Your Monday Briefing

London, U.S.S. Fitzgerald, Japan | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, June 19, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By CHARLES MCDERMID Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Toru Hanai/Reuters • Japan and the U.S. are trying to figure out what caused the [lethal collision of a U.S. destroyer, above]( a vast cargo ship]( in a busy shipping lane south of Tokyo. The mystery collision — on a clear night between two ships equipped with advanced detection systems — flooded the destroyer’s sleeping areas, killing at least several U.S. sailors and forcing the crew to scramble to keep the ship, the U.S.S. Fitzgerald, from foundering. The larger cargo ship, the ACX Crystal, was chartered by a Japanese company and registered in the Philippines. _____ Paulo Cunha/European Pressphoto Agency • Portugal declared three days of mourning after [a forest fire killed more than 60 people]( many of them drivers who became trapped in their cars. It was “the worst tragedy in terms of human lives that we’ve known in recent years,” the prime minister said. In London, the death toll from last week’s [inferno at a 24-story public housing project, now 58]( is expected to rise yet higher. The disaster has mushroomed into a political crisis for the fragile government of Prime Minister Theresa May. _____ Al Drago/The New York Times • More conflicting signals emerged from the Trump administration. A member of President Trump’s legal team made the round of Sunday morning talk shows, insisting that Mr. Trump is [not under investigation over Russian meddling]( in the 2016 election, despite Mr. Trump’s tweet to the contrary. It can be tough keeping up with the status of three congressional inquiries into the matter. [Here’s our rundown]( with what’s ahead this week. _____ Jon Chol Jin/Associated Press • North Korea [accused the U.S.]( of “mugging” its diplomats, saying that the Department of Homeland Security confiscated a package from a delegation about to return home from Kennedy Airport. The accusations come at a tense time. An America held by the North for 17 months was [returned home in a coma]( with brain damage, and U.S.prosecutors are seeking $1.9 million in penalties from a Chinese trading firm it accuses of [laundering money for North Korea](. Above, Otto Warmbier, the American freed last week, in 2016. _____ Ted Aljibe/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • In the war zone in the southern Philippines, our correspondent spoke to Christian citizens who hid in a basement for weeks while militants backed by the Islamic State went door to door [killing non-Muslims in the city of Marawi.]( Their accounts illustrate the brutal religious calculus of the militants, but also the heroics of local Muslims who risked their lives to protect Christian friends and workers. _____ Ian Kington/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • And at the intersection of sports and politics: [Pakistan shocked its archrival India]( to win cricket’s Champions Trophy in London, and [Russia beat New Zealand 2-0]( in soccer’s Confederations Cup in St. Petersburg. Here’s our coverage of [the final round at the U.S. Open]( golf tournament. The Canadian [Brooke Henderson won the L.P.G.A. Classic]( in Cleveland. And meet the [Australian schoolteacher, Jeff Horn]( aka The Hornet, who is about to fight Manny Pacquiao for the world welterweight title on July 2 in Brisbane. Business Minh Uong/The New York Times • Amazon’s $13.4 billion deal [to buy Whole Foods]( and Walmart’s $310 million [purchase of Bonobos]( a men’s clothing retailer, are big moves in a [commercial rivalry]( that has big implications for the modern economy. Our columnist said Amazon now had a [playground to tinker with the future of the physical store](. • More disrupter news: [Airbnb is trying to upgrade]( its crash-on-my-couch ethos, and [Arianna Huffington is gaining influence at troubled Uber](. • China releases house price index data for May, and Japan issues its trade data. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Iraqi forces are attacking the heavily populated old-city area of Mosul, the last phase of a monthslong campaign against the Islamic State. American commanders described the fight, which could go on for days or weeks, as the toughest urban warfare since World War II. [[The New York Times]( • Australia’s murder rate dropped to one victim per 100,000 people, the lowest since the homicide monitoring program started in 1989. [[The Guardian]( • South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, appointed the country’s first female foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, sidestepping a reluctant Parliament. [[Bloomberg]( • In the U.S., a sexual assault case against Bill Cosby ended in a mistrial. The judge said he would set a date for a new trial within months. [[The New York Times]( • Six United Nations special envoys to Myanmar have quit since 2007, most recently Renata Lok-Dessallien, a Canadian. [[The Irrawaddy]( • Iran banned Zumba, the aerobics-dance exercise class, arguing that it is contrary to Islamic precepts. The country’s fitness-minded middle class isn’t taking the matter sitting down. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living [Season the chicken the day before and let it rest overnight so the skin can dry out and then crisp up even more in the oven.]Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: [A butterflied chicken]( cooks evenly in less than an hour. • Try not to use Google all of the time: Your [brain really needs to exercise](. • Want more Smarter Living? [Sign up for the weekly newsletter here](. Noteworthy Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times • Our correspondent took a reporting detour in western China to spend [a night in Wenquan]( a quiet town where his father was posted from 1955 to 1957 as a member of the Chinese army. He found an abundance of natural beauty, hot springs, Alpine forests and pride in the town’s Mongolian heritage. • Can animals really [anticipate natural disasters?]( A German scientist working in Italy is using technology to find out — and trying to avoid being dismissed as crazy. • “Stop Pretending You’re Not Rich.” This opinion piece has been one of our [most popular articles this month](. “Forget the 1 percent for the moment,” the writer argues. “It’s the top fifth that rules.” Back Story John Rous/Associated Press Yesterday was Father’s Day in many countries. While we may think of it as a [commercialized holiday]( its roots stretch as far as the Middle Ages. Its modern beginnings date to 1910. [Sonara Smart Dodd]( of Spokane, Wash., is thought to have hosted the first Father’s Day celebration to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised her and her five siblings after their mother died. In France, Father’s Day was introduced in 1950 by a manufacturer of cigarette lighters as part of an [effort to lift sales]( during the slow summer season. Germany celebrates on Ascension Day, the Thursday 39 days after Easter, and [men traditionally hike together]( while trailing a small wagon filled with wine or beer. In Thailand, it is observed on Dec. 5, the birthday of the former king. In the U.S., the third Sunday in June has been officially reserved for dads since 1972, when President Richard Nixon, the father of two daughters, signed it into law. “In fatherhood we know the elemental magic and joy of humanity,” [Nixon wrote in his proclamation](. “It is a rich patrimony, one for which adequate thanks can hardly be offered in a lifetime, let alone a single day.” Remy Tumin contributed reporting. _____ This briefing was prepared for the Asian morning. We also have briefings timed for the [Australian]( [European]( and [American]( mornings. 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