Thursday: China tries to turn a desert into a trading hub

Facebook, Alibaba, Climate Change View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, January 31, 2019 [NYTimes.com »]( ADVERTISEMENT Asia Edition [Your Thursday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA Good morning. Venezuela’s president takes a more conciliatory approach, extreme weather affects two corners of the world and China tries to turn a desert into a trading hub. Here’s the latest: [Opposition demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.]Opposition demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela. Juan Barreto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Maduro offers to negotiate As protests broke out in Venezuela again, President Nicolás Maduro said he was [open to sitting down with the opposition]( although it was unclear whether the olive branch was a genuine offer or just a delaying tactic. In an interview with a Russian news agency, Mr. Maduro also rejected calls for a new election. His re-election last year has been widely disputed, and the U.S. and a number of European countries have called for a fresh vote. “If the imperialists want new elections, let them wait until 2025,” he said. In a video, Mr. Maduro warned the U.S. that intervening in his country “would lead to a Vietnam worse than they can imagine.” Background: Over the last week, Juan Guaidó, the leader of the opposition, has received growing recognition around the world as interim president. The U.S., in an effort to oust Mr. Maduro, has also imposed harsh oil sanctions. What’s next? More protests, greater political uncertainty. And some analysts worry that the U.S. sanctions could create [more chaos in an already battered economy](. Another angle: Russia has been supporting Mr. Maduro from the sidelines and splattering blame on the U.S. It is unlikely to do more than that, writes [our Moscow bureau chief](. ______ [Afghan National Army soldiers in Kabul.]Afghan National Army soldiers in Kabul. Omar Sobhani/Reuters An attempt to slow America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in [a letter to President Trump]( offered reducing the costs of keeping U.S. troops in the country in a bid to avoid a hasty American exit. The letter also suggested possibly reducing American troop number to as low as 3,000. Mr. Ghani has made no secret of his anxiety of winding down America’s presence in the country, fearing it could further empower the Taliban. Context: Earlier this week, U.S. diplomats and Taliban representatives have both said they’ve made significant progress in peace talks that offer a blueprint for America’s withdrawal. But the Afghan government has been left out of the loop, frustrating Mr. Ghani. Another angle: President Trump’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan and Syria has critics in the U.S. too, including [Republican lawmakers and intelligence chiefs](. ______ [Kazakhs in mountains above the region China intends to develop.]Kazakhs in mountains above the region China intends to develop. Andrea Frazzetta/Institute for The New York Times Turning the middle of nowhere into a global economic hub The barely inhabited steppes of Central Asia — near the one point on earth farthest from a sea or ocean — are [in for a transformation](. The Chinese government has decided to transform the region that straddles its border with Kazakhstan into the neural control center of its vast, trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. A village there named Khorgos, which its boosters say is poised to become the next Dubai, will soon be the world’s largest dry port — an inland shipping and logistics hub. Background: Beijing has embarked on [an ambitious project to link China to the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Europe]( by a latticed network of trains, highways and shipping corridors. Critics have described the initiative as “debt trap” diplomacy and a new kind of colonialism, lassoing more countries into China’s orbit. One sticking point: Beijing’s detention of hundreds of thousands of Uighur, Kazakhs and other minorities in [internment camps]( in the nearby Xinjiang region has not helped its standing with the Kazakh government. Another angle: China has extended its influence even to Latin America, where it has surpassed the U.S. as the region’s top trading partner. [Soybean imports explain how]( that came to be. ______ [A sunflower starfish in Alaska.]A sunflower starfish in Alaska. Jennifer Idol/Stocktrek Images, via Science Source Warming oceans could be killing off starfish A new study has found that [rising ocean temperatures correlated with the widespread deaths of the sunflower star]( a species of starfish native to the Pacific Ocean. Details: Between 2013 and 2015, the Pacific Ocean became unusually warm. At the same time, millions of starfish started succumbing to a wasting disease. The study found that, in fact, there was a correlation between the two events. Everywhere the ocean warmed, the sunflower stars sickened and died. Background: The ocean, which absorbs 90 percent of atmospheric heat trapped by greenhouse gases, has been [warming faster than previously thought]( which in turn is killing off marine ecosystems, raising sea levels and creating more extreme weather patterns. Speaking of extreme weather: While parts of the U.S. are suffering through a [polar vortex]( wildfires are raging in Australia’s record-breaking heat. Scientists say[climate change could be the culprit](. ______ Here’s what else is happening Facebook: Despite the privacy scandals, the social media company said that its [revenue and profits climbed]( in the most recent quarter as did the number of new users. As for the number of fake accounts, that’s [something that hasn’t added up in the past](. India: On Friday, Amazon and its local competitor, Flipkart, will [hike up prices for or pull thousands of products]( on their platforms, after the Indian government effectively barred them from selling products by affiliated companies. Tesla: The electric-car maker reported [a rise in revenue and vehicle sales]( but anticipated slower sales in America in the next quarter. Alibaba: The e-commerce company — one of the world’s biggest internet businesses — said its [earnings growth fell last quarter]( reflecting wider troubles in the Chinese economy. Carlos Ghosn: The embattled auto executive said in [an interview from a Tokyo jail]( that he was a victim of “plot and treason” by other Nissan leaders for his plans to integrate the company with its alliance partners — Renault and Mitsubishi — “under one holding company.” Apple: The company was first alerted to its [FaceTime bug]( which enables users to eavesdrop on others, a week before it took any action, according to a letter provided to The New York Times. The news raised concerns about Apple’s quality assurances and response times. Philippines: A grenade lobbed into a mosque in the city of Zamboanga [killed two Muslim religious leaders]( the second attack in a matter of days on a place of worship in the country’s restive south. [Commuters in Bangkok, some wearing face masks to protect themselves from air pollution.]Commuters in Bangkok, some wearing face masks to protect themselves from air pollution. Adam Dean for The New York Times Bangkok: Hundreds of schools in the Thai capital are closed for the rest of the week because of [extreme air pollution](. Bangkok is among the 10 cities with the foulest air on the planet; like the other Asian cities that crowd that list, it is afflicted by a toxic mix of unchecked urbanization, rapid industrialization, a car-crazy populace and lax regulations. South Korea: A political ally of President Moon Jae-in was sentenced to two years in prison for [conspiring with a blogger to illegally sway public opinion]( before presidential elections in 2017. No evidence has emerged that Mr. Moon was aware of the effort. Australia: [Indigenous people]( are overcoming the legacy of the country’s racist policies, finding success as entrepreneurs and a path toward combating stereotypes. Iran: The country’s government and entrepreneurs are beginning to realize [the potential of Bitcoin]( which is difficult to trace and could help Iran evade crippling U.S. sanctions. ______ Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times Recipe of the day: Looking for a gluten-free treat? [Flourless cocoa cookies]( will do the trick. A guide to buying couch throws, [winter or summer](. How to save on [your next Apple purchase](. Back Story Where does the term “polar vortex” come from? The word “vortex,” derived from the Latin for “to turn,” has been in use since at least the 1600s, [according to the Oxford English Dictionary](. It’s cited in centuries-old scientific theories to mean a swirl of something around a central axis. The first pairing of “polar” and “vortex” is widely credited to an article published in 1853, in a magazine Charles Dickens edited. The author, John Capper, was a merchant and journalist who lived in what’s now Sri Lanka. [Amid a polar vortex on Wednesday, temperatures in Minneapolis dipped into the minus 30s Celsius.]Amid a polar vortex on Wednesday, temperatures in Minneapolis dipped into the minus 30s Celsius. Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times His article, [“Air Maps,”]( was a somewhat florid account of the state of the relatively new science regarding wind, a crucial factor for nautical travel and trade in the era before marine engines. The patterns of the Earth’s major winds could be tracked, Capper wrote, and one “whirled about the pole in a continued circular gale: at last, reaching the great polar vortex.” These days, we know the polar vortex as [those swirling winds breaking out of the polar region]( bringing frigid temperatures south. James K. Williamson wrote today’s Back Story. ______ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. 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