Your Wednesday Briefing

North Korea, Texas, Afghanistan | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, August 30, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By CHARLES MCDERMID Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Kimimasa Mayama/European Pressphoto Agency • The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss how to address North Korea’s latest provocation and President Trump warned [that “all options are on the table”]( after Pyongyang defiantly hurled a ballistic missile directly over Japan. Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said it was “an unprecedented, serious and grave threat.” China, meanwhile, called on the North to [suspend its missile tests]( in return for a halt to U.S.-South Korean military exercises. And Japanese citizens, [who]( us]( what it was like to get the text alert warning them to take cover, might be rethinking support for [their pacifist Constitution](. _____ Doug Mills/The New York Times • President Trump arrived in Texas to see the [damage caused by Hurricane Harvey]( and demonstrate his commitment to a region in the grips of a historic natural disaster. At least 13 people have been killed, and more than [30,000 have taken refuge]( in shelters. Damages for homeowners could cost [as much as $30 billion](. The Times is providing free digital access to coverage of the storm. Check [here for the latest.]( _____ Shailesh Andrade/Reuters • While flooding in the U.S. has grabbed more attention, aid officials say a catastrophe is unfolding in South Asia. More than 1,000 people have died in floods across South Asia in recent weeks, according to the U.N., and at least [41 million people in Bangladesh, India and Nepal]( have been affected by flooding and landslides. Above, Mumbai on Tuesday. _____ Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis, via Getty Images • In Afghanistan, [airstrikes in Herat Province]( killed more than a dozen civilians, adding to the [record number of civilians who have died]( this year as violence has intensified. The new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan, announced by President Trump last week, includes plans to increase air support to Afghan forces fighting a resurgent Taliban. Foreign powers have tried to [control Afghanistan for 300 hundred years]( our Kabul bureau chief writes, and it has not gone well for them. Above, Afghan fighters in 1910. _____ Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters • As fighting in Myanmar intesifies, the top U.N. human rights official urged the military to show restraint and [accused the office of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi]( the Nobel Peace laureate and the country’s de facto leader, of issuing “irresponsible” statements that could endanger aid groups. More than 8,700 Rohingya Muslims had fled to Bangladesh since Saturday, like those above, after clashes last week between security forces and Rohingya militants that killed more than 100 people. _____ William West/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • In Australia, the state of Queensland removed the names of a handful of mountains and creeks containing racial slurs, citing “community concern.” In recent years, groups across [Australia have voiced anger at names and monuments]( that they say are overtly racist, or because of their portrayal of painful historical events. A statue of Captain James Cook, above, was defaced in Sydney’s Hyde Park on Tuesday. Business Olivia Rondonuwu/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Indonesia will be granted [a majority stake in Grasberg]( the world’s largest gold mine and second-largest copper mine, by Freeport-McMoRan, the American firm that owns the mine. • Betting on the “fear gauge.” A new generation of day traders, using Wall Street’s high-risk, high-return tactics, is pouring into one of the [market’s most arcane corners](. • The Renault-Nissan alliance is teaming up with Dongfeng Motor to [build electric cars in China](. • Tim Cook is using his platform as chief executive of Apple to [wade into social issues]( and fill a void left by Washington’s gridlock. • U.S. stocks [were up](. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Karim Sahib/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Today is the first day of the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca taken each year by millions of Muslims. Above, pilgrims at the Grand Mosque in Mecca this week before the start of the hajj. [[Al Jazeera]( • In Iran, an appeals court upheld the convictions of a prominent Iranian-American father and son who were accused of “collaborating with an enemy state” — meaning the U.S. [[The New York Times]( • Sea Shepherd, the self-described “eco-vigilante” group, called off its annual pursuit of Japanese whaling ships in the Southern Ocean, saying they were unable to get around surveillance technology. [[The New York Times]( • President Rodrigo Duterte said the heirs of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos had offered to return some of the family’s disputed wealth, including “gold bars.” [[Agence France-Presse]( • Ed Skrein backed out of the movie “Hellboy,” saying that criticism of his casting as a partially Asian character was “understandable.” [[The New York Times]( • At the U.S. Open, hopes are high that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will play each other in New York for the first time — even if it is not in the final. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Michael Kraus for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: For a light meal, go with [Mark Bittman’s spicy shrimp salad](.  Tracing your family history? Our product testers [rated five DNA testing services](. And our science reporter looked at [how surprising]( the results can be. • Can psychedelics be used [therapeutically]( Noteworthy John Salangsang/Invision,via Associated Press • First, Taylor Swift’s ["Look What You Made Me Do” obliterated Spotify’s record]( for most plays in a single day, and now the video has become the [biggest 24-hour debut ever on YouTube](. Our critics [discussed the song]( and where it positions Ms. Swift after a bumpy few years. • Here are 10 tours that are aimed at [turning travelers into photographers](. And an adventure photographer, Jimmy Chin, offers [advice for taking great travel pictures](. • Sydney hosted the Stanford-Rice football game over the weekend, and the N.C.A.A. president is in Japan to consult on athletic systems: It’s clear that interest in [U.S. college sports is resonating beyond the United States](. Back Story Biel Alino/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images What’s billed as the world’s biggest food fight gets underway today in Buñol, Spain: [La Tomatina](. Thousands of people from all over the world travel to the town, near Valencia, to throw more than 100 metric tons of overripe tomatoes at each other, on the last Wednesday of August each year. Since 2013, organizers limited the event to 20,000 people, because of its popularity. According to local lore, it started at the end of World War II, [when a street brawl broke out]( near a vegetable store. So much fun was had that it became an annual event. It was banned for a time in the 1950s, under the Franco dictatorship, but it was eventually declared an official festival after residents protested by holding [a “tomato funeral.”]( The one-hour food fight won’t start until a competitor [climbs a greased pole to retrieve a ham]( amid hooting and cheers from the crowd. Trucks bring in low-quality tomatoes from the province of Extremadura, and water cannons are fired to start the battle. (Participants are encouraged [to squish the tomatoes]( to lessen their impact.) Afterward, the cobble streets are hosed down, and the acidity of the tomatoes is said to leave them shining. Karen Zraick contributed reporting. _____ We have briefings timed for the [Australian]( [Asian]( [European]( and [American]( mornings. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters [here](. Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [asiabriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:asiabriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Asia)). 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. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018