Friday: Why the Trump-Kim meetings collapsed

Pakistan, China, Climate Change View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, March 1, 2019 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Friday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA AND MELINA DELKIC Good morning. President Trump walks away without a North Korea deal, Pakistan offers India a way out of the crisis and fish populations decrease as climate change alters ocean temperatures. Here’s the latest: [President Trump and Kim Jong-un before negotiations crumbled on Thursday.]President Trump and Kim Jong-un before negotiations crumbled on Thursday. Doug Mills/The New York Times What happened at the Trump-Kim meeting? President Trump and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, [failed to reach an agreement]( at their closely watched meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, an abrupt turn of events that underscores the risks of leader-to-leader diplomacy. Mr. Trump said the talks collapsed because North Korea wanted all sanctions lifted in exchange for dismantling some — not all — of its nuclear weapons program. “Sometimes you have to walk,” Mr. Trump said. North Korea’s foreign minister contradicted Mr. Trump’s narrative, saying the North had asked only for some sanctions to be lifted in exchange for “permanently and completely” dismantling an important nuclear facility. Reasons: One expert suggested that there had been [inadequate preparation and that both leaders were too confident]( in their negotiating skills. The White House had been so convinced a deal could be reached that it announced a “signing ceremony” to be held after lunch. And Mr. Kim might have calculated that Mr. Trump would be desperate for a deal after the scathing congressional testimony from his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. What’s next? After such high-level talks fall apart, there are few places to go. North Korea may continue building out its nuclear arsenal, and tensions may rise again. Another angle: The failure presents [a new setback for President Moon Jae-in of South Korea]( whose signature policy vision has been to open up economic cooperation with the North. ______ [Indian Border Security along the border with Pakistan.]Indian Border Security along the border with Pakistan. Raminder Pal Singh/EPA, via Shutterstock Pakistan offers to return Indian pilot Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan would release the captured Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, today, offering both countries [a face-saving way out of a tense crisis]( that left much of the world on edge. Mr. Khan also offered to open negotiations with India to defuse hostilities between the two nuclear-armed nations. Indian officials, however, said that releasing the pilot wouldn’t address the root of the crisis, which they say is Pakistan’s support of terrorist organizations. And some observers believe that the Indian population, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conservative base, has no appetite for more negotiations. Analysis: As the crisis played out — starting from a suicide bombing in Kashmir on Feb. 14 to the downing of at least one Indian jet — Pakistan has dominated the narrative, often portraying itself as the level-headed one of the two countries. The propaganda battle is beginning to take a toll on Mr. Modi, who is up for re-election this year and is now being accused by some of military adventurism. Background: This flare up once again brought into focus [the uncomfortable relationship that India and Pakistan have shared]( since partition in 1947 and the significance of the disputed Kashmir region that straddles both countries. ______ [President Xi Jinping of China shaking hands with employees of China Central Television, which also runs CGTN America.]President Xi Jinping of China meeting with employees of China Central Television, which also runs CGTN America. Ma Zhancheng/Xinhua, via Associated Press A Chinese broadcast network in the U.S. comes under scrutiny [The China Global Television Network America]( reaches 30 million households in the U.S., from an office just four blocks away from the White House. It employs about 180 journalists, many of them American. The newsroom’s operations are typical, except when it comes to news about China. Coverage of official policy is uniformly positive, and sensitive stories, like the imprisonment of the Uighur ethnic minority group, are either briefly covered or completely banned. The network is the international arm of China Central Television, Beijing’s main propaganda organ. But when U.S. authorities asked CGTN America about its ties to the government, the network insisted that Beijing didn’t tell it what to broadcast — a claim difficult to believe, and possibly illegal to make. Background: After Russian efforts to influence in the 2016 election, U.S. officials stepped up efforts to monitor all such foreign campaigns. And the U.S. is generally increasing scrutiny of Chinese companies, particularly amid the trade war. ______ [A fresh catch at the port of Sakaiminato, Japan.]A fresh catch at the port of Sakaiminato, Japan. Yuri Smityuk\TASS, via Getty Images Fish populations shrink as oceans warm Fish stocks are shrinking globally as a result of climate change, putting a key source of food and income for millions around the world at risk, [according to a new study]( published in the journal Science. The amount of seafood humans could sustainably harvest decreased by 4.1 percent — 1.4 million metric tons — from 1930 to 2010, according to the research, which examined 235 fish populations in 38 ecological regions around the globe. The study was among the first to look at historical data to determine that fish declines have already begun. High ocean temperatures can kill off both the fish themselves and the sources of food they depend on. Hardest hit: Declines were as much as 35 percent in the northeast Atlantic and the Sea of Japan. East Asia is home to some of the fastest growing human populations and ones that are highly dependent on seafood. Recourse: Guarding against overfishing and improving the overall management of fisheries can help, the researchers said, but slowing or halting climate change would have much broader benefits. ______ Here’s what else is happening Afghanistan: All American military forces would gradually [withdraw from the country over the next three to five years]( under a new Pentagon plan being discussed in peace talks with the Taliban. The Afghan government, which would share power with the militant group under the deal, has been left out of the talks. U.S.: The economy cooled at the end of 2018, [growing by 2.6 percent](. That’s a significant slowdown from the tax cut-fueled growth rate of 4 percent in the middle of the year, and there are signs of further deceleration to come. Immigrant children: The U.S. government received more than [4,500 complaints in four years about sexual abuse]( of children held at detention facilities, including an increase in complaints during the Trump administration’s family separations at the border. [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem last month.]Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem last month. Pool photo by Abir Sultan Israel: The attorney general announced [plans to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]( on bribery, fraud and breach of trust, the local news media reported. The case would be the culmination of a two-year investigation into Mr. Netanyahu’s dealings with wealthy businessmen, newspaper publishers and more, and he would be the first sitting prime minister to be indicted if the case proceeds. British climber: A mountaineer whose mother was the first woman to summit Mount Everest solo and his Italian climbing partner have disappeared [while climbing Nanga Parbat in Pakistan]( a high peak nicknamed “killer mountain.” They were last heard from on Sunday. Huawei: A video circulating on Chinese social media features a chorus of children [dancing and singing the praises of the technology company](. Huawei, which has been busy trying to fix its image overseas, says it has nothing to do with the video. Michael Jackson: A new HBO documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” explores the stories of two men who accuse the pop star of sexually abusing them for years. [Our critic Wesley Morris]( wrestles with their stories and his own fandom of the star. Rembrandt: No one had spotted any [unknown paintings by the Dutch master]( for four decades. Then the scion of a storied Amsterdam family said he found two, setting off a feud in the international art world. A day at The Times: Fifty years ago, “A Day in the Life of The New York Times,” a 230-page book, chronicled 24 hours at the Gray Lady. The anniversary inspired us to take look at how we operate today, drawing on [editors and reporters around the world]( to give you a detailed look at how our report comes together on many platforms alongside the print newspaper. ______ Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Recipe of the day: Cauliflower gets the adobo treatment in [this vegetarian dish](. When you’re cleaning out your closet, selling, donating or recycling the old clothes is [better for the environment]( than just tossing them. How to keep feeling fresh [on long, strenuous travel days](. Back Story Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was born 115 years ago Saturday. He had a unique take on the English language. His inventive use of rhythm and rhyme is at once ridiculous and intoxicating to children and parents alike. [Theodor Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, shaking hands with the Cat in the Hat in 1988.]Theodor Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, shaking hands with the Cat in the Hat in 1988. Burt Steel/Associated Press His titles have sold a staggering 650 million copies in more than 45 languages — including Latin, Hebrew and Catalan — and are available in 110 countries. This global expansion came with a tricky obstacle: how to translate him. “The challenge is staying true to the original books while being sensitive to the local market,” says Susan Brandt, the president of [Dr. Seuss Enterprises](. “And not lose the magic.” The solution? Hire local poets to work with translators. That’s how “Snuvs” from “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!” became “lhufas” in Portuguese, and “Hakken-Kraks’” from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” became “Scracchi Stridenti" in Italian. And [as for Sam I Am? In Spanish, he’s Juan Ramón]( and he’s obsessed with huevos verdes con jamón. Karen Thorne, a content strategist, 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](. ADVERTISEMENT 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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