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Good morning.
U. S. candidates deliver closing statements, Pakistan caves in to protesters, Afghan migrants take cricket to France. Here\u2019s what you need to know:
\u2022 U. S. election nears.
The tumultuous 2018 midterm campaign barreled through its final weekend and toward the day of decision, Tuesday.
The most prominent campaigners are on opposite sides of the country\u2019s vast political divide. President Trump has been crisscrossing the country to deliver fear-based messages on immigration and other issues. Former President Barack Obama has been assailing him in a surprisingly sharp, systematic way.
Our live polling has many races too close to call, but there\u2019s a consensus in both parties that Democrats could take control of the House \u2014 and that the outlook for the Senate is unclear.
We have an overview of the election and scenes from around the U. S. And The Times Magazine looks at an issue shadowing the country: the rise of white nationalism and domestic terrorism, which has flummoxed law enforcement.
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\u2022 Pakistan yields to protesters.
Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted last week of blasphemy charges and ordered freed, remains in Pakistan. Above, her three daughters.
On Friday, the government made a deal to halt hard-line Islamist groups\u2019 huge protests over the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling, which had brought parts of the country to a standstill. The deal prevents Ms. Bibi from leaving the country while the case is reviewed and appealed, a process that could add years of detention to the eight she spent on death row.
Over the weekend, her lawyer fled the country for his own safety.
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\u2022 \u201cThe biggest mistake the Hong Kong government has ever made.\u201d
That was a legal expert, commenting on the decision last month to expel Victor Mallet, the Asia news editor of The Financial Times.
His work visa was rejected without explanation weeks after he presided over an event at the Foreign Correspondents\u2019 Club with an activist who advocates independence from China, Andy Chan. Above, flags of Hong Kong and China.
The move \u2014 a first for the semiautonomous territory, which long prided itself for freedom of expression \u2014 refocused attention on the independence movement, drew sharp questions from diplomats and cast a dark shadow over Hong Kong\u2019s reputation as an unfettered financial and commercial hub.
The private business community shares the alarm of foreign media organizations, and some see a reason to relocate operations to Singapore.
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\u2022 Ozone-depleting gas traced.
An environmental group has found new evidence that rogue factories in China are behind the resurgence of a banned gas that destroys the ozone layer and contributes to global warming.
The ozone layer protects the earth from ultraviolet solar radiation. After a giant hole appeared in the layer in 1985, much of the world signed on to the Montreal Protocol outlawing CFC-11, used mostly in refrigerators and air-conditioners. Without that landmark treaty, the entire ozone layer would have collapsed by 2050, according to some studies.
But in May, scientists found atmospheric levels of the gas were falling more slowly than expected. A Times investigation pointed to scrappy, small-scale factories across China, findings confirmed by the new study.
Chinese authorities have pledged to stamp out the illicit production, but under-the-radar producers and a lack of measuring equipment are obstacles.
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\u2022 Since President Trump took office, there has been a sharp decline in financial penalties against banks and big companies accused of malpractice, a Times investigation found.
\u2022 Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by Warren Buffett, bought back nearly $1 billion of its own stock during its blockbuster third quarter.
\u2022 Apple\u2019s decision to limit disclosures \u2014 including how many iPhones, iPads and Macs it sells each quarter \u2014 and its disappointing forecast for fourth-quarter sales dragged down its stock .
\u2022 The latest U. S. jobs report painted an ideal picture of the economy. But there are three factors that will determine if the hot market will last.
\u2022 Coming this week: American sanctions against Iranian oil go into effect. But some of the country\u2019s biggest importers \u2014 India, South Korea, Japan and China \u2014 are said to be exempted for six months.
\u2022 New York City Marathon: Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia pulled ahead late to win the men\u2019s race in 2:05:59. Mary Keitany of Kenya, above, won the women\u2019s race in 2:22:48. [ The New York Times]
\u2022 A truck driver in northwestern China lost control, crashing into 31 cars, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 40. [ CNN]
\u2022 Also in China: Many internet users expressed fury over a video showing a woman in Chongqing attacking the driver of a bus for skipping her stop just before it plunged into the Yangtze River, killing at least 13 people. [ The New York Times]
\u2022 Amal Hussain, the emaciated 7-year-old Yemeni girl whose haunting portrait in The Times drew an impassioned response from readers, died, underscoring the immense human toll of the Saudi-led war. [ The New York Times]
\u2022 An Australian nun, Sister Patricia Fox, who criticized the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, returned home six months after he ordered her arrest and deportation. [ The New York Times]
\u2022 Most of Sri Lanka\u2019s lawmakers refused to recognize the prime minister abruptly appointed by the president, and some said they had been offered bribes, amid an escalating political crisis on the island nation. [ The New York Times]
\u2022 A man-eating tiger in India that had been blamed for the deaths of 13 people was killed after a monthslong hunt that involved drones, elephants and a bottle of cologne. [ The New York Times]
\u2022 Novak Djokovic lost to the Russian player Karen Khachanov in the Paris Masters tennis tournament, ending a 22-game winning streak. [ BBC]
Tips for a more fulfilling life.
\u2022 Recipe of the day: Pack a lunch of farro salad with beets, their greens and salty feta.
\u2022 Don\u2019t be a sucker when buying a used phone .
\u2022 Fix your sleep habits and schedule. Then see about some gadgets.
\u2022 Afghan migrants have taken their passion for cricket to France. And it\u2019s helping them integrate with the local community.
\u2022 Mickey Mouse turns 90 this year, and Disney is deploying an enormous global marketing campaign to celebrate one of its oldest characters .
\u2022 In memoriam: Raymond Chow, 91, the famed Hong Kong film producer who turned Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan into international stars and transformed the action film genre.
Stickers can be surprisingly motivating, even for adults.
At least that\u2019s the idea behind the \u201cI Voted\u201d stickers handed out on Election Day in the U. S. \u2014 that they\u2019ll encourage voters to turn out, and inspire those who see them to vote themselves. (Election Day is Tuesday.)
The stickers first appeared in the 1980s, offered by businesses, unions and civic groups. State and local governments began making their own.
While some states keep it simple, others take the opportunity to express their identities. Some stickers, like Alabama\u2019s, Ohio\u2019s and Tennessee\u2019s, incorporate the shape of the state. Georgia\u2019s use the state\u2019s famous peach, while California\u2019s is in 13 languages.
Alaskans who voted early this year got stickers with cartoon versions of state animals. Louisiana\u2019s stickers, which feature the Cajun artist George Rodrigue\u2019s iconic \u201cBlue Dog,\u201d have appeared on eBay.
New York City has its own subway-themed sticker. Other cities are following Chicago\u2019s lead and offering wristbands instead.
The stickers have also gone online. Instagram has \u201cI Voted\u201d and \u201cYo Vot\u00e9\u201d emblems, along with a \u201cWe Voted\u201d story on Election Day that gathers posts by a user\u2019s friends.
Do they actually make a difference? One study found that in 2010, Facebook\u2019s \u201cI Voted\u201d button drove 340,000 Americans to the polls.
But either way, you still get a sticker.
Jennifer Jett wrote today\u2019s Back Story.
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