Friday, Aug 30, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering a groundbreaking study on genetics and sexuality, an Indian revolt against food apps and an outbreak of “werewolf syndrome” in Spain.

By Adam Pasick

The genetics of same-sex sexuality

There is no “gay gene,” but an ambitious new study found that many genes play a role in sexual behavior.

The study in the journal Science found that genes account for perhaps a third of the influence on whether someone has same-sex sex, along with social and environmental factors.

“I hope that the science can be used to educate people a little bit more about how natural and normal same-sex behavior is,” said one of the lead researchers. “It’s written into our genes and it’s part of our environment. This is part of our species and it’s part of who we are.”

Perspective: One of the study’s researchers and a colleague, both gay men, parse the implications and limitations of the work in an Op-Ed.

A foot soldier in India's food delivery war near New Delhi this week. Sahiba Chawdhary for The New York Times

An Indian rebellion against food apps

Frustrated by the steep discounts and hefty commissions from apps like Zomato, Swiggy and Uber Eats, thousands of restaurants have started a #Logout movement to encourage their customers to order food the old-fashioned way.

The frustration goes beyond India. Restaurateurs and delivery workers around the world are questioning the small share of the pie — and scant access to customer data — that they get from powerful gatekeepers like GrubHub and DoorDash in the U.S. and Deliveroo in Europe.

Case in point: After a Times article revealed DoorDash’s practice of pocketing tips from delivery workers, the company changed its policy.

China sends new troops into Hong Kong

An influx of soldiers and armored personnel carriers in the early hours of Thursday did nothing to ease tensions in the semiautonomous territory.

China’s military described the troop movement as a normal rotation of its 6,000 to 10,000 soldier garrison, but speculation is rampant that the troop level may be rising.

What’s next: Anti-government protesters have vowed to carry out a large march on Saturday, despite being denied official permission. One organizer said he was attacked on Thursday by four men who struck him with umbrellas and metal bars, leaving welts across his back.

Closer look: See photographs from this summer’s protests, which have now reached a milestone as the longest political crisis since Hong Kong was returned to Chinese control in 1997.

A clash in Kowloon Bay in Hong Kong last Saturday. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

New Epstein accusations: a ring of female enablers

The Times is reporting on disturbing new allegations that Jeffrey Epstein relied on a network of women close to him to feed his insatiable appetite for girls.

Mr. Epstein’s accusers contend in court papers that his longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, along with a small cadre of women — including several assistants and one known as Ms. Maxwell’s “lieutenant” — helped Mr. Epstein lure girls into his orbit and managed the logistics of his encounters with them.

Legal dilemma: Experts told The Times that prosecutors may face a thorny choice in deciding whether to charge the women, because some may have initially been victims themselves.

If you have nine minutes, this is worth it

The Israel-Iran shadow war

The site of a drone strike last weekend in Beirut's southern suburbs, which Hezbollah attributed to Israel. Nabil Mounzer/EPA, via Shutterstock

The latest news from the Middle East reads like a military thriller: covert airstrikes, drone blasts and paramilitary assassinations across three Arab countries. It’s all part of a weekend-long spate of violence that broke the so-called rules of the game and escalated the multifaceted conflict between Israel and Iran.

But the shadow war isn’t always secret — after one strike, Israel’s military taunted an Iranian general on Twitter.

Here’s what else is happening

South Korea: A court ruling could result in a return to prison for Samsung’s de facto leader, who was freed last year after being jailed for bribing the country’s since-impeached president.

Kazakhstan: On a remote, windswept plain, Chevron is leading a $37 billion joint venture to expand an oil field remarkable for its longevity, promise and risk.

U.S.: The Trump administration laid out a far-reaching plan to sharply curtail rules on methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change, despite the objections of major oil and gas companies.

Italy: Giuseppe Conte is beginning to meet with party leaders over forming a new government and is expected to submit a cabinet next week, as he moves to resume his role as prime minister.

Colombia: A former rebel commander called for a return to arms, saying the government has failed to honor the peace deal that ended a 52-year civil war.

Spain: At least 17 children, some of them babies, developed a form of “werewolf syndrome” after they were given a mislabeled drug used to stop hair loss.

Mustafa Hussain for The New York Times

Snapshot: Above, a butcher’s stall in Karachi, Pakistan, which has been plagued by swarms of flies. The infestation is most likely caused by the combination of stagnant rainwater, longstanding infrastructure problems and waste from animals slaughtered during the recent Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

What we’re reading: This piece in the Atlantic. Remy Tumin on the Briefings team, says: “My friend and former colleague Peter Brannen puts the fires in the Amazon into the context of humanity’s burning of fossil fuels, which summons ‘creatures long dead to return to Earth’s surface and give up the ancient energy they took to the grave,’ he writes.”

Now, a break from the news

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cook: End the week with a simple dinner of curry chicken breasts, chickpeas and spinach.

Listen: Sarathy Korwar mixes Indian classical music, jazz and hip-hop on albums that take aim at cultural clichés. You can hear him play with South Asian stereotypes in the song “Bol.”

Read: “Anthony Bourdain: The Last Interview and Other Conversations,” is a collection of discussions with the chef. It features on our inaugural paperback nonfiction best-seller list.

Watch: Claire Friesen, an actress and synchronized swimmer, calls underwater dancing a “form of meditation.”

Smarter Living: One thing you can do for the environment is drive less. Our Climate Fwd: newsletter did the math for the U.S. Since Americans drive trillions of miles every year, a 10 percent reduction would equal taking about 28 coal-fired power plants offline for a year. Short trips are the lowest-hanging fruit — you can ditch the car and walk, bike or take public transit.

And if you use Slack to escape from email hell, we can help you keep it from taking over your life.

And now for the Back Story on …

Namor, the Sub-Mariner

The Marvel Comics character turns 80 on Saturday. Created by the writer-artist Bill Everett, he has been a villain, a hero, a corporate tycoon and more.

In his origin story, published on Aug. 31, 1939, he is a force of nature personified. Two divers who spot him in the ocean depths are in awe of “the long strokes of his powerful arms.”

Under water, his hair and skin color vary. On land, he has brown hair and is Caucasian — closer to his modern look.

Marvel Entertainment

The cartoonist Art Speigelman, writing about how fascism shaped the golden age of comics in the 1940s, noted that the volatile Sub-Mariner was “a marked contrast to the square and square-jawed vigilante do-gooders who lived in the less scruffy DC Comics neighbourhood.”

The reason for Namor’s rage resonates today: undersea explosions set off by a scientific expedition. With the kingdom of Atlantis threatened, his mother tells him, “It is your duty to lead us into battle!” And so he has, for eight decades and counting.

That’s it for this briefing. We’re off on Monday for the U.S. Labor Day holiday. See you on Tuesday.

— Adam

Thank you
Chris Stanford helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Chris Harcum provided the break from the news. George Gustines, a senior editor for graphics and video, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about Uber’s struggle to make a profit.
• Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Husband of Beyoncé (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• On Thursday, we distributed 2,000 copies of The New York Times Magazine’s special issue, “The 1619 Project,” along with a related newspaper section, for free to readers outside our headquarters in New York.