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Asia Pacific Edition

Thai King, Duterte, Bob Dylan: Your Friday Briefing

Good morning.

We’re trying something new for our readers in Asia: a morning briefing to jump-start your day.

What do you like? What do you want to see here? Email us with your feedback at asiabriefing@nytimes.com.

Here’s what you need to know:

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King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, the world's longest-reigning monarch who was highly revered by his nation, died at 88 after a prolonged period of illness.CreditCredit...Adam Dean for The New York Times

• The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, one of history’s s longest-reigning monarchs, triggered deep mourning throughout Thailand and condolences from around the world.

The nation he long worked to unify and develop faces two levels of uncertainty. First: succession, given that Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn unexpectedly said he was not ready to take the throne. And second, the future of the monarchy itself.

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Credit...Jim Cole/Associated Press

• Donald J. Trump counterattacked after several women came forward with accounts of his sexual aggression, singling out The Times for publishing what he called “false smears.”

Here’s what our lawyer had to say about that.

Hillary Clinton will be off the campaign trail for days, letting the furor over Mr. Trump play out in a race tilting in her favor.

Michelle Obama, the first lady, sharply criticized Mr. Trump in a speech, saying in a voice that shook with emotion that his lewd comments about women were “disgraceful” and “intolerable.”

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Bob Dylan and His Poetic Gift

A look at Bob Dylan's contribution to the world of literature that brought him a Nobel Prize.

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A look at Bob Dylan's contribution to the world of literature that brought him a Nobel Prize.CreditCredit...Niels Meilvang/European Pressphoto Agency

• Bob Dylan has a Pulitzer, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a range of prestigious performance awards. Now he’s adding a Nobel Prize to the list.

The 75-year-old songwriter and musician is being honored in the literature category, a distinction that set off intense debate on social media. Our music critic had one question: “What took them so long?”

• India is preparing a radical overhaul of its national treatment program to fight tuberculosis, finally coming to terms with the enormity of the problem.

The World Health Organization substantially increased its estimate of the number of new tuberculosis patients there to 2.8 million in 2015. Increases were also noted in Indonesia.

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Credit...Bullit Marquez/Associated Press.

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has made few friends in Washington during his time in office, but his popularity at home is stronger than ever. Polls show his approval rate well over 80 percent.

His bloody war against crime and drugs has taken particular aim at those who use or sell a cheap methamphetamine called shabu.

• In Saudi Arabia, even milk depends on oil. But low crude prices and the war in Yemen are sapping the kingdom’s budget, forcing the kingdom to try to diversify and adapt its economy.

Its Vision 2030 Plan aims to expand the mining of gold, phosphate and uranium, and to build up the country’s financial, technology and entertainment sectors.

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Credit...Tang Chhin Sothy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• President Xi Jinping sent an unusually strong message to China’s business leaders on the primacy of the Communist Party.

He then traveled to Cambodia, beginning a regional tour that will take him to Bangladesh and then India for the BRICS summit meeting this weekend.

• SoftBank of Japan said it will put at least $25 billion into a new fund in an effort to become one of the world’s biggest investors in tech. Saudi Arabia is weighing adding in at least $45 billion.

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Credit...Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

• Snapchat is preparing to go public, possibly signaling a new wave of huge tech offerings on Wall Street. The company was most recently valued by private investors at about $19 billion.

The messaging service, beloved by teenagers, has already attracted billions from investors including Alibaba.

Deutsche Bank instituted a hiring freeze, looking to reduce costs and soothe investor concerns as the bank struggles through a crisis that is casting a shadow on the global economy.

• Marmite, the sludgy breakfast spread, has become the first tangible victim of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

• Here’s a snapshot of global markets. United States markets fell overnight, following the dip in global markets after a steep drop in China’s exports. Singapore said on Friday that its economy contracted 4.1 percent in the third quarter, the most since 2012.

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Credit...David Hogsholt for The New York Times

• National Geographic:Discoveries May Rewrite History of China’s Terra-Cotta Warriors.” Did Greek artists arrive 1,500 years before Marco Polo?

• Times Higher Education:Bangladesh’s ‘rickshaw faculty.’” Scholars teach at three to four universities a day to make ends meet.

The Guardian: “Is China’s gaokao the world’s toughest exam?” The grueling test gives graduating high school students an early shot at ruining their lives.

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Credit...Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Britain is preparing to admit dozens of the 1,000 unaccompanied children stranded in a sprawling migrant camp outside Calais, France, after months of foot-dragging.

France plans to dismantle the camp, known as the Jungle, on Monday.

• The much-maligned video circulating through China that supposedly showed an office ritual of women kissing their male boss good morning appears to be false.

Two 16-year-olds arrested in Sydney, Australia, carrying knives were charged with preparing to commit a terrorist act. The police said the two had been inspired by the Islamic State.

• FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, may decide in January to expand the World Cup finals from a 32-nation tournament to include as many as 48 countries.

And lifelike soccer video games, like the record-selling FIFA series, have helped alter the game itself, influencing professional players and front offices.

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Credit...U.S. Air Force, via Associated Press

Anyone looking up at the skies over Southern California on this day in 1947 probably didn’t see Charles E. Yeager. But they might have heard him.

Flying an experimental plane high above the Mojave Desert, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, officially a first in manned-aviation history.

The former World War II fighter pilot was chosen to test the X-1 plane, which he nicknamed Glamorous Glennis, after his wife. The plane was carried aloft in the bomb bay of another aircraft, and once in the air, detached and rocketed to over 40,000 feet. Mr. Yeager accomplished the feat by reaching a cool cruising speed of about 700 miles per hour, according to NASA.

He almost didn’t get to.

He had to fly with two cracked ribs because of a horseback riding accident. In an essay published in 1987, he described how it felt to fly past a barrier that some thought couldn’t be survived: “There was no buffet, no jolt, no shock. Above all, no brick wall to smash into. I was alive.”

He retired from the Air Force in 1975 with the rank of brigadier general, and later wrote a best-selling autobiography.

The pilot, now 93, is an avid Twitter user. He was recently asked how many U.F.O.s he had encountered. “None,” he said. “I don’t drink before I fly.”

Kenneth R. Rosen contributed reporting.

Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings.

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

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