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, January 24, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Mohammed Badra/European Pressphoto Agency • The U.S. accused Syria’s government of [another chlorine gas attack on civilians]( and rebuked Russia for failing to stop such a war crime. Separately, a strategic city, Manbij, is [emerging as the ultimate target of the Turkish offensive]( into Kurdish-controlled territory in Syria. An assault there could bring Turkish forces into direct conflict with American troops stationed there, with unpredictable results. _____ Tom Brenner/The New York Times • In the U.S., the special counsel inquiry into Russian meddling [interviewed Jeff Sessions, the U.S. attorney general, last week, and James Comey,]( the former head of the F.B.I., last year. Also in Washington, Senate Democrats are seeing the government shutdown as a miscalculation on their part. But abandoning the strategy [has drawn a fierce backlash from the left](. (Here’s some of the best [writing from across the American political spectrum]( on the shutdown.) _____ Oded Balilty/Associated Press • Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Israel [buoyed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]( but will probably only briefly divert attention from Mr. Netanyahu’s domestic troubles. In this week’s Times Magazine, former Israeli intelligence officials took us inside the decades-long effort [to kill the Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat](. They tell the story of how they failed and how far they almost went to succeed, including plans to down a commercial plane. (To this day, an argument rages over the cause of his death in 2004.) _____ Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the fashion industry is having its moment with debates about [sustainable manufacturing and clothing for the disabled](. Above, Cate Blanchett, the actress, [discussed migration]( with our columnist Nicholas Kristof. Elisabeth Bumiller, our Washington bureau chief, moderated [a debate on changing gender dynamics](. Among today’s speakers are the leaders of France, Germany and Italy as well as the Spanish king and Google’s chief executive. President Trump is [expected on Thursday](. _____ Fox Searchlight Pictures • There were a [few snubs and surprises at this year’s Oscar nominations](. (For one, a woman got a first nod for cinematography.) “The Shape of Water,” the art-house fantasy by Guillermo del Toro, led the pack with 13 nominations, including for best picture. “Dunkirk” was among the strong contenders. Fill out our [Oscar ballot here]( to see how your picks match other readers’ favorites. _____ Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • The generation that followed the millennials has started to move into the workplace. We’re just not sure yet what they should be called. If you’re 22 or younger, [please tell us what to call you and why](. It could spare you a lifetime of enduring a bad label. Business Jacques Demarthon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Just weeks after France’s labor overhaul went into effect, [companies are taking advantage of new rules]( that make it easier to lay off workers. Other changes meant to cushion the blow haven’t yet been put in place. • A British regulator provisionally [rejected 21st Century Fox’s bid to buy Sky]( the satellite network long coveted by Rupert Murdoch. Britain’s culture minister has until May 1 to rule on the deal. • Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, [told our columnist]( about his radical compensation plan. If he doesn’t reach some steep milestones, he makes zero. • Meet a private-jet broker for whom success is all about knowing [who’s who in the world’s 0.0001 percent](. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Clockwise from top left: David Rolfe/The Winston-Salem Journal, via Associated Press; Ryan Hermens/The Paducah Sun, via Associated Press; KDFW Fox4, via Associated Press; Emily Kask • A shooting at a school in Kentucky was the worst of at least 11 such shootings in the U.S. so far in 2018: Two 15-year-old students were killed and 17 more people were wounded. [[The New York Times]( • Two car bombs killed at least 27 people outside a mosque in Benghazi, Libya. [[Associated Press]( • Across the Alps, heavy snowfall, followed by thaws and rain, has upended travel for thousands and led to evacuations. [[The New York Times]( • British prosecutors said that the suspect in last year’s attack on a mosque in London had been in contact with far-right groups. [[The New York Times]( • In Denmark, the inventor Peter Madsen is accused of having abused the journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine before killing her. [[The New York Times]( • E-cigarettes that contain nicotine may lure teenagers into smoking, a new report warns. [[The New York Times]( • Piles of garbage inundating Lebanon’s beaches have become a symbol of lackluster governance. [[The New York Times]( • Russia banned a satirical film about Stalin’s death. [[Associated Press]( • Our Op-Ed contributors debate the [state of the British economy]( and ponder what Germany after Chancellor Angela Merkel [would look like](. Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Heidi Younger • Get over [your infatuation](. • Show your cast iron [some T.L.C](. • Recipe of the day: Enjoy a [traditional English scone]( with jam, cream and a cup of tea. Noteworthy Jill Krementz, All Rights Reserved • In memoriam: Ursula K. Le Guin, the popular science fiction author, [died at 88]( and Hugh Masekela, the South African musician and activist, [died at 78](. • Relatively few French plays are written and directed by women. But [four current productions in Paris]( are showing a great diversity of talent. • The London Sinfonietta, one of the most forward-looking ensembles in contemporary classical music, [is celebrating its 50th anniversary](. • The latest at the Australian Open: Angelique Kerber [overpowered Madison Keys](. Rafael Nadal [pulled out with an injury](. Here is [today’s schedule](. • Thousands of readers had questions for our new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. In his answers, Mr. Sulzberger [spoke about his job, media bias and diversity](. Back Story Bettmann, via Getty Images Here’s a tale of innovation and why it’s hard to stand in the way of progress. Eighty-three years ago, [the first-known canned beer was sold]( in the U.S., in Richmond, Va. The innovation [soon spread to a brewer in Wales](. The cans were lighter and cheaper than bottles, and immediately proved a huge success. “Sales resistance to beer in cans has been overcome in every section of the country,” [The Times reported a few months later in 1935](. “The product is selling more rapidly than it can be supplied.” Within two months, the American Can Co. was [producing 25,000 to 30,000 beer cans every day](. By September, U.S. winemakers sought to package their product in cans, too, to “induce the American consumer to ‘become wine-minded,’ ” [The Times reported](. [Bottle makers pushed back]( against the new competition. At a conference in Atlantic City, they spoke of plans for lighter bottles, as well as ones that wouldn’t require a deposit. Regardless of what it was packaged in, beer was popular in post-Prohibition America. Sales of bottled and canned beer grew more than 50 percent in the first half of 1936 over the previous year, [The Times reported](. By 1970, [beer cans had overtaken bottles](. _____ 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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