Your Wednesday Briefing

North Korea, Texas, Japan 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 »]( Europe Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By JENNIFER JETT Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Jiji Press/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a statement [condemning what it called North Korea’s “outrageous actions”]( in launching a ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday and launching three missiles on Saturday. But there was no suggestion that the council was ready to toughen sanctions. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, called the latest launching a “curtain-raiser” and warned of more missile tests in the Pacific. President Trump said in an earlier statement that “all options are on the table.” And Japanese citizens, some of whom [received a beeping alert on their cellphones]( just four minutes after the projectile was fired, may be rethinking support for [their pacifist Constitution](. Above, an evacuation drill in Wajima, Japan, on Wednesday. _____ Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times • President Trump arrived in Texas to see the [damage caused by Harvey]( now a tropical storm, and demonstrate his commitment to a region in the grips of a historic natural disaster. At least 30 people have been killed, and parts of the Houston area [broke the record for rainfall]( from a single storm anywhere in the continental U.S. See [maps of the destruction](. The storm is projected to make a second landfall today. In [our podcast “The Daily,”]( we hear from people in Houston about their experiences. Here’s [how to help](. The Times is providing free digital access to coverage of the storm. Check [here for the latest](. _____ Anupam Nath/Associated Press • 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 the region 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, villagers on makeshift banana rafts in northeast India this month. _____ Hannah McKay/Reuters • Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris 20 years ago this week, is still [considered a symbol of her era]( by many Britons. But for young adults, many of whom were not alive when she died, the anniversary carries less resonance. [Princes William and Harry]( are honoring their mother today by meeting with representatives of the charities she supported. _____ John Burke/Science & Society Picture Library, via Getty Images • In Afghanistan, [airstrikes in Herat Province]( killed more than a dozen civilians. Separately, a suicide bomber struck a bank in Kabul, leaving five dead and nine others wounded. 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. The foreign empires that have [tried to control Afghanistan since the 19th century]( have all suffered for the effort, our Kabul bureau chief writes. Above, British officers in Afghanistan in 1878. _____ Business U.S. Coast Guard, via Getty Images • The damage from the storm pounding coastal Texas has raised questions about [whether so much of the U.S. energy industry]( should be concentrated there. • Before Uber’s board chose Dara Khosrowshahi to be the company’s new chief, there were power plays, negotiations for more leverage and [wild swings in support](. • Britain announced measures aimed at [increasing transparency over executive compensation]( in an effort to address the gap between the salaries of employees and their managers. • Google has outlined to E.U. regulators how it plans to [stop favoring its own comparison-shopping service]( to comply with an antitrust order. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press • Prime Minister Theresa May, above, of Britain arrives in Japan today on a three-day visit to discuss a trade deal that she hopes will be modeled on the one [Tokyo has almost completed with the E.U.]( [[Bloomberg]( • Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, criticized Britain’s position papers on its withdrawal from the E.U., saying negotiations on the new Britain-E.U. relationship cannot begin until a financial settlement is reached. [[BBC]( • Guatemala’s highest court ruled that President Jimmy Morales could not expel the leader of a U.N. anticorruption panel. [[The New York Times]( • Moroccan officials have arrested two people in connection with the attacks this month in Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain, the Spanish interior minister said. [[Deutsche Welle]( • The U.N. secretary general, António Guterres, is set to visit Gaza today, after two days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials. The Israelis stressed the threat of what they say are Iran’s efforts to produce weapons in Lebanon and Syria. [[The New York Times]( • Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany was critical of the E.U. at her annual summer news conference, saying “Europe hasn’t done its homework” on migration. She also called on Turkey to release the nine German citizens detained there. [[Deutsche Welle]( • The London police have reopened an investigation into the unsolved 1987 murder of a Palestinian political cartoonist. [[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](. • Can psychedelics be used [therapeutically]( Noteworthy Adam Harteau • A family shares photos from their road trip through Central and South America, which [started five years ago](. • “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” a bold adaptation of Tolstoy, drew strong crowds and 12 Tony nominations. But [casting decisions and financial concerns]( have doomed the Broadway show. • A summer school in Italy [immerses students in the culture of the Italian Roma]( as a way to dispel long-held prejudices against them. • In memoriam: Jeannie de Clarens, an amateur spy in occupied France during World War II who [uncovered Hitler’s rocket program and was held in three concentration camps]( has died at 98. Back Story [Biel Alino/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images]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]( as the crowd hoots and cheers. 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. _____ This briefing was prepared for the European morning. [You can browse through past briefings here](. Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [europebriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:europebriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Europe)). ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYT [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Prefer a different send time? 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