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Asia and Australia Edition

Sean Spicer, British Open, Israel: Your Monday Briefing

Good morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Credit...Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times

• Ten of our reporters in the U.S. and Australia helped reconstruct the fatal shooting of the Australian Justine Damond in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 15. They spoke to her friends and her fiancé, who are struggling to understand what happened.

Even to Americans now used to dissecting police shootings, the circumstances were unusual: a Somali-American cop, firing at a white woman in an unremarkable alley in the Midwest. The Minneapolis police chief — the first woman to hold the role — has been forced out.

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Credit...Hilary Swift for The New York Times

• White House officials signaled that President Trump would accept new sanctions on Russia, after a revolt by lawmakers of both parties who distrust his friendly approach to Moscow.

Amid deepening investigations into Russia’s meddling in last year’s election, Mr. Trump has claimed the “complete power to pardon” relatives, aides and possibly even himself. Above, Mr. Trump at the commissioning of the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier on Saturday in Norfolk, Va.

He also wrongly tweeted that The New York Times had “foiled” the U.S. military’s attempt to kill Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. Here are the facts.

And the White House is restructuring its communications operation, with Sean Spicer’s colorful run as press secretary coming to an end. Here are some of his memorable moments.

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Credit...Wu Hong/European Pressphoto Agency

• Signs of the Chinese leadership’s tightening grip are evident.

The dismissal and disappearance of Sun Zhengcai, above, and his replacement as the party secretary for Chongqing appear to be a warning that President Xi Jinping will not be bound by the succession plans set by a previous generation.

The government is also trying to rein in several of the country’s biggest, most complex and most debt-ridden conglomerates, like Anbang, Fosun International, HNA Group and Dalian Wanda — so-called gray rhinos.

And Apple, LinkedIn, Facebook and other foreign tech companies face censorship, blocked access and a new, constraining cybersecurity law — on top of what our technology reporters say is a market that is “rough in a way United States companies don’t normally experience.”

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Credit...Eric Gay/Associated Press

• Texas is grappling with what the San Antonio police chief called a “horrific” human trafficking crime.

Nearly 40 migrants crammed in a tractor-trailer, above, were found in a Walmart parking lot. Eight were already dead, another died within hours and about 20 others were in extremely severe or critical condition.

An expert said trucks used in human trafficking turned into “mobile ovens” in the blistering southwestern heat.

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The Australian government’s plan to allow fishing in 80 percent of its protected maritime reserves — the world’s largest network — would make the country the first to scale back regulations in such areas.

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Credit...Andy Buchanan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• And it was a day of triumphs in sports.

Jordan Spieth won the 146th British Open, outpacing fellow American Matt Kuchar and China’s Li Haotong, a 21-year-old who vaulted into third place with a final round of 63. Spieth turns 24 this week.

And Chris Froome of Britain won his third consecutive — and most challenging — Tour de France.

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Credit...Kiersten Essenpreis

• Women at the BBC demanded action to reduce the British broadcaster’s recently revealed pay gap with men. And our senior correspondent on gender issues found that deeply rooted barriers often keep women from the top of the American corporate ladder.

• Officials from OPEC and other large oil producers meet in St. Petersburg, Russia, to review output cuts agreed on last year.

• The dollar’s steady fall this year reflects diminished confidence that President Trump will be able to cut taxes and reduce regulations.

• Renault is disrupting India’s vehicle market and car ownership culture with a $4,000 car, the Kwid.

• Beijing hosts the opening ceremony of the Asian Financial Cooperation Association, bringing together 107 global institutions from around the globe.

• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

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Credit...Abbas Momani/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• Israel’s security cabinet headed to an emergency session after a weekend of bloodshed set off by new security measures at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. [The New York Times]

• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears before Japan’s Parliament to answer questions on a school-related scandal with his lowest approval rating since taking office. [Reuters]

• A submersible drone searching the containment vessel of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan found solidified fuel debris. [The Asahi Shimbun]

• The Philippine Congress approved President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to extend martial law on the island of Mindanao, giving the military five more months to crush a rebellion by Islamic State-inspired militants. [The New York Times]

• In China, young people are turning to Western astrology for guidance on relationships, having babies and even hiring employees. [The New York Times]

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

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Credit...Brian Rea

• Even a tough breakup can leave you a better person, according to our Modern Love guest columnist.

• Our weekly newsletter has helpful tips on how to beat procrastination.

• Recipe of the day: cold noodles with spicy pork and herbs come together quickly.

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Credit...Gabrielle Paluch

• In memoriam: Olive Yang, who died last week at 90, rejected a life of Burmese royalty to become a cross-dressing warlord whose C.I.A.-supplied army established opium trade routes across the Golden Triangle.

• Princess Diana’s sons, William and Harry, allowed a documentary maker to film them for the first time speaking publicly about their mother. “Arguably, probably a little bit too raw up until this point,” Harry says at one point in the HBO film. “It’s still raw.”

• And a bag with moon dust collected in 1969 was sold for $1.8 million to a mystery buyer. The satchel’s journey here on Earth, including a theft and being found in a garage, has also been interesting.

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Credit...Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Today is Pioneer Day, commemorating the entry in 1847 of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. Their leader, Brigham Young, declared on arrival: “It is enough. This is the right place.”

A holiday in Utah, Pioneer Day recognizes the journey from Nauvoo, Ill., from which the Mormons had been expelled (having previously been driven out from Missouri, Ohio and New York) after Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was slain.

The journey spanned 1,300 miles, took nearly 18 months to complete and resulted in “many deaths.” The historian Purnell H. Benson wrote, “In the annals of the American Frontier,” there is “no more thrilling story.”

Today, Utah will honor the Mormon migration with parades, rodeos and barrel races, among other activities — though some of the state’s residents will celebrate an alternative tongue-in-cheek holiday: Pie ’n’ Beer Day.

“Pioneer Day, Pie ’n’ Beer Day,” said Leslie Sutter, the owner of a bar that celebrates the day. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to grab it.”

Or, as George Kelner, another Utah resident, explained, eating pie and drinking beer “gives us non-Mormons or former Mormons a chance to celebrate in a different way.”

Evan Gershkovich contributed reporting.

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We have briefings timed for the Australian, European and American mornings. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters here.

Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online.

What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com.

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