Tuesday, Aug 20, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering the effort to curb disinformation about Hong Kong, the unequal rules of the roads in Thailand and a break dancer with Olympic aspirations.

By Alisha Haridasani Gupta

A rally in Hong Kong last month. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

China accused of spreading disinformation on Hong Kong

Facebook and Twitter said they found evidence that China had been waging an information war, and the social media sites took down accounts that were spreading false information about the demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Both platforms took down hundreds of accounts that originated in mainland China, where the services are blocked, that claimed the protesters were acting violently and accused them of ulterior motives. One Facebook post likened them to ISIS fighters.

“We’re constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we don’t want our services to be used to manipulate people,” said a statement from Facebook’s head of cybersecurity.

Another angle: A buildup of paramilitary troops in Shenzen is a stark reminder that the use of force remains an option for Beijing, and experts say that it is likely that President Xi Jinping has already completed preparations for an intervention.

Related: To much of the world, Pepe the Frog is a hate symbol. But the cartoon character has been adopted by Hong Kong protesters, who are largely unaware of its alt-right connotations.

Paramedics treating an injured man after a motorcycle accident in Bangkok in April. Adam Dean for The New York Times

Thai roads are deadly, especially for the poor

Thailand, one of the world’s most unequal societies, has one of the highest rates of traffic deaths.

A Times investigation found that those two strands converge on the country’s dangerous tangle of roads: The poor are far more likely to be killed in accidents than the rich and well-connected.

Much of it boils down to vehicles. The cars driven by the wealthy tend to be new and fast, but many Thai families can afford only a single scooter or motorcycle, setting up for a devastating mismatch.

Justice is also uneven. The wealthy often go unpunished for speeding or driving while drunk.

By the numbers: Thailand had the world’s second-highest rate of road fatalities per capita, according to a 2015 report from the World Health Organization. When it comes to motorcycle deaths, the country is No. 1.

Reprieve for Huawei extended

The Trump administration said it would allow American companies to continue doing business with Huawei for another 90 days, following lobbying efforts from rural telecommunication firms.

That extends a reprieve granted in May, when trade talks were faltering and the administration added Huawei to a list of companies that U.S. firms cannot sell to, on national security grounds, without government approval. The U.S. suspects Huawei could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Impact: Small rural carriers depend on Huawei’s cheap equipment and have been scrambling to figure out how to transition away.

U.S. executives redefine corporate purpose

Nearly 200 executives from some of America’s largest companies, including Apple, Bank of America and Coca-Cola, revised a longstanding principle of corporate governance on Monday.

In a statement from their association, Business Roundtable, they said they would work to expand their priorities beyond delivering shareholder value, adding weight to investing in employees, delivering quality to customers and dealing ethically with suppliers.

Context: The statement comes amid heightened scrutiny of corporate social efforts, particularly as prominent Democratic presidential candidates like Senator Bernie Sanders are campaigning on a promise to hold corporate power to account.

“They’re responding to something in the zeitgeist,” said one expert. “They perceive that business as usual is no longer acceptable.”

If you have 7 minutes, this is worth it

A break dancer dreams of Olympic gold

Emile Ducke for The New York Times

The potential inclusion of unconventional sports in future Olympics is creating a new breed of aspiring medalists. Sergei Chernyshev, a Russian break dancer known as Bumblebee, is one of them.

His story illuminates what’s happened in break dancing over the last three decades, as it journeyed from the streets of New York to every corner of the globe.

Here’s what else is happening

Iran: Expectations that the country will relinquish a British oil tanker rose after an Iranian tanker that had been held for six weeks left Gibraltar.

Sudan: The country’s deposed leader, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, told investigators that he had received $90 million from Saudi Arabia’s leaders, King Abdullah and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The stunning revelation came in the opening session of Mr. al-Bashir’s keenly awaited corruption trial.

Prince Andrew: After a British tabloid published a video apparently showing Queen Elizabeth II’s second son at Jeffrey Epstein’s New York City mansion in 2010, Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying the prince was “appalled” by Mr. Epstein’s alleged sex crimes and rejected having any involvement. The statement didn’t challenge the authenticity of the video.

Blanche D'Anastasi

Snapshot: Above, sea snakes are the most diverse group of marine reptiles in the world, but they are poorly understood and threatened by development. Half of all species can be found in Australia, and a researcher at James Cook University in Queensland is working to save them.

Obituary: Gina Lopez, a former environmental activist who introduced a broad crackdown on Philippine mining companies after she was appointed the country’s environmental secretary in 2016. She died on Monday at 65.

Orwell: In a particularly ironic twist, Amazon’s virtual bookstore has seen an explosion of counterfeit digital versions of “1984,” “Animal Farm” and the author’s other famous works that have been edited and rewritten, becoming a form of misinformation themselves.

What we’re reading: This column by the restaurant critic of The Observer of London, about what happened when a seriously ill reader asked for recommendations. Peter Robins, an editor in our London office, writes: “It’s heartwarming, sad and excellent on the emotional power of a good meal. I held it together through the text, but I cried a little over the reader comments.”

Now, a break from the news

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Iah Pinkney

Cook: Steaming clams in a slightly spicy broth couldn’t be simpler. (Our Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter has more recommendations.)

Watch: The filmmakers behind the new comedy “Good Boys,” about potty-mouthed sixth graders, had to figure out how to handle stars who were too young to see the movie.

Go: Six opera productions in Salzburg, Austria, this year will be hard to top in next summer’s centennial festival.

Listen: Sleater-Kinney, teaming up with St. Vincent, grasps at a new sound on the album “The Center Won’t Hold.”

Smarter Living: Expressing regret for saying the wrong thing requires a special kind of apology. Avoid saying, “I’m sorry if you were hurt” — it sounds hollow. The point is to acknowledge that what you said was inappropriate and that it caused pain. And while you can certainly admit to feeling abashed, don’t lay it on too thick, or it will seem as though you’re making yourself the victim.

And we look at why warning pregnant women not to drink can backfire.

And now for the Back Story on …

Messages in bottles

Tossing messages in bottles into the ocean is discouraged these days, given concerns about marine trash. But aficionados love the random connections the messages provide.

Some make headlines: This week a man in Alaska discovered a bottle holding a 50-year-old note from a Russian sailor, wishing the recipient “good health and long years of life and happy sailing.” The author, now 86, was overjoyed when a Russian TV channel tracked him down.

A bottle with a 131-year-old message, believed to be the world's oldest, was discovered last year on a beach in Wedge Island, Australia. Kym Illman, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

For centuries, scientists have used “drift bottles” to study ocean currents, and floating bottles have also carried love notes, advertising, propaganda, and pleas for help from the shipwrecked — and served as an inspiration for Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe and Sting.

Historians say Christopher Columbus, fearing death during a violent storm, tossed out a cask encasing a parchment addressed to his royal patrons. He survived, and the cask has never been found.

If it somehow turns up, it would easily top the current record-holder, which floated at sea for a mere 131 years.

That’s it for this briefing. I hope that someone gets my message in a bottle.

— Alisha

Thank you
To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Andrea Kannapell, the briefings editor, 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 Cordelia Scaife May, who bankrolled the anti-immigration movement in the U.S.
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