Paul Manafort, Kevin Spacey, Catalonia: Your Tuesday Briefing<br />It makes no mention of Mr. Trump or election meddling,<br />but Mr. Mueller may be using the charges to pressure Mr. Manafort, above after pleading not guilty, into providing information about those topics.<br />_____ • New alarm over North Korea’s nuclear program: A South Korean scientist told lawmakers<br />that another explosion at the North’s test site could destabilize the area and send radioactive material into the atmosphere.<br />The government of President Nicolás Maduro, above with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow this month, must come up with $1 billion to avert default —<br />and Russia has been making loans and deals that could save it from collapse.<br />That was President Xi Jinping’s message as he held court before influential executives from China, Asia<br />and the U.S., including Tim Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.<br />_____ • Russia’s strategy of using oil as a geopolitical tool to spread its influence faces a crucial<br />test this week in Venezuela, where Moscow is effectively taking China’s place as principal banker.<br />" one woman said, "that’s appalling." _____ What you need to know to start your<br />day in Asia, delivered to your inbox. that Not having butter in France,
