Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Oil Tanker: Your Monday Briefing

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Good morning.

We’re covering China’s military buildup near Hong Kong, a deadly attack in Afghanistan, and the botched auction of a rare Porsche.

A buildup of troops across the border as the semiautonomous territory has been convulsed by protests is a reminder that the use of force remains an option for Beijing.

Even by the standards of Afghanistan, a suicide attack this weekend in Kabul was surprising.

At least 63 people were killed and hundreds wounded at a wedding, the type of event that has largely been excepted from daily violence in the country.

On Sunday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as American negotiators are finalizing a deal with Taliban insurgents to withdraw U.S. forces.

Background: Although the Taliban wage most violence in Afghanistan, the Islamic State — which is not allied with the Taliban — has established a foothold in the country. Unlike the Taliban, the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State often hit Shiite targets to foment division.


Activists say federal court records and the leaked archives of a far-right message board connect the owners of Schooner Creek Farm to an organization that promotes white nationalism and “white American identity.”

The owners, a married couple, deny the accusations and say they are being harassed over “a handful of mildly pro-white comments.”

The market in Bloomington, a town of 85,000 that is home to Indiana University, reopened this weekend after being suspended over public safety concerns.

Catch up: Far-right groups faced off with anti-fascist counterprotesters in Portland, Ore., over the weekend, the latest in a series of occasionally violent political demonstrations in the city.


The former San Antonio mayor burst onto the national stage in 2012 after a prime-time speech during the Democratic National Convention, similar to the star-making address that Barack Obama gave in 2004.

As he seeks the Democratic nomination for president, Mr. Castro is trying to recapture that spotlight and convince his party that his Latino appeal and his relative moderation will resonate across a divided nation.

A scourge of domestic violence in Central America, motivated by a deep-seated sense of ownership over women and their place in relationships, is a powerful and often overlooked factor in the migration crisis.

Millions have sought refuge in the U.S., where they confront a system strained by demand and a bitter fight over whether to accept them.

Above, Lubia Sasvin Pérez at her mother’s grave in Guatemala with her sisters Marleny, left, and Heidy. Lubia’s former boyfriend murdered their mother.

Oil tanker is released: An Iranian ship that had been held for six weeks left Gibraltar, days after the authorities there rejected a request that it be turned over to U.S. officials. The departure raised expectations that Iran would relinquish a British tanker.

Eric Garner case: The New York Police Department officer who placed Mr. Garner in a chokehold before his death in 2014 was “untruthful” to investigators, according to a judge’s opinion obtained by The Times.

The Weekly: The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about a confidential government document that had the potential to change the trajectory of the opioid epidemic. Read behind-the-scenes notes on the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu.

Snapshot: Above, children frolicking on West 114th Street in 1982. Open fire hydrants have offered summer relief to New Yorkers for more than a century. See more photographs from the Times archive.

In memoriam: Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the former Louisiana governor, earned mixed reviews for her response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She died on Sunday at 76.

Rare Porsche sale sputters: A Nazi-era car failed to sell at RM Sotheby’s after the auctioneer flubbed the numbers. Bidding was supposed to open at $13 million but started at $30 million.

Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, parking karma, living where Edna St. Vincent Millay once did and other tales of New York City.

What we’re reading: This article in The New Yorker. Our national food correspondent Kim Severson writes: “From the belly of Big Berry comes a pale pink strawberry. Dana Goodyear explains why the rosé berry is as much about a cultural moment as it is about deliciousness.”

Cook: Set up a week of snacking with lemony whipped feta.

Watch: The filmmakers behind the new comedy “Good Boys,” about potty-mouthed sixth graders, had to figure out how to handle stars who were too young to see the movie.

Go: Six opera productions in Salzburg, Austria, this year will be hard to top in next summer’s centennial festival.

Listen: Sleater-Kinney, teaming up with St. Vincent, grasps at a new sound on the album “The Center Won’t Hold.”


Smarter Living: Develop your charisma by not giving in to self-doubt. Focus instead on being a warm, active participant in conversations. Practice by joining a public speaking class (or a local group like Toastmasters), and look for ways to show off your strengths.



Source : Nytimes