Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
Good morning.
Here’s what you need to know:
• It will be a short victory lap for Emmanuel Macron, the president-elect of France, whose real fight against Europe’s “populist tsunami” now begins in earnest.
First, Mr. Macron must start translating his centrist promises into policy and assuaging those millions who voted against him, cast blank ballots or stayed home (Here’s our map of detailed results) . He must also forge a working relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany.
His victory was a win for the embattled European Union, and proved there isn’ t a global Trump movement .
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• South Korea picks a new president today in a race dominated by questions about relations with North Korea and the U. S.; youth unemployment; and the enduring power of family-controlled conglomerates, known as chaebol.
Frustration with the chaebol, which have been implicated in a series of scandals, has been building for years, but clamping down on them will not be easy.
Here’s a closer look at how th e se pivotal issues are playing out .
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• Former President Barack Obama warned Donald J. Trump against hiring Michael T. Flynn when they met in the Oval Office, above, two former Obama aides said.
The revelation came as Sally Q. Yates, the former acting attorney general, testified before a Senate committee on Russian meddling.
Mr. Flynn was forced out as Mr. Trump’s national security adviser after it was revealed that he had lied about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
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• A determined Taiwan is pushing back on China’s efforts to exclude it from a global health assembly convened by the World Health Organization — but it is fighting an uphill battle.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen, above, took office a year ago, China has worked to suppress Taiwan’s participation in global organizations, and has lured away more of its diplomatic allies.
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• “I feel ashamed and deeply remorseful for my past actions.”
That was part of a stunning reversal by a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, Xie Yang, as he faced subversion charges in China in a trial denounced by rights groups.
Mr. Xie, who once said he would confess only if he were tortured, pleaded guilty and warned others against “Western anti-China forces.”
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• And here’s a welcome sign of collaboration in the Middle East.
A team of physicists from Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan — and from the Palestinian Authority — are set to introduce Sesame, a project in Jordan that aims to bring world-class modern physics to the region.
“We call it the light at the end of the tunnel, ” one scientist said.
• Coach, the luxury retailer, will buy a rival fashion house, Kate Spade, in a $2.4 billion deal .
• Sinclair Broadcast Group bought Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, giving it control of more than one-third of the local television stations in the U. S.
Kate Spade, in a $2.4 billion deal .
• Macau, the world’s largest casino hub, is using facial recognition software at A. T. M.s to fight money laundering from China.
• H edge fund titans are gathering in New York today. The conference is one of the headlines to watch this week.
• Shy singers rejoice. A portable karaoke microphone lets you practice in private. It’s a huge hit in China and Hong Kong.
• U. S. stocks were mixed. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
• In Iran, coal miners grieving the deaths of dozens of co-workers blocked the convoy of President Hassan Rouhani, a rare display of public anger two weeks before elections. [The New York Times]
• Cyclone Donna is hurtling toward New Caledonia after battering Vanuatu, with winds up to 160 m.p.h. New Zealand may be in its path. [New Zealand Herald]
• The head of the Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan was killed in a Special Forces raid in April, Afghan and U. S. officials said. [The New York Times] .
elections. [The New York Times]
• The Syrian ambassador in Beijing said that as many as 5,000 Uighurs from China’s Xinjiang region have joined militant groups in Syria. [Reuters]
• Indonesia moved to band Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, a hard-line Islamic group, saying it was a threat to national unity. [Jakarta Post]
• Australian biosecurity officers incinerated a collection of rare plants sent by the Museum of Natural History in Paris, prompting a review of quarantine procedures. [ABC]
• An advertisement for Australia’s Labor Party leaked to the news media and was withdrawn after it came under fire for featuring nearly only white Australians. [BBC]
• Vietnam’s governing Communist Party dismissed a top official for “very serious wrongdoing” while leading the national oil and gas conglomerate. [Vietnam News]
• Politics intruded on Australian climate research and cost John Church, a leading expert on sea levels, his job. But his protest helped save colleagues’ posts. [The New York Times]
• Well-being can be considered a life skill. With practice, negative thinkers can become positive ones.
• Relax! You’ ll be more productive .
• Recipe of the day: Get dinner on the table quickly with pan-roasted pork chops with pea shoot pesto .
• King Bhumibol Adulyadej reigned over Thailand for 70 years; many of his subjects considered him divine. The adoration is everywhere in the elaborate preparations for his cremation ceremony later this year.
• If all sedentary children started exercising every day, societies could save trillions of dollars, a study found. The United States alone could save $120 billion a year.
• And an uncertain homecoming. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees who have lived in Pakistan for decades are being expelled. In today’s 360 video, we look at a family’s journey back.
South Koreans head to the polls today to elect the successor to the ousted president Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in March.
The new leader will contend with issues such as cronyism and a nuclear North Korea from the Blue House, above, the sprawling presidential palace and executive offices in central Seoul.
Completed in 1991, the main building is known in Korean as Cheong Wa Dae, or “pavilion of blue tiles, ” after its iconic roof. Though incorporating modern design elements and amenities, the building was constructed primarily in the Korean architectural style, which is used for all traditional royal palaces.
