• Jay Y. Lee, the jailed de facto leader of Samsung, broke a monthslong silence, denying that he bribed Park Geun-hye, then South Korea’s president, to keep his control of the business empire. [The New York Times]

• The Venezuelan government altered the turnout for its election by at least one million votes, a software company involved with the voting system said. [The New York Times]

• Treaty talks at the U.N. to create marine reserves in international waters could begin next year. [The New York Times]

• President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines called North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, a “fool” for his nuclear ambitions, just days before a meeting of Asian leaders in Manila. [Reuters]

• Liu Xia, the widow of Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese Nobel Peace laureate who died in police custody on July 13, has not been seen or heard from since her husband’s burial. [Radio Free Asia]

• In Pakistan, a satirical take on the Indian folk song “Sonu,” which was altered to parody the plight of the recently ousted prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, has gone viral. [BBC]

Smarter Living

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