good morning. we<u+2019>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<u+2019>s what you need to know: <u+2022> kurdish forces reported success in their opening salvos of a vast operation to retake the iraqi city of mosul from the islamic state. analysts say the battle could be a turning point in the war against the militant group. we have two reporters and a photographer near the front lines as kurdish pesh merga troops advance on villages east of the city. warplanes from the u.s.-led coalition are providing air support for the crucial operation , which could take months and involve nearly 30,000 troops. <u+2022> president rodrigo duterte of the philippines is being accorded full state honors as he begins a visit to china , accompanied by a large contingent of business executives. as trade deals and investments are discussed, one major question is whether mr. duterte will give china what it most wants <u+2014> scrapping an accord that gives the united states access to five military bases in the philippines. (above, mr. duterte in brunei on monday.) <u+2022> donald j. trump said that if he won the u.s. presidential election, he might meet with president vladimir v. putin of russia before being sworn in. hillary clinton is beginning an ambitious assault on traditionally republican states to further diminish support for mr. trump. and new documents show sharp disputes between the state department and the f.b.i. over mrs. clinton<u+2019>s emails, including a discussion of a possible <u+201c>quid pro quo<u+201d> to settle one disagreement. <u+2022> tales of survival are emerging from haiti, where a hurricane killed hundreds this month. in one ravaged area, villagers said they took shelter in caves <u+2014> and will have to keep doing so until they can rebuild their homes. until then, they<u+2019>ll continue to flee to the caves when it rains. <u+201c>it is our house that god created when we most needed it,<u+201d> one resident said. <u+2022> australia has failed to reduce its national poverty rate since 2004, with more than 13 percent of the population, or nearly three million people, still living below the poverty line, a new study says. an official involved in the report criticized the country<u+2019>s leaders, calling the persistent problem a <u+201c>national shame.<u+201d> business <u+2022> one of china<u+2019>s richest men, wang jianlin, announced sizable financial incentives aimed at drawing hollywood filmmakers to the vast studio complex he is building in qingdao. it<u+2019>s <u+201c>not like we<u+2019>re invading,<u+201d> he told our reporter, commenting on concerns raised in washington by the $8 billion investment his dalian wanda conglomerate has invested in the u.s. film industry. <u+2022> a sexual harassment complaint at the world<u+2019>s biggest hedge fund, bridgewater associates, has prompted the united states labor board to take a closer look at routine confidentiality agreements. <u+2022> russia<u+2019>s main english-language satellite network said its bank in britain, natwest, was abruptly closing its accounts . rt, which originated as russia today, called the interruption of its financial dealings a government-backed attempt to interfere with freedom of speech. <u+2022> o ne of goldman sachs<u+2019>s top bankers in asia, mark schwartz, will retire at the end of this year. over three decades, mr. schwartz catered to some of the firm<u+2019>s biggest clients and was central to alibaba<u+2019>s $25 billion initial public offering, the biggest i.p.o. on record. <u+2022> need a tractor in india? there<u+2019>s an app for that. rural residents in the state of karnataka are turning to their smartphones to rent heavy equipment for farming. <u+2022> u.s. markets closed down, and gold rose overnight. here<u+2019>s a snapshot of global markets . around the web <u+2022> the economist: <u+201c> the way ahead.<u+201d> president obama writes about the unfinished business his successor will have to tackle. <u+2022> nikkei asian review: <u+201c> east timor<u+2019>s development dilemma. <u+201d> an analyst argues that the focus of this young nation<u+2019>s government on large projects neglects micro-work that could lift the impoverished rural population. <u+2022> south china morning post: <u+201c>is china railroading kenya into debt?<u+201d> opposition builds to a new, china-funded train service between nairobi and mombasa. noteworthy <u+2022> exomars 2016 , a spacecraft launched by the european and russian space agencies, is to arrive at the red planet on wednesday and begin gathering data on gases that may provide clues about geological processes, or even hints of life. <u+2022> british fighter jets arrive in japan this week for the first joint exercise with the japanese air self-defense force. <u+2022> the american first lady, michelle obama, has drawn praise for changing the course of u.s. history. four influential thinkers offer thank-you notes . <u+2022> an influential indian-born historian of china, prasenjit duara, discusses how traditional values and chinese religion can be a force in protecting the environment. back story a black american doctor was in the news last week after writing on facebook that a flight attendant seeking help for a sick passenger refused to believe she was a physician. her experience touched a nerve with other professional women of color who have faced skepticism about their credentials. the episode also calls to mind the poet phillis wheatley<u+2019>s ordeals nearly 250 years ago. kidnapped as a child in west africa and sold into slavery, she was bought by the wheatley family in boston, who used for her first name that of the ship that brought her across the atlantic. they taught her to read, and she channeled her intellect into writing poetry. her work earned praise in both the colonies and europe. some of boston<u+2019>s most learned men, though, doubted that a slave could write so beautifully. in october 1772, wheatley successfully defended herself to an 18-member panel. she <u+201c>is thought qualified to write them,<u+201d> the men said of the poems. the following year she toured england, where her book was released, <u+201c>marking the beginning of an african american literary tradition,<u+201d> according to henry louis gates jr., a historian. a letter to an acquaintance on this day in 1773 indicates that her notoriety also won her freedom. <u+201c>since my return to america my master, has at the desire of my friends in england given me my freedom,<u+201d> she wrote. but in one of her poems, she addressed the pain of slavery more directly: <u+201c>and can i then but pray/others may never feel tyrannic sway?<u+201d> sean alfano contributed reporting. your morning briefing is published weekday mornings. what would you like to see here? contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com .
mosul, duterte, hillary clinton: your tuesday briefing
charles mcdermid