Friday, Sep 13, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’ve got details of Britain’s “Operation Yellowhammer,” a closely watched legal fight for paternity leave in Japan and a crowdsourced anthem for Hong Kong’s protesters.

By Alisha Haridasani Gupta

Ani-Brexit protesters outside the Houses of Parliament on Thursday. Alastair Grant/Associated Press

The U.K.’s worst-case Brexit scenario

The British government laid out its contingency plan if it leaves the European Union on Oct. 31 without a deal. It’s not pretty.

Details: The government’s “Operation Yellowhammer” paints a bleak picture of food and medicine shortages, delays at border crossings and social unrest. What’s more, the report concludes, “low income groups will be disproportionately affected by any price rises in food and fuel.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dismissed much of the speculation about no-deal consequences as “Operation Fear.” But the document makes clear that his own government is preparing to deal with the dangers.

Fathers in Japan fight for paternity leave

Two men who took time off to care for their children are suing their employers for punishing them with demotions and pay cuts when they returned to work. Both men have faced biting criticism online for their parenting decisions.

On paper: Japan has one of the best paternal leave policies in the world, allowing fathers to take up to a year of paid leave.

In reality: Because of longstanding cultural norms that women should carry most of the burden of parenting, only about 6 percent of men actually take advantage of the policy.

Cyclone Fani brought flood waters and heavy rain to the Bay of Bengal in May. Piyal Adhikary/EPA, via Shutterstock

Extreme disasters displace a record number of people

Floods, landslides, cyclones and other extreme weather events have displaced seven million people in the first half of this year, putting 2019 on track to become the most disastrous year since at least 2003.

The bad news: A changing climate has made violent weather events even more extreme and more people are exposed to them, particularly in storm-prone Asian cities. Extreme weather displaced nearly twice as many people as conflict and violence, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

The good news, sort of: Many governments have become better prepared with early warning systems and evacuation plans, and the numbers of displaced include many who might previously have been killed.

If you have 4 minutes, this is worth it

Hong Kong’s new crowdsourced singalong

Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

The semiautonomous city that has been racked by protests is increasingly irked by the symbols of the mainland. At a recent World Cup qualifying soccer match, thousands of people turned their backs and booed when the Chinese anthem played.

Instead, protesters have adopted a new anthem: “Glory to Hong Kong.” The Cantonese-language song was created anonymously and modified in forums online — a musical analog to the decentralized antigovernment demonstrations now in their fourth month.

Here’s what else is happening

The 2020 race: In a few hours, the leading Democratic presidential candidates will go head-to-head in a debate in Houston. We’ll have live coverage of the event at nytimes.com.

Russia: Security forces raided the homes and offices of activists associated with Aleksei Navalny, an opposition leader and the most prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Israel: The country’s secular-religious divide has become a central issue in the national election that will take place on Tuesday, with candidates tussling over special privileges and subsidies for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Trade war: President Trump delayed a planned tariff increase by two weeks as a “gesture of good will” toward China. Beijing, for its part, said some Chinese companies were beginning to make inquiries about resuming purchases of American agricultural products.

Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times

Snapshot: Above, mothers and their newborns at the Anabah maternity center in northern Afghanistan. The center, guided by a mostly female international team and staffed by Afghan women, helped to deliver more than 7,500 babies last year.

France: A court ruled that a man who died of a heart attack after having sex during a business trip suffered a work-related injury, making his employer liable.

Jane Goodall: The celebrated primatologist and wildlife crusader is still going strong, fueled by her bottomless passion and a bit of Irish whiskey.

Fan culture + politics: The internet has helped transform politicians into pop icons. Amanda Hess, a Times critic-at-large, explores what memes mean for democracy.

Day of the Dead Barbie: The release of a new version of the doll adorned with motifs associated with Día de Muertos, a Mexican holiday, has raised concerns about cultural appropriation.

What we’re reading: This confession of a kitchen pest in The Guardian. Mike Wolgelenter, a London-based news editor, connected to the part about “trying to edit” a colleague’s sandwich. “Been there. Done that. Not proud.”

Now, a break from the news

Kentucky butter cake. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.

Cook: This Kentucky butter cake is beloved by food bloggers and Pinterest lovers alike.

Watch: The trailer for the Amazon series “Modern Love,” inspired by the Times column, which has run reader-submitted personal essays about relationships since 2004.

Listen: The conductor Teodor Currentzis — anarchist, goth, guru — has burst out of the Russian provinces and scaled the classical heights.

Read: “The Anarchy” by William Dalrymple explores the rise of a private British corporation, the East India Company, which showed what can go wrong when corporations have too much power.

Smarter Living: If you’re thinking of installing solar panels, now might be the time: In the United States, a generous federal tax credit is set to expire soon. The Climate Fwd: newsletter has more details, and it’s not just about the money. One expert estimates that installing a residential solar panel system is equivalent to planting hundreds of trees.

And readers who are caring for elderly parents shared their stories with us.

And now for the Back Story on …

Menthol

The U.S. government said this week that it would ban flavored e-cigarettes, out of concern that they appealed to youths and nonsmokers. For the same reason, the U.S. has outlawed flavors in regular tobacco cigarettes since 2009 — except for menthol, which makes up about 30 percent of U.S. cigarette sales.

A brand of menthol cigarettes. Bryan Thomas for The New York Times

Menthol cigarettes are particularly popular among black smokers, and community leaders have accused the tobacco industry of targeting African-Americans in marketing campaigns. Antismoking groups say menthol makes cigarettes easier to smoke and harder to quit.

Menthol is a natural compound made from the oils of mint plants, but it can also be made synthetically. In ancient times, people chewed peppermint leaves for sore throats and used them to soothe cuts and burns.

Canada banned menthol cigarettes in 2017, and a European Union prohibition goes into effect next year. A U.S. proposal to do the same, announced last year, is currently in limbo.

That’s it for this briefing. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to those of you who are celebrating!

— Alisha

Thank you
To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Victoria Shannon 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 includes an interview with Andrew Yang, the Democratic presidential candidate.
• Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Spooky (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Nick Casey, our intrepid Andes bureau chief since 2016, and Sarah Lyall, a versatile reporter who wrote the Abroad in America newsletter during the 2018 midterm elections, will join the politics desk to cover the 2020 campaign.