Tuesday, Jan 7, 2020 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering what’s next for Iran, a rampage at a New Delhi university and architecture for an Antarctic climate.

By Melina Delkic

Iranians set U.S. and Israeli flags on fire on Monday during the funeral procession for Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani. Atta Kenare/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Iran mourns, and weighs retaliation

The price of gold hit a seven-year high and oil prices also climbed, as investors worried about rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran that could lead to all-out conflict. It was one of several ripple effects after a U.S. drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful commander, on Friday.

In Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept and offered prayers over the coffin of General Suleimani at his funeral in Tehran on Monday. The general’s successor swore revenge, while chants of “Death to America” rang out from the crowds in the capital.

The latest: Leaders from several European nations were scrambling to put the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal back together while calling on Iran to refrain from violence.

Behind the scenes: The general may have been working as a go-between in quiet efforts to reduce the tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia at the moment he was killed.

Big picture: General Suleimani’s killing has left a swirl of confusion among analysts, former policymakers and academics, our Interpreter columnist writes. None of them seem to be able to identify a long-term strategy in the Trump administration’s actions.

A family visiting its destroyed home in Conjola Park, New South Wales, on Sunday. Matthew Abbott for The New York Times

When Australian fires hit unexpected places

The country’s bush regions have always burned, but climate change, a yearslong drought and the expansion of communities deeper into rural areas have put more people at much higher risk.

The population outside big cities has grown by around 10 percent in the past decade, driven by new subdivisions around towns on the southeastern coast.

“We’ve had townships completely under threat that were never threatened before,” Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales, said this week.

The latest: Smoke stalled rescue efforts on Monday, but light rain and cool wind did provide some relief. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has been criticized for his delayed response to the fires, said the government would spend 2 billion Australian dollars, or about $1.3 billion, over the next two years on recovery efforts.

Impact: At least 1,600 homes have been destroyed in New South Wales and Victoria. By comparison, around 70 homes were hit in the two states during the last fire season.

How to help: We compiled a list of trustworthy organizations and fund-raisers to look into if you want to assist those affected by the fires.

Broken glass at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in New Delhi on Monday. Harish Tyagi/EPA, via Shutterstock

Shock and anger in the wake of a New Delhi rampage

Demonstrations erupted across India after dozens of masked men stormed one of the country’s most prestigious universities on Sunday, injuring at least 42 people, some of them seriously.

At Jawaharlal Nehru University, a leafy campus in New Delhi, a mob broke into dormitories, shattered windows, attacked medics and yelled, “Hail Lord Ram!” — a reference to a Hindu god that has become a battle cry for far-right Hindu nationalists.

Some students accused the police of complicity, and videos posted on social media appeared to show officers standing by as students were beaten.

Context: Students said the attack was related to protests among campus groups over fee increases. They also said the attackers targeted liberal leaders among the student body, and those who had been vocal about their opposition to Hindu nationalist policies.

If you have 6 minutes, this is worth it

Taiwan points a finger at China

I-Hwa Cheng for The New York Times

As Taiwan gears up for a major election this week, officials and researchers worry that China is experimenting with social media manipulation to sway the vote.

Polls suggest that Beijing’s heavy-handed ways might be backfiring and driving voters to embrace President Tsai Ing-wen, who opposes close ties with the mainland — but Beijing may be turning to subtler, digital-age methods to inflame and divide.

Here’s what else is happening

Mysterious illness: China is racing to identify a pneumonia-like illness that has sickened 59 people in the central city of Wuhan, and created a panic around the region, where the memory of an outbreak of a dangerous respiratory disease known as SARS remains fresh. No deaths have been reported, but seven people are critically ill.

Afghanistan: John Bass, the American ambassador in Kabul, is leaving his post immediately, as the U.S. tries to negotiate a tentative peace agreement with the Taliban.

Japan: In a saga that has captivated the country, 7-Eleven has terminated the business of perhaps its most famous franchisee, after he decided to close his store on New Year’s Day in defiance of corporate mandates.

Carlos Ghosn: Details of the auto magnate’s escape to Lebanon are emerging. Before he reportedly climbed into a box to evade airport security, he apparently took an Osaka-bound public train — another embarrassment for Japanese authorities.

Harvey Weinstein trial: The fallen media mogul was charged with rape in Los Angeles, just as his sexual assault trial began in New York. In the latter case, a judge dealt a blow to Mr. Weinstein’s team, saying that a detective who withheld evidence from defense lawyers cannot testify.

Britain's Halley VI, designed by Broughton Architects, sits on hydraulic stilts and on skis. Antony Dubber

Snapshot: Above, a research base in Antarctica, where designers have to think creatively about building structures that can withstand the Earth’s harshest climate.

Golden Globe Awards: Awkwafina became the first Asian-American woman to win a Golden Globe for best actress, for her role in “The Farewell.” Here’s the full list of winners.

52 Places traveler: Looking back on a whirlwind journey around the world, our columnist revisits the experiences that offered lessons for travel — and life.

What we’re reading: This BBC article about two Jewish sisters fleeing the Nazis and a quiet French doctor in Val d’Isère. Steven Erlanger, our European diplomatic correspondent, calls it a “moving story about heroism and survival from WW2.”

Now, a break from the news

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Cindy DiPrima.

Cook: Use what you have on hand with Alison Roman’s flexible recipe for spicy white bean stew with broccoli rabe. (Our Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter has more recommendations.)

Listen: Lloyd Barnes, known as Wackie, is behind one of the longest-running reggae studios in the U.S. As he prepares for his next chapter, he wants to ensure that its spirit lives on.

Read: Larry Kramer's new novel, “The American People, Volume 2: The Brutality of Fact,” picks up where the first installment left off. It’s “a mess, a folly covered in mirrored tiles,” writes our critic, “but somehow it’s a beautiful and humane one.”

Smarter Living: If you’re considering a job or career change — or just thinking through whether your job matches your values — stop asking “why” questions, and start asking “what” questions.

And now for the Back Story on …

Iran’s Deposed Shah

When President Trump ordered an attack on the Iranian commander Qassim Suleimani from Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida, it wasn’t the first time that the Sunshine State featured in an American-Iranian drama.

In early 1979, Iran’s shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi — who had stayed in power thanks partly to a C.I.A.-led coup in 1953 — fled a domestic uprising against his iron-fisted rule. For help relocating him to the United States, American officials turned to David Rockefeller, a banker who considered the deposed shah a prized client.

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah leaving Iran for the last time on Jan. 16, 1979. Associated Press

The Carter administration grew wary of the relocation plan after a mob briefly seized the American Embassy in Tehran. But Mr. Rockefeller persisted, and that fall, the shah was permitted to fly to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., en route to New York, where he would receive treatment for cancer.

Iranian students retaliated days later by seizing the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and taking 50 Americans hostage. The shah promptly left the United States, but the hostage crisis would last 444 days and cast a pall over U.S.-Iran relations for decades.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you
To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Mike Ives wrote today’s Back Story, based on reporting by David D. Kirkpatrick. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about why Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani was a U.S. target.
• Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Pewter or steel (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Elle magazine profiled our investigations editor, Rebecca Corbett, who oversees some of The Times’s most ambitious work. She talked about spotting and mentoring talented reporters, guiding the Harvey Weinstein investigation and something this Briefing writer can relate to: being powered by snacks.