Separately, at least six of President Trump’s closest advisers have used private email addresses to discuss White House matters, current and former officials said.
Mr. Trump harped on Hillary Clinton’s use of a private account as secretary of state, making it a centerpiece of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Above, Trump advisers, left to right, Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus and Stephen Miller were among those who used personal email accounts.
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• A day after Iraqi Kurds voted on independence, the Iraqi prime minister threatened to shut down flights to the region, giving the regional government until Friday to surrender control of two international airports.
The vote held by the Kurdistan Regional Government was nonbinding but was expected to produce an overwhelming “yes” to break away from Baghdad.
Baghdad has rejected the referendum, calling it unconstitutional. The international community, including the U.S., also overwhelmingly opposed it.
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• Saudi Arabia said it will finally allow women to drive, ending a policy that has become a symbol of the repression of women in the ultraconservative kingdom.
Momentum to overturn the ban had picked up in recent years, buoyed by the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has laid out a far-reaching plan to reform the kingdom’s economy and society.
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• A Muslim American travel writer wondered if she would be an outsider in an America that has banned travelers from Muslim nations and was shutting its doors to immigrants.
Was she really that unwelcome? She decided to hit the road to find out, and to explore some exotic, foreign locales. First stop: Nashville’s Honky Tonk Row.
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• Even as tensions grow over North Korea’s nuclear tests and China’s sanctions, tourists and residents in the border region seemed divided over where to cast blame.
Our correspondent traveled from Yanji to Dandong, along China’s border with North Korea, to learn more.
“Now the whole world worries about what they’ll do next,” one Chinese retiree said, “especially us here in the northeast.”
Above, Chinese tourists on a bridge that Chinese troops crossed during the Korean War.
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Business
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• AMC Entertainment, the global theater chain majority-owned by Dalian Wanda, invested $20 million in Dreamscape Immersive, which is working on a “virtual-reality multiplex.”
• Unilever, the British-Dutch conglomerate, plans to buy Carver Korea, a popular Asian skin care specialist, for $2.7 billion.
• Toyota said it would invest more than $373 million in five United States plants to produce its first American-made hybrid powertrain.
• Equifax’s chief executive, Richard Smith, stepped down over the hacking breach that exposed the data of some 143 million people. Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., recently the head of its Asia-Pacific operations, is interim C.E.O.
• Most U.S. stocks were higher. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
In the News
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• Myanmar’s government denied accusations by Human Rights Watch that its security forces had committed “crimes against humanity” in its crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. [Al Jazeera]
• An Australian journalist, Ben McCormack, pleaded guilty to two counts of child pornography and faces up to 15 years in prison. [ABC News]
• Puerto Rico’s governor said the island was on the brink of a “humanitarian crisis” and that the U.S. commonwealth deserved the same treatment as hurricane-ravaged states. [The New York Times]
• In Mexico, officials are investigating whether a school that collapsed in last week’s earthquake, killing 19 children and six adults, was in violation of construction codes. [The New York Times]
• Mount Agung, on the popular Indonesian island of Bali could erupt any minute. More than 75,000 people have been evacuated and several nations have issued travel advisories. [Reuters]
• A Palestinian man opened fire outside an Israeli settlement near Jerusalem, killing three Israeli men and critically wounding a fourth. The attacker was then shot dead. [The New York Times]
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced a $2.5 billion campaign to bring electricity to all households by December 2018. [BBC]
Smarter Living
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
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• After a hurricane or flood, markets are filled with used cars. Here’s how to avoid buying a water-damaged vehicle.
• Master the elusive cat-eye eyeliner and add some color at the same time. Here’s how.
• Recipe of the day: Try Meera Sodha’s roasted broccoli with almonds and cardamom, inspired by a dish she found in Goa.
Noteworthy
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• Some climate-themed apocalyptic novels are starting to feel too close for comfort. We chose seven, including one set in China in 2098, and asked experts: How likely are they to come true?
• Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires: Natural disasters have struck our planet in quick succession over the last few months. In this video, a climate reporter explains what is unusual this year.
• The Guggenheim agreed to remove three major works from “Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World,” an exhibition by Chinese conceptual artists, after pressure from animal-rights groups who objected to the treatment of animals.
Back Story
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The box office success of the new film adaptation of Stephen King’s “It” has put evil clowns front and center.
In Australia, near hysteria broke out after a mysterious Facebook group promised to send 50 clowns to one spot. The backlash, including threats of violence, looked like a case study of coulrophobia — clown phobia.
Like a fear of masks, terror of clowns stems from the obscuring of the face, according to Corrie Ackland, clinical director at the Sydney Phobia Clinic. “We use people’s facial expressions as such an indicator of safety and their intentions,” she explained. “And if we don’t get that really important piece of information, then we feel like we should be cautious.”
Phobias can form from childhood experiences, critical events later in life, or gradual processes. With clowns, there’s plenty of disturbing material. In the 1970s, John Wayne Gacy, an amateur clown, tortured and killed at least 33 young men and boys in the U.S. And both the U.S. and Australia grappled with reports in 2016 of clowns terrorizing the public.
Therapy involves gradual exposure in positive settings. For example, said Ms. Ackland, one might take the patient to see the red-haired clown who hides amid burgers and fries: Ronald McDonald.
Isabella Kwai contributed reporting.
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