/European Pressphoto Agency, via via Shutterstock • Starbucks, under pressure from new competitors in China, [announced a partnership]( with the tech giant Alibaba aimed at streamlining deliveries. • The Bank of England raised interest rates to their [highest levels in nearly a decade]( seeking to tamp down inflation and prepare for Britain’s exit from the E.U. • ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest — and only truly global — steel maker, saw its profits [rise to $1.9 billion in the second quarter]( as U.S. tariffs drove up prices. • U.S. stocks [were mixed](. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Andreas Solaro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Unacceptable in all cases: Pope Francis declared the death penalty “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” a categorical revision of Roman Catholic teaching that could put pressure on Catholic lawmakers and politicians around the world. [[The New York Times]( • At least three people were killed during protests in Zimbabwe’s capital, as demonstrators called the national vote a sham and armed soldiers swept the streets. [[The New York Times]( • Gone: Minutes after the Fields Medal — the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in mathematics — was awarded to a former refugee, the golden prize was stolen in Brazil. (Among the three other winners was the Australian Akshay Venkatesh.) [[The New York Times]( • A court in the Maldives cleared two men in the disappearance of a dissident journalist, an outcome that the country’s opposition leader condemned. The missing journalist, Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, had criticized the authoritarian government and the spread of radical Islam in the small island nation. [[The New York Times]( • Test tampering: A news investigation found that Tokyo Medical University lowered women’s scores on entrance exams to suppress their enrollment. [[The Yomiuri Shimbun]( • A South Korean pastor was arrested in Seoul amid accusations that she stranded 400 followers in Fiji, where they had been subjected to violent rituals. [[The Guardian]( • “Excessive”: A Chinese provincial government criticized a local effort to make cremation universal for the dead, during which thousands of coffins were destroyed and at least one corpse was exhumed. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky. • Recipe of the day: [This simple preparation]( keeps salmon’s richness in check with jalapeño. • How to [revive a friendship](. • Don’t let your phone [ruin your vacation](. Noteworthy David Rama Terrazas Morales for The New York Times • Markets, elephants and temples are the mainstays of Chiang Mai, the 700-year-old city in Thailand’s north. But [now there are new draws]( contemporary art and chic hotels, plus ambitious upstart restaurants and a buzzing bar district. • Matti, a socially awkward stick figure in a Finnish cartoon series, is [becoming a kind of hero]( to China’s introverts. “As an anthropophobic, I love this series so much,” a college student in Shenzen says. • Good dog? An experiment involving 34 dogs of various breeds tested whether they would push through a door to “save” their owners. The results were … mixed. [Watch the video here.]( Back Story Rick Bowmer/Associated Press If anyone could prove that age is nothing but a number, it was Maggie Kuhn. The activist and founder of the [Gray Panthers]( an American advocacy organization for the elderly, was born on this day in Buffalo in 1905. In 1970, after working for the Presbyterian Church in New York for a quarter of a century, Miss Kuhn retired, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. As a result, she worked with fellow retirees to start a group that would be called the Gray Panthers (a reference to [the Black Panthers]( which worked to [bridge the gap between the young and the old]( and addressed other social issues. Miss Kuhn [remained involved with the organization]( until [her death at age 89 in 1995](. “I’m an old woman,” she told The Times in 1972. “I have gray hair, many wrinkles and arthritis in both hands. And I celebrate my freedom from bureaucratic restraints that once held me.” She embraced her age and was unapologetic about it. On her 85th birthday, [she told a group of seniors in Vermont in 1991]( “I made a sacred vow that I would do something outrageous, at least once a week.” Claire Moses wrote today’s Back Story. _____ This briefing was prepared for the Asian morning. You can also [sign up]( to get the briefing in the Australian, European or American morning. [Sign up here]( 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](. 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