Tuesday: More questions on the U.S.-China trade truce

Qatar, Ted Baker, Popeye View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, December 4, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( ADVERTISEMENT Asia Edition [Your Tuesday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA Good morning. The U.S. and China remain divided on trade, Qatar leaves the oil cartel and Popeye makes a comeback. Here’s the latest: China Network, via Reuters • Mixed messages on trade after the G-20. [Markets in Asia and the U.S. rallied]( after a truce in the U.S.-China trade war, which both President Trump and President Xi Jinping claimed as wins for their countries. But optimism was [tempered by doubts]( that the fragile cease-fire would put the dispute between the world’s two largest economies to rest permanently. The leaders spoke about the move in different ways. Mr. Trump announced in a tweet that China would [“reduce and remove” tariffs on American-made cars]( which make up about 1 percent of its market. But it’s unclear that China had indeed agreed. Above, a car factory in China. The Trump administration also said China would [crack down on the supply of fentanyl]( which has helped drive America’s opioid crisis. But Beijing offered few specifics to differentiate this promise from earlier ones. _____ Franck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Qatar leaves OPEC. The tiny Persian Gulf state announced it would [withdraw from the oil cartel in January]( after nearly six decades in the group, and focus on its natural gas business. Above, an oil refinery in Qatar’s capital city of Doha. Though Qatar is the smallest contributor, producing about 2 percent of OPEC’s total output, the move hinted at possible tensions within. Last summer, Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations imposed a travel and trade boycott on Qatar for allegedly financing terrorism, charges that the Qataris deny. Qatar has since gone its own way, doubling down on its ties with Turkey and Iran. The country’s energy minister didn’t specify the feud as a reason for leaving, but he did take a jab at Saudi Arabia and its clout in OPEC. “We are not saying we are getting out of the oil business,” he said. “But it is controlled by an organization managed by a country.” → Separately: The [C.I.A. has evidence]( that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, communicated with a key aide around the time that a team believed to have been under the aide’s command assassinated Jamal Khashoggi. _____ Eranga Jayawardena/Associated Press • Sri Lanka’s political crisis continues. A Sri Lankan court issued a temporary order preventing the disputed prime minister from holding office, [the latest twist in a political drama]( that has bought the island nation to a standstill. President Maithripala Sirisena ousted his prime minister and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, above, a popular former leader who has been accused of human rights abuses. The move set off protests in the streets of Colombo and fist fights in Parliament. Amid the chaos, Mr. Rajapaksa — who has some powers outside the parliamentary process — has been trying to woo the public, announcing plans for lower fuel prices and income taxes. One of his populist gestures has particularly angered public health experts: [a 40 percent reduction to a tax on sugary drinks]( which critics say could lead to increases in diabetes and obesity. _____ Katie Orlinsky for The New York Times • A hunt for oil threatens Alaska’s wilderness. The federally protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, pictured above, home to migrating caribou and about [900 polar bears]( remains pristine. It also sits on what is believed to be the biggest untapped onshore trove of oil in North America. The Trump administration, working with Republicans in Congress and an influential Alaska Native corporation, [is quickly clearing the way for oil exploration]( there. Protections are unraveling with extraordinary speed as Republicans move to lock in drilling opportunities before the 2020 presidential election. Within months, trucks could be conducting tests across the tundra — though actual oil production would be a decade or more away. Here are [six takeaways]( from our investigation. P.S.: The energy giant [Royal Dutch Shell]( is set to tie executive pay to carbon reduction. The company called climate change “one of the greatest systemic risks facing society today.” _____ Business Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images • Ted Baker’s founder and chief executive, [Ray Kelvin]( above, has been accused of sexual harassment by current and former employees. In a signed petition, employees also said the British fashion chain’s H.R. department ignored complaints about the behavior. • TikTok, the video-sharing app from the Chinese company ByteDance, might be “the only truly pleasant social network in existence,” [writes our business columnist](. (In China, there’s a domestic version called Douyin.) • In Opinion: Members of certain castes, along with other Indian minorities, are regularly harassed on Twitter by right-wing troll armies. The platform needs to do more to protect its most vulnerable users in its fastest growing market, [writes one Dalit activist](. • U.S. stocks [were up](. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Lillian Suwanrumpha/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, above, joked about using marijuana to stay awake at official events, a comment that critics called insensitive when thousands of people have died in his brutal war on drugs. [[The New York Times]( • A Philippine journalist critical of Mr. Duterte turned herself in to the authorities. Maria Ressa and her news organization, Rappler, deny accusations of tax evasion, which they say are part of a broader attack on the news media. [[The New York Times]( • Protests continued in France, as the government grappled with a weekend of violent demonstrations by the grass-roots “Yellow Vests” movement. [[France24]( • The Chinese government is encouraging people to tone down increasingly extravagant wedding rituals, which authorities said reflect “rampant money worship” and “declining morality.” [[The South China Morning Post]( • Jackie Chan, in his new memoir, openly talks of excessive drinking, adultery and even domestic abuse. [[The South China Morning Post]( Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Romulo Yanes for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Fry some latkes, then top [the]( potato pancakes]( with sour cream and applesauce. • Track your spending meticulously and you might find habits that are [costing you money](. • The best wine books of 2018, [as recommended by our editors](. Noteworthy King Features Syndicate, Inc. • Popeye the Sailor turns 90 next year, and the spinach-eating cartoon character is making a comeback in [a series of animated shorts on YouTube]( to celebrate. This time, though, he’s more environmentally conscious. • NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft, after a two-year journey, came a little closer to its destination: the [asteroid Bennu]( which scientists believe contains clues on the formation of the solar system. • Albert Einstein, in a brief handwritten note to a German philosopher in 1954, dismissed the word “God” as “the expression of and product of human weakness.” The so-called “God letter” is expected to [fetch up to $1.5 million at auction]( this week. Back Story Howard Burditt/Reuters South Africa is celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela, above, who [died five years ago]( this Wednesday. One highlight: [Beyoncé and Jay-Z headlined]( the Global Citizen Festival, a fund-raiser in his honor in Johannesburg on Sunday. Mandela himself was a passionate fan of music who believed in its transformative powers. “Music is a great blessing,” [he said](. “It has the power to elevate and liberate us. It sets people free to dream.” His musical tastes were far-reaching. He loved traditional Xhosa music; South African artists, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba; opera; and jazz. When he was jailed in 1964, he [sang songs of freedom and protest]( in prison. In 1997, he professed his [love for the Spice Girls](. Mandela inspired countless musicians to write their own tributes, including Brenda Fassie’s “[Black President]( and Hugh Masekela’s “[Mandela (Bring Him Back Home)]( In 2010, the Cape Town Opera held the premiere of “[Mandela Trilogy]( an opera based on his life. Andrew R. Chow 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. 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