Your Thursday Briefing

Fan Bingbing, Australia, Indonesia View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, October 4, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( ADVERTISEMENT Asia Edition [Your Thursday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA Good morning. China’s high-profile crackdown, Australia’s cancer victory, Priyanka Chopra’s latest venture. Here’s what you need to know: Emma Mcintyre/Getty Images • Fan Bingbing becomes the face of a crackdown. She is China’s most famous actress, with roles in “X-Men” and “Iron Man” and branding deals with Louis Vuitton and Mont Blanc. Her months-long disappearance from public view was breathlessly reported, as were rumours of a government investigation. So when authorities accused her of dodging taxes and [fined her nearly $70 million]( on Wednesday, they also sent a broader signal. The government is stepping up enforcement of tax evasion, which is rampant in China and an increasingly urgent problem in a slowing economy. The investigation also reflects China’s sensitivity to the influence its stars’ behavior can have — for better or worse — on public opinion. In June, authorities enforced a [cap on salaries of actors]( criticizing the film industry for “distorting social values.” _____ David Maurice Smith for The New York Times • Australia’s cancer victory. The country is on track to [eliminate cervical cancer]( in the next two decades, thanks to a government program to vaccinate children against the cancer-causing human papillomavirus, or HPV. The national health care system first introduced the vaccine in 2007. Now Australia has one of the world’s lowest cervical cancer rates, and by 2028, the cancer could effectively be wiped out as a public health problem. Above, Ian Frazer, co-creator of the vaccine. The country also [got rid of a 10 percent tax]( on tampons and other female sanitary products that were once considered luxury items. _____ Adam Dean for The New York Times • What went wrong in Indonesia? As the death toll continues to rise on Sulawesi Island — [to 1,407 on Wednesday]( — officials are trying to understand why an early warning system for earthquakes and tsunamis failed to protect the island. The system was set up in 2008, with seismographic sensors, buoys and tidal gauges. But a combination of [vandalism, maintenance shortfalls and infrastructure damaged by the earthquake]( meant residents didn’t receive enough warning to evacuate. _____ Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times • Threats to private businesses in China. China’s private sector accounts for nearly two-thirds of the country’s growth. But private businesses are concerned that the government [may be stepping back from the free]( pro-business policies]( that transformed China into the world’s second-largest economy. The signs are there: increased regulation, higher taxes and the growing strength of state-owned companies. Above, an office complex displaying government propaganda. “If a trend forms and no one dares to criticize it,” a retired government minister warned, “the consequences will be terrible.” And that’s without a trade war with the U.S. Speaking of which,we mapped all China’s retaliatory tariffs — showing how they could hit [President Trump’s voters.]( _____ Business Rebecca Smeyne for The New York Times • Priyanka Chopra is a tech investor, too. The actor is one of the few female celebrities wading into Silicon Valley, with a focus on companies trying to make a social impact and [founded by women](. • Honda will buy a $750 million stake in [General Motors’ autonomous vehicles unit]( Cruise Holdings. • Japan, South Korea and China joined Western nations agreeing to [a 16-year moratorium on commercial fishing]( in much of the Arctic. • Aston Martin, the British luxury carmaker, had a disappointing first day of trading on the London Stock Exchange, with [shares falling below the initial public offering price](. • U.S. stocks [were up](. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. Markets in China are closed today. In the News Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters • The International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest court, ordered the U.S. to ease sanctions against Iran. The ruling, though legally binding, is unenforceable. [[The New York Times]( • The wife of Najib Razak, Malaysia’s disgraced former prime minister, was arrested and is expected to be charged today with money laundering. [[The New York Times]( • Myanmar’s leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, had her honorary Canadian citizenship revoked over her inaction in the Rohingya Muslim crisis, which Canada called a genocide. [[The New York Times]( • India deported seven Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, an act the U.N. called a violation of international law. [[Reuters]( • A notorious French armed robber who dramatically escaped from a prison near Paris by helicopter has been recaptured, local officials said. [[The New York Times]( • Need a drink?: A bottle of Macallan whisky was auctioned off for around $1.1 million, a record price. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Want to eat more fish? You can’t do better than [pairing it with shiitakes]( and the combination of garlic, ginger and scallions. • Do you use Facebook to log into other apps? [Here’s why you shouldn’t]( do that. • 5 cheap(ish) things to help you [start packing your lunch](. Noteworthy NASA • “Earthrise” is the first color photograph of our magnificent planet from space and still one of the best-known. [The astronauts who captured it]( share the story of how they got the iconic shot in a short documentary. • Little is known about the tennis umpire who got into a heated exchange with Serena Williams at the U.S. Open last month. We pieced together the rise of [Carlos Ramos]( from being an average player in Portugal to sitting eight feet above Grand Slam finals. • In memoriam: Do Muoi, the Vietnamese leader who [steered the country from Communism]( to a market economy open to the rest of the world. He was 101. Back Story William E. Sauro/The New York Times Dan Rather, a longtime American television news anchor, above, was returning from dinner at a friend’s Manhattan apartment on this day in 1986[when a man demanded, “Kenneth, what is the frequency?”]( Told he had the wrong person, the man[punched and kicked Mr. Rather]( still yelling the question. Mr. Rather dashed into a building and was rescued by a doorman and building superintendent. The police chalked it up to mistaken identity. Some people wondered if Mr. Rather had imagined it. It was unclear if one or two men had attacked. Meanwhile, “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” became a U.S. pop catchphrase.[The band R.E.M. wrote a song by that name](. In 1997, it emerged that[William Tager, a North Carolina man already in prison]( was Mr. Rather’s assailant. In 1994, Mr. Tager had shot and killed a television stagehand, saying the media was beaming messages into his brain. Shown photos, Mr. Rather recognized him. Mr. Tager was released from prison in 2010. His whereabouts is unknown. Nancy Wartik 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](. 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