Thursday: A tipping point for South Korea's #MeToo movement

Venezuela, Carlos Ghosn, Afghanistan View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, January 24, 2019 [NYTimes.com »]( ADVERTISEMENT Asia Edition [Your Thursday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA Good morning. Renault prepares to cut ties with its jailed leader, Venezuela’s opposition challenges President Nicolás Maduro and South Korea’s #MeToo movement gets a boost. Here’s the latest: [Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive of the French carmaker Renault, in 2017.]Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive of the French carmaker Renault, in 2017. Philippe Wojazer/Reuters Carlos Ghosn offers to resign from Renault The French automaker is scheduled to [name a new chief executive and chairman today]( officially severing ties with its longtime leader. Details: Mr. Ghosn’s arrest in Japan on charges of financial misconduct has created a deep divide between Renault and Nissan, where he was also chairman. The push for the leadership change came from the French government, Renault’s largest shareholder, in a bid to save its alliance with the Japanese company — the dominant performer in the partnership. One of the French automaker’s greatest concerns is that Nissan may seek to rebalance the current shareholding structure: Renault owns a 43 percent stake in Nissan, while Nissan holds 15 percent in Renault with no voting rights. In an unusual move, French government officials flew to Tokyo to meet with Japanese officials and Nissan stakeholders last week to try to smooth relations. What’s next? Renault’s nomination committee is expected to recommend Jean-Dominique Senard, chief executive of the French tire maker Michelin, as the new chairman of the board, and Thierry Bolloré of Renault as the new chief executive. ______ [The former South Korean prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun, center, arriving at his trial.]The former South Korean prosecutor Ahn Tae-geun, center, arriving at his trial. Jung Yeon-Je/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A victory for South Korea’s #MeToo movement A former senior prosecutor, Ahn Tae-geun, was [sentenced to two years in prison]( on charges that he abused his power to have a junior prosecutor, Seo Ji-hyeon, transferred after she accused him of sexual misconduct. Background: Last year, Ms. Seo accused Mr. Ahn — once a rising star at the Justice Ministry — of sexually molesting her. She said she had been so traumatized by the abuse that she had a miscarriage. But she said that when she lodged a formal complaint, Mr. Ahn used his influence to have her transferred to an obscure posting in a small provincial city. Mr. Ahn has denied the charges against him. Why it matters: Ms. Seo’s decision to make her accusations public was a highly unusual move in a country where victims of sexual violence have been afraid to speak out, and it encouraged a steady stream of other women to break their silence about alleged sexual abuse. In other South Korea news: A former chief justice of the country’s Supreme Court was arrested on charges of conspiring with the ousted and impeached president, Park Geun-hye. He is [the first former or sitting chief justice to be arrested](. ______ [An Afghan intelligence base after a Taliban attack on Monday.]An Afghan intelligence base after a Taliban attack on Monday. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A retaliatory airstrike in Afghanistan prompts a dispute Afghanistan’s intelligence agency said that the mastermind behind a fatal attack at its base this week had been [killed in an airstrike](. But local residents said the strike had in fact killed civilians. Background: The Taliban packed an armored Humvee with explosives that it detonated at an Afghan intelligence base on Monday, killing at least 40 intelligence personnel and injuring 60 others. It was the deadliest attack against the intelligence agency in the entire war. Details: The intelligence agency said it had determined who orchestrated the attack, a man the agency identified as Commander Noman, and targeted him and seven others in the airstrike. But locals said the strike killed civilians, including a teenager, who were out hunting for food. Go deeper: Hours after the Taliban attack, the group announced they had resumed [peace talks with U.S. officials]( underlining the complexities of winding down America’s presence in the country. Another angle: An Italian physiotherapist has spent the last 30 years in Afghanistan [restoring the limbs, and dignity, of a war-torn nation](. And follow our senior correspondent in Afghanistan [on Instagram]( for scenes on the ground. ______ [Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s political opposition, at anti-government protests in Caracas.]Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s political opposition, at anti-government protests in Caracas. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters Venezuela’s opposition leader declares himself president Juan Guaidó swore himself in as the country’s president as [tens of thousands gathered in anti-government protests]( — the most direct challenge yet to President Nicolás Maduro. President Trump — along with Canada, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay — quickly recognized [Mr. Guaidó]( as the interim leader, adding to the turmoil that has gripped the rapidly deteriorating country. Background: Mr. Maduro’s presidency is teetering after many countries refused to recognize his disputed re-election last year. Under his leadership, the country’s economy has spiraled downward, with hyperinflation reaching one million percent, and food, water and medicine supplies are running low. What’s next? Unclear. There was no immediate sign that Mr. Maduro would give in to pressure and resign. The opposition was hoping that a significant turnout for demonstrations today would persuade the military to break ranks with the president — a crucial step to ousting him. ______ Here’s what else is happening China: The authorities confirmed that [Yang Hengjun]( a well-known writer with Australian citizenship, has been arrested, according to [the Australian Embassy in Beijing]( although the reason for his detention is still unclear. U.S. shutdown: Following a tit-for-tat between President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the State of the Union, the president said he [would look for alternative venues for the speech]( on Tuesday. Ms. Pelosi told him he wasn’t welcome to give the address in the House until the government reopened. [A giant sticky-rice cake being paraded in Siem Reap, Cambodia.]A giant sticky-rice cake being paraded in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Lina Goldberg Cambodia: An “officially amazing” 8,900-pound sticky-rice cake, the world’s longest scarf, the world’s longest dragon boat: These [oddball Guinness World Record achievements]( are part of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s push to get young people excited about his aging regime. Russia: Officials [put a new cruise missile on display]( for a foreign audience for the first time, in an attempt to rebut American accusations that the weapon violates a key nuclear arms accord. But the U.S. argued that inspecting a stationary missile would not prove compliance. Australian Open: Serena Williams [lost to Karolina Pliskova]( the No. 7 seed, after rolling her left ankle. The loss indicates that her 13-month absence from the court [gave her opponents a chance to grow](. And here’s [all our coverage from Melbourne](. Missing soccer player: Emiliano Sala, who had just signed with Cardiff City of the English Premier League, was aboard a [small plane that disappeared]( over the English Channel on Monday, and he and the pilot are feared dead. Sala reportedly sent his friends chilling audio messages from the flight, saying “I’m so afraid.” Chris Brown: The R&B singer was [released without charges]( after he was questioned by the Paris police over a rape accusation, according to the authorities. He later denied the accusations on Instagram. Lunar eclipse: On Sunday and Monday, as the Western Hemisphere looked up to watch the Earth’s shadow cover the moon, some saw a [mysterious flash of light](. The explanation, experts say, is that a tiny meteoroid slammed into the moon’s surface. ______ Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Julia Gartland for The New York Times Recipe of the day: Top [garlicky, herb-flecked rice]( with fried eggs for a deeply satisfying meal. Do you have relatives who are too old to drive? Here’s our [guide to when to hit the brakes](. These new multitasking lipsticks [stay on for hours — and hydrate](. Back Story [The Cairo International Book Fair]( has weathered censorship disputes and violent protests. Only in 2011, during the Arab Spring, was it canceled outright. This year is its 50th incarnation. [Visitors at the 50th Cairo International Book Fair.]Visitors at the 50th Cairo International Book Fair. Khaled Elfiqi/EPA, via Shutterstock As the oldest and largest book fair in the Middle East, it usually attracts at least a million visitors. Many simply want to snap up popular books at discounted prices. This year’s fair is just opening. It features 748 publishers from 35 countries. “I know kids who save up to buy bags worth of books,” said the Egyptian author [Ahdaf Soueif]( (أهداف سويف). But the organizers have been blasted for moving the fair from the city center to a cavernous convention center in the suburbs. Some Egyptians say they can’t afford to reach the new site. Booksellers from a famous secondhand market in central Cairo are boycotting the event. They’ve come up with their own solution — [a rival book fair](. Declan Walsh, our Cairo bureau chief, 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. 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