Your Wednesday Briefing

What you need to know today. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, December 6, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By MIKE IVES AND PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: [President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — and to set in motion an embassy move — is his riskiest foray yet into the thicket of Middle East diplomacy.]Oded Balilty/Associated Press • President Trump told Mideast leaders he would [recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel]( a move that would upend decades of U.S. policy, upset peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians and risk igniting unrest. [Here’s a brief explainer]( on the city’s modern history. The announcement did not go over well in Brussels, where Rex Tillerson, the U.S. secretary of state, received a “distinctly chilly” reception, [our correspondent writes](. Meanwhile, the German foreign minister called for Berlin to [take a stronger role on foreign policy]( saying that Washington’s part in protecting Europe’s security and economic interests has begun to crumble. _____ Chang W. Lee/The New York Times • Russia’s banishment from the 2018 Winter Olympics [is the country’s largest international sporting crisis since the Soviet era](. The International Olympic Committee’s decision followed investigations that revealed a [vast, state-sponsored doping scheme]( at the Sochi Olympics in 2014, above. Olympic officials said that they might allow individual Russian athletes [to compete wearing]( uniforms]( and lift the ban in time for the closing ceremony. Here’s a look at the [competitions that could be affected most by the ban](. Russia is expected to appeal the I.O.C.’s decision, and political analysts predicted that the ban would not dent President Vladimir Putin’s popularity ahead of elections next year. _____ Reg Lancaster/Express, via Hulton Archive, via Getty Images • In memoriam: France’s biggest rock star, Johnny Hallyday, above, has [died at 74](. Though largely unknown in the U.S., he was a household name in much of Europe and sold more than 100 million records. And Romania’s last king, Michael, [died at 96](. He was credited with pre-emptively saving thousands of lives when, in 1944, he ordered the arrest of the country’s dictator, a puppet for Hitler. He was later forced to abdicate and flee, and did not return from exile until 1990. _____ Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • How did Harvey Weinstein hide decades of sexual abuse allegations? [Our latest investigation shows]( how he relied on powerful relationships across industries, including the news media, to provide him with cover. A former executive at Miramax, where Mr. Weinstein was a co-founder, said employees who saw the abuse were “silenced by the fear that you would become the next target.” _____ • Greenland’s ice is melting, but not as much of the water is reaching the ocean as expected — at least for the time being. [That could alter some estimates of the rate of sea level rise](. (Above, satellite footage of a depression where melted ice formed a lake.) One of our correspondents also recently trekked to Canada’s remote northeast to [explore how climate change affects mental health](. _____ Clockwise from top left: Tyler Golden/Netflix; Bob Mahoney/AMC; Netflix; Nicole Wilder/ABC; Netflix; ABC • So much TV, so little time. But our critics each [picked their 10 favorite shows of 2017](. The year marked an end to America’s dominance in great television shows, one critic says. He lists “[Fauda]( an Israeli production, and the Norwegian series “[Valkyrien]( as standouts. Business Meredith Andrews for The New York Times • European Union finance ministers adopted a [blacklist of tax havens](. But some offshore financial centers ([including Bermuda]( above) were left off the list. • The world’s biggest automakers are [betting that China will dominate the electric car market](. • A lawyer for President Trump denied [reports that Deutsche Bank received a subpoena]( from U.S. investigators to provide information on its relationship with Mr. Trump. • After Toblerone reconfigured its iconic Swiss mountain-shaped chocolate bar, a British discount chain released a rival, Twin Peaks. ([Lawyers were called.]( • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Joseph Eid/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad Hariri, second from right, rescinded his resignation, dealing a setback to efforts by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to counter Iranian influence in the country. [[The New York Times]( • A Spanish judge withdrew an international arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont, the ousted Catalan leader, who had left for Belgium after his failed bid for independence. [[The New York Times]( • A ruling by Austria’s highest court put the country on track to become the 16th in Europe to grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. [[The New York Times]( • The U.S. Supreme Court waded into a clash between gay rights and claims of religious freedom. It all started when a Colorado baker refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. [[The New York Times]( • In Malta, three people were charged in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia as more details on the journalist’s brazen assassination emerged. [[La Repubblica]( • Supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili, an increasingly bitter opponent of the Ukrainian president, prevented Mr. Saakashvili’s arrest in a standoff in Kiev. [[The New York Times]( • Russia designated two U.S.-backed broadcasters as “foreign agents” after the Trump administration’s similar steps against the Russian news channel RT and the news agency Sputnik. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Lilli Carré • How to [train your mind to read](. • Here are five ways to [make a trip with children easier for them]( and you. • Recipe of the day: Keep dinner simple by making [sautéed chicken with Meyer lemon](. Noteworthy Edmund Blok for Modern Art Oxford • Lubaina Himid, the first nonwhite woman to win the Turner Prize, is best known [for art depicting the African diaspora](. • The billionaire Andrej Babis is [expected]( to be named prime minister of the Czech Republic today. We look at how the country’s music [reveals an undercurrent of uncertainty]( about its national identity. • Bonjour! Quebec lawmakers have asked merchants to [greet customers en français]( (rather than the frequently used “Bonjour hi”). • We sent a reporter on a bewildering, but delicious, trip to Bologna for a dose of [“gustatory hyper-consumption.”]( • In the Champions League, Manchester United and Paris St. Germain [advanced](. Here are [all the results and a look at today’s schedule](. Back Story Associated Press Many Americans awoke last week to news that most Britons, several time zones ahead, had heard first: Prince Harry and his American girlfriend, Meghan Markle, [were engaged](. But when [King Edward VIII gave up the throne]( on Dec. 10, 1936, to marry an American, England was seemingly the last to know. The British news media largely blacked out coverage of Edward’s yearslong affair with the American socialite Wallis Simpson, who by that December was divorcing her second husband. Pages were reportedly even [torn from the foreign magazines]( which were writing freely about the couple. The average Briton was unprepared for the looming constitutional crisis when the [affair was publicly revealed]( after Parliament refused to allow the marriage. As [The Times wrote]( “Public in London Is Bewildered.” [In a changed world]( the royal family has struggled against the intrusive public eye, particularly in the marriage and divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and in [her tragic death](. But Harry and his brother, William, have tried [to establish a respectful relationship]( with the news media ([despite the odd warning](. Ultimately, the news of [Harry and Ms. Markle’s engagement]( received a far warmer reception than that of his great-great-uncle. Lori Moore contributed reporting. _____ A year has passed since we started offering a free European edition of our Morning Briefing. We would love to hear from you about what you like, and how we can do better. [Please take our survey](. This briefing was prepared for the European morning and is updated online. [Browse past briefings here](. You can get the briefing delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday. We have four global editions, timed for [the Americas]( [Europe]( [Asia]( and [Australia]( and [an Evening Briefing]( on U.S. weeknights. Check out our full range of free newsletters [here](. If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app [from iTunes]( or [Google Play](. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [europebriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:europebriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Europe)).  ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. FOLLOW NYT [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Prefer a different send time? 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