Thursday: The power of China's internet users

Nissan, Brexit, Thanksgiving View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, November 22, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( ADVERTISEMENT Asia Edition [Your Thursday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA Good morning. The Chinese internet takes on an Italian fashion label, the British prime minister heads to Brussels and Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Here’s what you need to know: Ng Han Guan/Associated Press • Dolce & Gabbana feels China’s wrath. The Italian luxury brand canceled a Shanghai fashion show after [waves of online Chinese users]( accused the company and one of the designers, Stefano Gabbana, of being racist. It started with an ad on Instagram showing a Chinese woman trying to eat cannoli with chopsticks — a post that many found patronizing. Then commenters got an unexpected response: crude private messages from Mr. Gabbana. The brand said its Instagram account and Mr. Gabbana’s had been hacked. But that explanation didn’t convince everyone. The controversy showcased how China’s voluble online audience can quickly punish companies, especially foreign ones, when they offend — a fact that many brands have learned the hard way. Above, a Dolce & Gabbana store in Beijing. Our special series on China: Here’s a look at how [China’s internet has thrived]( and a list of [other takeaways]( from our [in-depth report](. _____ John Thys/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Theresa May heads to Brussels. The British prime minister is meeting with the European Commission president, both pictured above, to finalize a political declaration of Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with the E.U. Her trip to Brussels comes after attempts to unseat Mrs. May [melted away]( in Britain. The political declaration is one of two required documents when a country leaves the European bloc. The other is the withdrawal agreement that Mrs. May’s cabinet reluctantly approved last week. On Sunday, European leaders are widely expected to approve both documents, which would bring Britain one step closer to its divorce with the E.U. _____ Tom Brenner for The New York Times • President Trump wanted to prosecute Hillary Clinton and James Comey. The president sought to order the Justice Department to prosecute two of his political adversaries, [our journalists learned]( but the White House counsel warned him the move could lead to impeachment. The encounter was one of the most blatant examples yet of how Mr. Trump views the typically independent Justice Department as a tool to be wielded against his political enemies. Separately, Mr. Trump’s lawyers have [submitted his written answers to the special counsel]( Robert Mueller, about Russia’s 2016 election interference. “It is time to bring this inquiry to a conclusion,” his lawyers said. Here’s how [the investigation could play out]( for Mr. Trump. → Also: [Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court]( defended the independence of the judiciary, a rebuke to President Trump who attacked a ruling by an “Obama judge.” _____ William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Saying goodbye to Sisto Malaspina. Earlier this month, a Somali-born man set his car on fire in Melbourne and attacked random bystanders with a knife. He injured two people and killed one man: Sisto Malaspina. Mr. Malaspina, commemorated above, was an immigrant, too, from Italy. And he is widely credited as the man who [brought Australia’s cafe culture to life](. He took over the iconic Pellegrini’s cafe in 1972, helping to usher in Melbourne’s European-style devotion to pleasure. His life and killing, which the police are treating as an act of terrorism, encapsulate Australia’s hopes and fears around immigration, writes our food columnist Besha Rodell. _____ Business Michel Euler/Associated Press • Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s chairman, above, [will spend at least another 10 days in Japanese custody]( though he hasn’t been charged with a crime. He was arrested after Nissan found he had underreported his income, and the company’s board meets today to consider removing him. • Sweden is quickly moving toward being [completely cashless](. But financial authorities are trying to slow the trend as the government grapples with what it means for society. • U.S. stocks [rebounded]( after two days of a slump that wiped out gains from 2018. Hard-hit tech stocks rallied. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. U.S. markets are closed today for the Thanksgiving holiday. In the News Ludovic Marin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Museums in France should return culturally significant African objects taken during the colonial period, according to a report commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron. [[The New York Times]( • A South Korean police veteran, Kim Jong-yang, was elected as Interpol’s new president. He beat out a Russian front-runner whom many Western diplomats lobbied against, concerned about the independence of the international policing organization. [[The New York Times]( • An American tourist was killed with bows and arrows on a remote Indian island by an isolated tribe that is known to be hostile to outsiders. [[The New York Times]( • More than 1,000 pieces of plastic, including flip flops and cups, were found inside a dead whale that washed ashore in Indonesia, the world’s second largest plastic waste producer. [[The New York Times]( • A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, docked in Hong Kong, which is being interpreted as a sign of easing tensions between the U.S. and China. [[CNN]( Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Anna Williams for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Get into the Thanksgiving spirit with an [apple ombré pie](. • There are benefits [to sharing your salary](. • A few simple steps can [keep your pets safe]( during the holidays. Noteworthy Christopher Testani for The New York Times • Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving today. Here’s the feast that our food writer [Melissa Clark]( cooks up for her family. • Looking for something fun to do? Our games team has opened up the new [Spelling Bee]( puzzle to nonsubscribers for the week. • In South Korea, our 52 Places traveler [found both old and new]( a monk in a cliff-top temple — and a gloriously gaudy water park. Back Story Mario Tama/Getty Images They called it [Ellis Island West](. Nearly 40,000 immigrants became U.S. citizens in a flurry of ceremonies that culminated on this day in 1985. The new Americans came from Mexico, Vietnam, Cuba, Morocco, Sri Lanka and over a hundred other countries. They were sworn in just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving. Ceremonies were held in shifts in the Los Angeles Convention Center. [The two-week sprint]( accounted for about a sixth of the 240,000 people naturalized that year. Chief Justice Warren Burger of the Supreme Court led a similar [mass naturalization]( the following year, with thousands taking citizenship oaths in simultaneous ceremonies around the country. They were anchored by a televised event on Ellis Island itself. Chief Justice Burger emphasized that the “great Lady of Liberty faces not the West, to our land, but out to the sea as a welcome to those who seek our kind of freedom.” Above, a more recent naturalization ceremony. Nadav Gavrielov wrote today’s Back Story. _____ Your Morning Briefing is off for a few days. We’ll be back Wednesday, Nov. 28. Stay caught up in the meantime by visiting [nytimes.com](. 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. 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