Your Friday 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]( Friday, February 23, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Friday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. The latest developments in Syria, a pizza maker’s mission to save migrants in the French Alps and the last days of the Winter Olympics. Here’s the news: Ahmad Shafie Bilal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • A showdown in Syria: Militias loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad reclaimed the northwestern enclave of Afrin, in a [setback for the monthlong Turkish assault on Kurdish militias there](. It was a diplomatic success for Russia, which has maneuvered to forge cooperation between the Syrian government and the Kurds. Meanwhile, at the U.N. Security Council, Russia [stalled plans for a cease-fire]( that would have allowed humanitarian aid to reach the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta. In Washington, the White House has decided that it [needs no new legal authority from Congress]( to indefinitely keep U.S. military forces in Syria and Iraq. _____ Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters • Countries across Europe are shutting borders, stepping up deportations and even making unsavory deals with warlords in Libya to restrict migrants. Now comes France’s turn, with this week’s new draft law on migration. President Emmanuel Macron is trying to use his momentum to deny the far right its favorite issue, [our correspondent writes](. The law will likely toughen the lives of would-be asylum seekers. We set out in the snow of the French Alps with [a pizza chef who rescues migrants](. Many are trying to clandestinely hike from Italy to France. _____ Tom Brenner/The New York Times • In the U.S., [President Trump endorsed arming teachers]( to protect students from gun violence. Many teachers [reacted with alarm](. A note card that Mr. Trump held while he met with survivors and relatives of students killed in last week’s Florida school massacre [seemed to suggest]( that aides felt he needed to be reminded to show compassion. The N.R.A. said that some gun control efforts [were a]( plot]( by Democrats, the news media and political opportunists to “eradicate all individual freedoms.” Meanwhile, new charges were unsealed in the Russia inquiry against Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his deputy. They are [accused of money laundering](. _____ [Alina Zagitova of Russia ]Chang W. Lee/The New York Times • At the Winter Olympics, Alina Zagitova, 15, won the women’s figure skating competition, [giving Russia its first gold medal of the Olympics](. The organizers are still debating whether Russian athletes get to march with their flag in the closing ceremony on Sunday, given Russia’s ban for doping violations. [Our columnist writes]( that antidoping responsibilities should be given to a worldwide task force. The U.S. is [batting back rumors]( that Ivanka Trump, who is going to Pyeongchang for the closing ceremony, might try to meet with North Korean officials. Leading the North’s delegation [is a former spymaster](. Here’s the full [medal count and the remaining schedule](. The Paralympics begin on March 9. _____ P. Saura • Meet some of humanity’s first artists. Cave paintings in Spain were made by Neanderthals, not modern humans, [archaeologists reported](. The finding adds to evidence that Neanderthals were capable of symbolic thought and possibly language. Perhaps they achieved other milestones not preserved in the fossil record. Business Karsten Moran for The New York Times • The Chinese government [has taken over Anbang]( the troubled conglomerate that owns New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel, above, and financial firms in Europe. • Fosun International, the Chinese conglomerate, [acquired]( France’s oldest surviving couture house, after a fierce bidding war with Qatar. • In Greece, the list of politicians to be investigated in a pharmaceutical corruption scandal [reads like a]( Who]( the country’s elite](. • Carmakers in search of an open-air feeling are making sunroofs bigger. [Safety advocates see a problem](. • Airbnb is [expanding its offerings of higher-end accommodations](. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Aminu Abubakar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • In Nigeria, parents of dozens of girls who were abducted by militants this week heckled state officials after being told that, despite government reports to the contrary, their daughters had yet to be found. (Above, a girl who escaped unharmed.) [[The New York Times]( • Russia began legal proceedings against Aleksei Navalny, the opposition leader, for organizing protests. A sentence would conveniently sideline him for the presidential election on March 18. [[The New York Times]( • Romania’s justice minister has demanded the firing of Laura Codruta Kovesi, the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor, whose investigations have rattled the governing party. [[Bloomberg]( • The Dutch Parliament voted to recognize the massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 as genocide in a move likely to strain ties with Turkey. [[Reuters]( • A senior official at Unicef resigned amid allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward women when he led the British charity Save the Children. [[The New York Times]( • And Haiti suspended the aid group Oxfam Great Britain while it investigates allegations of sexual misconduct by charity employees in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. [[The New York Times]( • Questions are swirling in the U.S. about how or when the Slovenian parents of the American first lady, Melania Trump, received their permanent residency. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Karsten Moran for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: This weekend, try [fold-over chicken hand pies]( with a flaky crust. • Traveling to a new country but don’t know the language? Here’s [how to get by](. • Pull your neighbors together to [prepare your community for a disaster]( — natural or man-made. Noteworthy Andrew Testa for The New York Times • For our Op-Ed pages, a writer [climbed to the top of a London skyscraper at night]( to see the city’s “wilderness drawn in light.” • The Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood discussed how he wrote the Oscar-nominated score for “Phantom Thread”: [sound English, but also romantic](. • Scientists examining works from Picasso’s blue period [found secrets the artist had painted over](. • Milan Fashion Week has [begun on a futuristic note](. But there’s also a new exhibition that [retraces the roots of the Italian fashion industry](. “Who pays attention to the quality of the fabric or the buttonholes the way Italians do? Nobody does.” Back Story Yonhap Many hockey goaltenders wear [artfully decorated masks]( as expressions of identity. The mask of Matt Dalton, the Canadian-born goalie for South Korea’s national team, includes the flag of his naturalized country. It also features an image of [Adm. Yi Sun-shin]( a Korean naval commander who is celebrated for 23 victories against Japanese invaders in the late 16th century. The tale of Admiral Yi is well known among Korean schoolchildren, who are taught of his military prowess and ingenuity. Admiral Yi invented the geobukseon, or “turtle ship” — the world’s first armored maritime craft. The ironclad ships were covered in protective metal and spikes, and the front had a cannon shaped like a dragon’s head. In his most famous campaign, the Battle of Myeongnyang in 1597, he [defeated a Japanese fleet of hundreds]( with just 13 ships. Unfortunately for Mr. Dalton, the hockey goalie, the International Olympic Committee [deemed his mask political]( and didn’t allow him to wear it during the Winter Games. I.O.C. guidelines state that “no item may feature the wording or lyrics from national anthems, motivational words, public/political messaging or slogans related to national identity.” Though the South Korean hockey team was eliminated this week, Mr. Dalton — and his Yi mask — have gained [a loyal fan base](. Inyoung Kang 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? 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