Your Monday Briefing

Catalonia, North Korea, Puerto Rico | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, October 2, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By CHARLES MCDERMID Good morning. Here’s what you need to know:  Pool photo by Andy Wong • The chances of resolving nuclear tensions with North Korea diplomatically plunged after President Trump said that his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, was “[wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man]( Mr. Tillerson, above right, had raised hopes by saying [the U.S. was in direct communication with the North]( and inviting talks. He was briefly in China over the weekend, where Beijing’s anger at Seoul for embracing a U.S. missile defense system [has masked a trade boom between the two countries](. [Mr. Trump plans to travel to five Asian nations]( over 12 days in November, including three critical to the North Korea crisis: Japan, South Korea and China. _____ Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times • More than half of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, at least 700,000 people, are now packed into squalid [camps in Bangladesh where aid has been slow to penetrate](. At one, our reporter saw children wandering in the mud, hunting for food and clothes. [Here’s how you can help](. _____ Kirsten Luce for The New York Times • Storm-battered Puerto Rico is receiving a surge of [fuel, food and U.S. government personnel, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló]( told reporters. But we documented [24 hours of struggle on the island]( and President Trump lashed out over building criticism of the U.S. government’s response. He [accused the mayor of San Juan of “poor leadership”]( and implied residents weren’t doing enough themselves. His remarks drew an outpouring of fury, including from[Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and original star of the Broadway hit “Hamilton,”]( and during the season premiere of “[Saturday Night Live]( _____ Alberto Estevez/European Pressphoto Agency • In Spain, the region of [Catalonia’s defiant attempt to hold an independence referendum]( descended into chaos. More than 450 people were injured after the police, who were sent by the government in Madrid from other parts of Spain, used rubber bullets and truncheons to disperse voters. Though it was far from clear that Sunday’s vote would produce a reliable result, both sides quickly claimed victory — and victimization. _____ Ivor Prickett for The New York Times • Iraq’s Kurdish region is also struggling. Its independence referendum won a 93 percent “yes” vote last week, but has been condemned by Iraq’s government and neighboring countriess. Our analyst looks at whether the [Kurds’ dream of independence has a chance](. Meanwhile, thousands of [Iraqis have been fleeing Islamic State-controlled territory]( to Kurdistan to escape a military offensive to retake the city of Hawija, the extremists’ last major urban stronghold in Iraq. _____ Andy Wong/Associated Press • And China’s celebration of its 68th National Day [kicked off an extended eight-day break]( for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The period is known as “golden week.” [As many as 700 million people]( will be traveling. [In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched]( to uphold the city’s rule of law against China and called for its top legal official to resign over the recent jailing of democracy activists. Business Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press • The People’s Bank of China lowered the reserve ratio — the amount of money banks must keep at the central bank — in a [bid to steer more bank loans to small businesses]( without inflating the country’s huge debt load. • Facebook blocked [Guo Wengui, the Chinese billionaire who has accused]( family members of top Communist Party officials of corruption. • Inside [the latest power struggle at Uber]( Travis Kalanick, the former chief executive, appointed two new directors without informing the rest of the board or other executives. • Regulators in South Korea, Switzerland the U.S. are taking [steps to crack down on initial coin offerings]( a new method of raising money for start-ups. • Markets in China, Hong Kong and India are closed for national holidays. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Made Nagi/European Pressphoto Agency • The Indonesian authorities said that more than half the 140,000 people who fled after volcanic rumblings from Mount Agung should go home. [[The Guardian]( • Two women accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader, are expected to plead not guilty when their trial begins in Malaysia today. [[Reuters]( • U.S. officials said an order for new pressure on North Korea, signed early in the Trump presidency, had had far-reaching effects. [[The Washington Post]( • France opened a terrorism investigation after two people were killed by a knife-wielding attacker in Marseille. [[The New York Times]( • The Australian fugitive Markis Scott Turner, accused of running a multimillion-dollar drug syndicate, was arrested in the Philippines after a two-year manhunt. [[ABC]( • An Air France Airbus A380 bound for Los Angeles from Paris made an emergency landing in Canada after an engine exploded midair. [[The New York Times]( • Vanuatu has begun a Dunkirk-style evacuation after an erupting volcano polluted many of the Pacific island’s sources of drinking water. [[Reuters]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Craig Lee for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: [Hunan beef with cumin]( is a fragrant stir-fry. • It’s natural to want to help when disaster strikes somewhere in the world. Here’s [how to decide where to donate](. • Whether it’s the first time or the 50th, here’s [how to move as a couple]( without driving each other crazy. Noteworthy Nevada Department of Corrections, via Reuters • O.J. Simpson, the former football star and actor, above, was paroled after serving nine years in prison on charges related to an armed robbery in 2007. A prison spokeswoman said she did not know [who met Mr. Simpson upon his release]( or where he was headed. • The Nobels will be [announced this week]( beginning today with the prize for physiology or medicine. • Russia is honoring the memory of [Kim Philby, a notorious British double agent]( who defected to Moscow in 1963 and died there in 1988. The tributes — including a portrait in a state art gallery and an upcoming film — indicate the growing influence of Russia’s military and security services. • China and India are competing to project cultural influence. The runaway success in [China of the Bollywood film “Dangal” has revived concerns]( in Beijing that it is falling behind. Back Story Underwood and Underwood China is not the only country enjoying a holiday today. India is celebrating Gandhi Jayanti, honoring the birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in 1869. For leading the nonviolent struggle to win India’s independence from the British Raj, he is considered the father of the nation. But first, he helped lead the fight against apartheid in South Africa. [Starting in the 1890s]( his focus was on improving the lot of Indians there, but by the time he left in 1914, he had [embraced the empowerment of blacks as well]( saying, “This land is theirs by birth.” Beloved around the world for standing up for the humble and eschewing violence in the pursuit of justice, he is often quoted. But he is also often misquoted. These are some of the statements commonly attributed to him, but for which there is [no authoritative corroboration]( “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” And: “[First they ignore you]( then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” That last has resurfaced recently, cited in tweets by [President Trump]( and [a leader of the German far-right party]( Alternative for Germany. Andrea Kannapell contributed reporting. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. Browse past briefings [here](. This briefing was prepared for the Asian morning. We have briefings timed for the [Australian]( [European]( and [American]( mornings. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters [here](. If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app [from iTunes]( or [Google Play](. What would you like to see here? 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