Your Tuesday Briefing

Myanmar, Bird Flu, North Korea | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, August 28, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Tuesday Briefing]( By CHARLES MCDERMID Good morning. Calls for justice for the Rohingya, bird flu as hostage and North Korea’s ire. Here’s what you need to know: Adam Dean for The New York Times • Calls for genocide charges in Myanmar. The country’s top military officials should face trial in an international court for genocide against Rohingya Muslims and for crimes against humanity targeting other ethnic minorities, [a U.N. panel said]( a yearlong investigation](. The panel detailed military campaigns involving atrocities that “undoubtedly amount to the gravest crimes under international law” and said that Myanmar’s civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and other civilian authorities “contributed to the commission of atrocity crimes” by failing to use their positions to stop them. [In a video op-ed]( Fortify Rights, a nonprofit organization based in Southeast Asia, presents raw images of atrocities that Rohingya refugees gathered on their cellphones. And the verdict was postponed in Myanmar’s closely watched prosecution of [two Reuters reporters accused of breaching]( the Official Secrets Act while they investigated a massacre. Saying the judge was ill, a court official said the verdict would come Sept. 3. _____ Caitlin O'Hara for The New York Times • An outpouring for John McCain. Tributes came from his adopted state of Arizona, above, [across the nation and around the world]( for Mr. McCain, the Republican senator who died of brain cancer on Saturday. President Trump, who had battled Mr. McCain over the direction of the country, finally broke his silence with a message of respect, and the White House, which had returned the American flag to full-staff on Monday, but was [pressured to put it back]( half-staff](. Mr. McCain appeared to have planned to have the last word. A close aide issued [a pointed statement from the senator]( which said in part: “We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down.” _____ Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • An unexpected hostage. As the U.S. and China spar over trade, some scientists worry that the vital exchange of medical supplies and information could slow, hampering preparedness for the next biological threat. It may have already started: For over a year, [the Chinese government has withheld lab samples of a dangerous virus]( — a type of bird flu called H7N9 — from the U.S., where specimens are needed to develop vaccines and treatments. A disease specialist at Harvard Medical School warned that the American “ability to protect against infections which can spread globally within days” was being undermined. _____ Pool photo by Gregorio Borgias • “I will not say a single word about this.” In a news conference on the papal plane back to Rome, Pope Francis sidestepped questions about a claim by a former Vatican ambassador that he helped cover up abuse allegations against an American cardinal in 2013. [“I believe the statement speaks for itself,” he said.]( “And you have the sufficient journalistic ability to make your conclusions.” [Watch the video.]( The unsubstantiated allegations and personal attacks amounted to an extraordinary public declaration of war by traditionalists at a particularly vulnerable moment in Francis’ papacy. _____ David Gray/Reuters • Australia’s new era. Malcolm Turnbull will resign from Parliament on Friday. Among those lining up to vie for the former prime minister’s seat [in the Sydney electorate of Wentworth]( is Christine Forster, the sister of another former prime minister, Tony Abbott. Scott Morrison (above with his family), who took Mr. Turnbull’s post last week in a Liberal Party feud, has talked openly and often about [his evangelical Christian faith — a rarity in Australian politics](. His critics, our correspondent writes, “have questioned both his readiness for the top job, and how he could reconcile his faith with some of his stances, like his hard-line views on immigration.” Business • Reviving Nafta: The U.S. and Mexico agreed to revise key portions of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement — but it’s complicated. Canada is still on the sidelines, [and many issues are unresolved](. • The Pentagon, perhaps to compete with China’s strategy, says [artificial intelligence is a national priority]( and has called on the White House to “inspire a whole of country effort.” The question: What’s Silicon Valley’s role? • Russia is [unveiling a floating nuclear power plant]( that proponents say could be cheaper and safer, and that could be a weapon against climate change. It also has its skeptics. • U.S. stocks [were up](. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • The top U.S. air commander in the Middle East urged the Saudi-led coalition to be more transparent about an airstrike this month in Yemen that killed more than 40 children. “They need to come out and say what occurred there.” [[The New York Times]( • The developer of the huge Forest City complex on four man-made islands in Iskandar Malaysia pushed back against Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s comments that foreign buyers would not be allowed to invest there. About two-thirds of buyers are from China. [[Today]( • North Korean state media criticized the U.S. for “extremely provocative and dangerous military moves” in Pacific waters in its first comments since President Trump canceled his secretary of state’s planned visit this week. [[The New York Times]( • North Korea will expel a Japanese tourist accused of a crime, saying the decision was based “on the principle of humanitarianism.” [[The New York Times]( • In South Korea, a special counsel found that an ally of President Moon Jae-in conspired in an illegal attempt to rig an opinion poll and influence public opinion ahead of his election. [[The New York Times]( • More on a “yoga ball killing”: An overview of a Hong Kong trial in which a Malaysian anesthesiologist is accused of using an exercise ball filled with carbon monoxide to kill his wife and daughter. [[The New York Times]( • Tennis, anyone? The U.S. Open started with an upset: a loss by top-ranked Simona Halep. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Linda Xiao for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Liven up [a salmon dinner with a bright coleslaw]( using ginger, lemon and scallion. • It’s never too early to plan for retirement. [Even if you’re a high schooler](. • Give your kids some culture. And a vacation. [Simultaneously](. Noteworthy Poras Chaudhary for The New York Times • Wedding-shopping adventures in India: [A bride-to-be returns to]( Delhis]( New and Old, to shop for her wedding in a bumpy, smog-filled trip, in-laws in tow. Her goal: “to reflect our distinctly American way of life, while nodding to our heritage.” • Honeybees are hurting. Nature’s dominant pollinator is under siege, straining the business of agriculture. Now farmers are turning to [alternative species to help pollinate their crops](. • And there is almost certainly ice on the moon, [new research shows](. The ice — very muddy, mixed with lunar dust — is inside craters near the north and south poles. But we still don’t know how deep it goes, or how exactly it got there. Back Story San Diego Zoo The world’s first female zoo director, Belle Benchley, was born on this day in 1882. In 1925, Ms. Benchley was recently divorced and looking for a job in order to provide for her son. A former teacher, she landed a temporary job as a bookkeeper at the San Diego Zoo, which had opened in 1916 and was growing. The job turned into a tenure of more than a quarter century that would permanently [change the now-famous institution](. She quickly began to do more than her job description required, sometimes [instinctively identifying sick animals]( even before keepers or veterinarians did. The zoo’s founder, [Dr. Harry Wegeforth]( offered her the top job of executive secretary in 1927. “You might as well run the place,” [he reportedly told her]( “because you’re already doing it anyway.” At the time, she was the only female zoo director in the world. During the more than 25 years she spent on the job, Ms. Benchley wrote four books, wrote and edited the zoo’s magazine, “Zoonooz,” and became the American Zoological Association’s first female president. “The Zoo Lady” [retired in 1953]( at age 70. In 1972, Ms. Benchley died in San Diego, where she was buried. Her gravestone features [the face of a smiling gorilla](. Claire Moses wrote today’s Back Story. _____ This briefing was prepared for the Asian morning . [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, European or American morning. You can also 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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