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, February 14, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. The latest from the Winter Olympics, Syria’s battlefields and a reminder that it’s Valentine’s Day. Here’s the news: Doug Mills/The New York Times • “I have my big gold medal.” That was [Marcel Hirscher of Austria]( above, ski racing’s most dominant athlete since 2011, at the Winter Games in South Korea reacting to his victory, which had proven elusive in two earlier Olympic appearances. At 17, Chloe Kim of the U.S. became the youngest female snowboarder to win gold in the Olympic halfpipe. (Here’s [how she did it]( And a gay American athlete spoke about what has been an open secret among male skaters: [crippling body image issues](. The women’s slalom was delayed until Friday because of high winds. You can find [today’s schedule, the medal count and live results here](. _____ Mauricio Lima for The New York Times • At least four Russians, perhaps dozens, [were killed in a U.S.-backed attack of rebel forces]( in Syria this month. Most of the fatalities were attributed to an American airstrike that was called in by Kurdish fighters. The Kremlin suggested that any Russians were mercenaries, not soldiers. (Above, U.S. Special Forces at a frontline outpost in Syria.) Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron of France [threatened the Syrian government with military action]( over chemical attacks on civilians. _____ Lawrence Jackson for The New York Times • In Washington, top U.S. security officials sounded the alarm over [Russian efforts]( sway the midterm elections]( in the fall. Hackers are already using bot armies [to promote partisan causes]( on social media, they said. (Islamist militants and cyberattacks [ranked among other top threats]( Separately, Trump administration officials [revised earlier]( that White House]( members had been unaware]( of F.B.I. warnings about problems in the background check of Rob Porter, the president’s staff secretary. Mr. Porter resigned in disgrace last week. Mr. Porter never got [a permanent security clearance]( but he’s not alone. The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is also operating on an interim status that gives him access to classified material. _____ Pool photo by Sebastian Scheiner • Can Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stay in office? That was the question after the Israeli police said that they had gathered enough evidence for [bribery and fraud charges](. The [attorney general must now decide]( whether to indict Mr. Netanyahu, a process that could take months. The [damning summary of their findings]( referred to a steady flow of cigars and pink champagne in Mr. Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence in quantities sufficient to stock a small cocktail lounge. _____ John Gaps III/Associated Press • Germans have had reason to reflect on the state of their union: Since last week, the Berlin Wall has been down longer than it stood. The West is still richer, and has more immigrants. But they are viewed as more of a problem in the East and, crucially, Easterners increasingly control the political discourse of a countrywide shift to the extremes, [our Berlin bureau chief writes](. (Above, a man hitting the wall with a sledgehammer in November 1989) Separately, Martin Schulz, the leader of the Social Democrats, stepped down amid [discord]( over how he negotiated the party’s coalition deal with Chancellor Angela Merkel. _____ The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens • For Valentine’s Day, our reporter mined a California library’s collection of [about 12,000 paper valentines]( from across three centuries. Above, a cobweb valentine, probably British, circa 1830-60. (A string lifts up the castle to reveal a mouse in a trap.) And humans aren’t the only ones with love on the brain. Songbirds, which form lifelong mating pairs, [have brain systems perfectly tuned to fit together](. Business Laura Morton for The New York Times • We (or rather our intrepid tech writer) tested an [a]( selfie drone]( a 13-eyed flying machine that follows you as long as its batteries last. Expect its technology to soon become ubiquitous. • Our economy columnist argues that inflated stock prices in the U.S. [could discourage work and capital investments]( and prepare the ground for even more inequality. • Cafe and restaurant operators are scrambling for a strategy to deal with the growing number of remote workers: [Cultivate those customers or unplug the Wi-Fi](. • Uber is [inching toward profitability]( helping the company in its plans to list as early as next year. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Pool photo by Wu Hong • South Africa’s power struggle: The leaders of the African National Congress have openly called for President Jacob Zuma’s resignation. Notably, the reasoning is not ethical issues, but that Mr. Zuma is harming the governing party’s political prospects. [[The New York Times]( • The Trump administration, outmaneuvered in South Korea, appears open to holding preliminary talks with North Korea. [[The New York Times]( • At a closely watched fund-raising conference, Iraq asked affluent allies led by the United States for $88 billion to rebuild. The answer, in short: no. [[The New York Times]( • In the Netherlands, the Senate narrowly voted in favor of a law that makes all Dutch adults potential organ donors unless they opt out. [[Associated Press]( • In a case that has rocked English soccer, a former youth talent scout for several well-known teams has been convicted of sexually abusing players when they were children. [[The New York Times]( • “Everybody has meth around here — everybody.” The drug, experts say, has never been purer, cheaper or more lethal. [[The New York Times]( • A radical proposal for tacking smog: Germany is said to be considering a plan to make public transportation free in some cities to reduce traffic and emissions. [[The Guardian]( • Prince Henrik of Denmark, the husband of Queen Margrethe, died at 83. (We recently wrote about his wishes for [a change in burial plans]( [[Politiken]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Karsten Moran for The New York Times • Roman egg drop soup is a [simple recipe for midweek](. • Here’s how to [order room service]( the right way. • Sex shouldn’t be painful. Here is [some advice]( from a gynecologist. Noteworthy Cody O'Loughlin for The New York Times • The papers of Angela Davis, just acquired by Harvard, trace her evolution from obscure philosophy professor to black feminist icon and [to prophetic voice on mass incarceration](. • An Iranian photographer’s work [offers an alternative narrative]( of the country’s revolution in 1979 and its aftermath. • Forget the Olympics: Flynn, a light-footed bichon frisé who looked like a cloud, [won the Westminster Dog Show](. • Today in the Champions League, Real Madrid will face Paris St. Germain. Some of the Spanish soccer club’s socios [told our correspondent that they were worried]( about the possible end of an era. (Here are [Tuesday’s results]( • The Swedish pop star Fever Ray explores the kinky side of her personality in her latest album. We [met her ahead of her European tour]( which begins next week. Back Story Kim Won-Jin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Valentine’s Day is [widely thought to mark a wine-fueled festival]( for courting couples in ancient Rome. But in North Korea, it signifies a different kind of affection. On this day in 2012, Kim Jong-il, who led the country from 1994 until his death in 2011, was [posthumously named a “generalissimo.”]( The announcement came two days before what would have been Mr. Kim’s 70th birthday, which is still celebrated in the country as “The Day of the Shining Star.” The only other North Korean generalissimo is Mr. Kim’s father, Kim Il-sung, who began ruling in 1945 and received the title in 1992, two years before his death. The term is a clear cut above the “marshal” title held by North Korea’s third and current leader, Kim Jong-un. The younger Mr. Kim may stay in power for decades, though, and he already has several titles: “Dear respected comrade,” for one, as well as “[supreme commander]( of the Korean People’s Army. Mike Ives contributed reporting. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning, or to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. Browse our full range of Times newsletters [here](. 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? Sign up for the [Americas]( or [A]( and Australia]( editions. | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing: Europe Edition newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018