Your Monday 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]( Monday, February 26, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. No respite in Syria’s war, Ukraine’s “Hapsburg Group” and Samsung’s new smartphone. Here’s the news: Hamza Al-Ajweh/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Airstrikes continued against a rebel-held suburb of Damascus where more than 500 civilians have been killed in the past week. There were [new reports of a suspected chlorine attack]( despite a U.N. Security Council resolution on Saturday that called for a 30-day cease-fire. Our correspondents examined two phenomena in the regional turmoil: a Russian effort to [repatriate women and children]( from territory held by the crumbling Islamic State, and [a push for gender equality]( that’s swelling in Kurdish-controlled areas. Separately in Prague, the Czech police [arrested a Syrian Kurdish leader](. Turkey is [seeking]( his extradition. _____ Andy Wong/Associated Press • In China, President Xi Jinping’s efforts to [extend his rule as leader, perhaps indefinitely]( raised fresh fears of a resurgence of strongman politics and of a new era of hostility and repression. For decades, the prevailing belief was engagement with China would make China more like the West. Instead, [our correspondents write]( China appears to have gone in the opposite direction. Predictably, government censors rushed to block criticism of the decision. _____ Pete Marovich for The New York Times • In the U.S., questions are swirling over whether and when President Trump might answer questions from Robert Mueller, the special counsel. His investigation seems to be racing toward an as-yet-undefined goal, [our correspondent writes](. New charges accused Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, of [paying off]( group of European politicians]( nicknamed the Hapsburg Group, to lobby for the pro-Russian government that then controlled Ukraine. (The politicians were not named, but the focus quickly turned on four former statesmen. [Here’s a look their reactions]( _____ Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times • In Italy, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement is leading in polls in part because of its promise to stand apart from the political elite it considers discredited. But some scandals, including the inflated résumé of Alessia D’Alessandro, above, a candidate in the southern region of Campania, drew criticism that the party was, [most damningly, just like other parties](. On the political fringes, the violent nationalism that fueled Benito Mussolini’s rise [has returned]( with force. Politically inspired violence, including by anti-fascist activists, has become an almost daily occurrence. _____ Chang W. Lee/The New York Times • The 23rd Winter Olympics wrapped up in Pyeongchang, South Korea, with a rousing closing ceremony that included [K-pop and a conga line](. These Games are likely to be most remembered for the scandal over Russian doping and for the [brief unity of the Koreas]( — an extraordinary diplomatic moment that raised the possibility of renewed international talks with the North. Our colleagues at the Games [shared their favorite moments]( reminders that such competitions can bring out the best of the human spirit. Here’s the [final medal count](. (Norwegians fretted that their medals record [risks ruining their favorite sports]( Business Abbey Lossing • Cryptocurrencies and blockchain were meant to be great equalizers. Instead, women are finding that [the gold rush is already stacked against them](. • The Weinstein Company said that [it would file for bankruptcy](. The film studio has been struggling in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against its co-owner. • Li Shufu, the Chinese businessman who owns the Geely automotive group, has amassed a [nearly 10 percent stake, worth $9 billion, in Daimler]( the German maker of Mercedes-Benz cars and trucks. • Saudi Arabia is [making overtures to China and Russia]( for help in diversifying its oil-dependent economy. At stake is the future of the Saudi welfare state. • Samsung unveiled its [latest Galaxy smartphone]( at the GSMA World Congress in Barcelona. (It features an upgraded camera.) • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets]( and a [look at what could move them]( this week. In the News Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times • In Niger, French officials are screening migrants before they take a perilous trip across the Mediterranean. A few get a plane ticket. For everyone else, the message is: Stay home. [[The New York Times]( • In the U.S., shooting survivors are increasingly pushing for gun control as a growing number of businesses are [cutting ties with the National Rifle Association]( the country’s chief gun lobby. [[The New York Times]( • In Britain, Prime Minister Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, will outline this week their visions for economic ties with the E.U. after Brexit. Mr. Corbyn is expected to endorse a customs union. [[BBC]( • Hungary’s governing party, Fidesz, unexpectedly lost a local government by-election, raising slim hopes for the opposition six weeks before a parliamentary election. [[Reuters]( • On Sunday, Russia’s divided opposition groups united to mourn the third anniversary of the death of Boris Nemtsov, the outspoken Kremlin critic who was killed in 2015. [[The New York Times]( • Measles cases quadrupled in Europe last year, and at least 35 children died of the highly infectious disease amid persisting anti-vaccine movements. [[The New York Times]( • A bitter cold is descending on Europe this week. Expect some of the coldest temperatures in years in affected areas. [[Bloomberg]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Lars Leetaru • Traveling? Here are [some simple tips to get by]( if you don’t know the language. • You can weather [a turbulent stock market](. • Try a meatless meal of [Sri Lankan dal with coconut and lime kale](. Noteworthy Jacques Demarthon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • More fraternité than égalité: Out of the 57 restaurants newly honored in France’s latest Guide Michelin, [only two have female chefs]( raising calls for a reckoning. • Sridevi Kapoor, Bollywood’s first female superstar, [has died at 54](. She was one of the few actresses in India who headlined films without a man in a leading role. • The Romanian film “Touch Me Not” unexpectedly [won the top prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival](. It had not been considered a front-runner, partly because of the frankness of some of its sex scenes. • As he watched Manchester United beat Chelsea, [our soccer correspondent wondered]( whether financial strength was all a club needed to satisfy fans in the YouTube age. • And check out your fellow readers’ answers to the question, [What are you most proud of?]( (Even some of our journalists piled in.) Back Story Ruby Washington/The New York Times “Was it really that bad?” That’s what Arthur Bicknell asked years after his play, a mystery-farce called “Moose Murders,” opened and closed on the same night this month in 1983 — setting a punishing new standard for Broadway flops. “The simple answer,” he [conceded to The Times]( “is yes.” [Reviews at the time]( were brutal. Brendan Gill of The New Yorker said it “would insult the intelligence of an audience consisting entirely of amoebas.” Dennis Cunningham of CBS advised, “If your name is Arthur Bicknell, change it.” (In one account, a woman leaving the theater shouted to a police officer, “Arrest this play!”) Here’s the [Times review]( by Frank Rich, who years later would call it “the worst play I’ve ever seen on a Broadway stage.” In the years since its ill-fated Feb. 22 debut, “Moose Murders” has gained notoriety, if not respect. In 2011, Mr. Bicknell published “[Moose Murdered]( How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Broadway Bomb.”) In fact, there have been “revivals” of “Moose Murders” around the world — and at least one comical twist. In 2007, the Repertory Philippines misidentified the author of the play in its posters and playbills around Manila. Instead of [Mr. Bicknell, it credited The Times’s critic, Mr. Rich](. Charles McDermid 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. 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