Your Monday Briefing

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, June 19, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Yui Mok/Press Association, via Associated Press • London, again. A vehicle drove into pedestrians early this morning near a mosque in Finsbury Park, an immigrant neighborhood, [killing one person and wounding 10 others](. The driver of the van, a 48-year-old man, was arrested after bystanders prevented him from fleeing, the police said, adding that the episode was being investigated as a possible terrorist attack. Check [nytimes.com]( for updates. It is, at minimum, [another blow to the fragile government]( of Prime Minister Theresa May, just as “Brexit” negotiations begin today. The death toll from last week’s [inferno at a public housing project, now at 58]( is expected to rise. _____ Paulo Novais/European Pressphoto Agency • A forest fire in Portugal [killed more than 60 people]( many of them drivers who became trapped in their cars. The country declared three days of mourning as firefighters continue to battle the blaze. It is “the worst tragedy in terms of human lives that we’ve known in recent years,” Prime Minister António Costa said. _____ Francois Mori/Associated Press • In France, voters gave President Emmanuel Macron and his allies [a decisive majority](. A [record number of women]( have been elected to an overall younger and more diverse legislature. Mr. Macron now “has all the power,” said Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, who resigned as head of the largely diminished Socialist Party. Jean-Luc Mélenchon and [Marine Le Pen]( the far-left and far-right leaders, secured seats, as did, for the first time, [Corsican nationalists](. The [high abstention rate]( suggests that Mr. Macron could face opposition to his promised overhaul of labor laws on the streets, rather than in Parliament. _____ Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • An American fighter jet for the first time [shot down a Syrian warplane]( on Sunday, after the Syrians struck insurgents allied with the U.S. On the same day, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps launched missiles against Islamic State targets in Syria. Meanwhile, Iraqi armed forces have begun their assault on the ISIS-held [old-city area of Mosul](. American commanders described the fight as one of the toughest in urban warfare since World War II. Above, Iraqi soldiers in Mosul. _____ Al Drago/The New York Times • More conflicting signals emerged from the Trump administration. A member of President Trump’s legal team made the rounds on Sunday morning talk shows, insisting that Mr. Trump is [not under investigation over Russian meddling]( in the 2016 election, contradicting a Twitter post by Mr. Trump. It can be tough keeping track of the three congressional inquiries into the matter. [Here’s our rundown]( with what’s ahead this week. _____ Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters • “A great German, and a great European.” That is how Chancellor Angela Merkel described Helmut Kohl, her mentor, reacting to [his death on Friday at 87](. Mr. Kohl, Germany’s longest-serving chancellor since Bismarck, resolutely steered the nation through its reunification. He was an unwavering proponent of European integration and [global dialogue](. But his legacy was clouded by missteps that were often amplified by his tenacity. _____ Business Thomas Haugersveen for The New York Times • Norway, one of the world’s biggest producers of petroleum, [wants to wean its citizens off fossil fuels](. • Amazon’s $13.4 billion deal [to buy Whole Foods]( and Walmart’s $310 million [purchase of Bonobos]( a men’s clothing company, hint at the [future of retail](. • More disrupter news: [Airbnb is trying to upgrade]( its crash-on-my-couch ethos, and [Arianna Huffington is gaining influence at troubled Uber](. • Aviation experts say a slowdown in commercial aircraft sales is likely to be a major topic at the International Paris Air Show this week. Here’s a [look what else could move the markets](. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Tyler Hicks/The New York Times • More than 65 million people, the most ever, were displaced from their homes in 2016, the U.N. said. [[The New York Times]( • In Mali, four gunmen stormed a camping resort outside Bamako, the capital, killing at least two people before escaping in a shootout with soldiers. [[The New York Times]( • A Spanish bullfighter died after falling and being gored by a bull in France. [[The Guardian]( País]( • NATO forces for the first time carried out war games simulating a Russian blockade of the Baltic states. [[Reuters]( • Russia granted extensions to six trademarks for President Trump’s businesses last year, four of them on Election Day in the U.S. [[The New York Times]( • After a sexual assault case against Bill Cosby ended in a mistrial, our critic asked if it was “still possible to laugh at his comedy.” The date for a new trial should be set within months. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living [Season the chicken the day before and let it rest overnight so the skin can dry out and then crisp up even more in the oven.]Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: [A butterflied chicken]( cooks evenly in less than an hour. • Try to use Google less: [Your brain will thank you](. Noteworthy Stefano Buonamici for The New York Times • Our music critic [picks the best sets]( at the Sónar festival in Barcelona. • Confederations Cup: The title contenders Portugal and Mexico [fought to a 2-2 draw](. Russia, the soccer cup’s host nation, [beat New Zealand]( and Chile [defeated Cameroon](. • Porsche [won the 24 Hours of Le Mans]( for the third year in a row. The race has been a [breeding ground for technologies]( that drivers take for granted, like fog lights, seatbelts and windshield wipers. • At men’s fashion week in Milan, Donatella Versace discussed how the internet [has changed the relationship between designers and consumers](. “It’s the millennials who decide what’s going to happen,” she said. • Can animals really [anticipate natural disasters?]( A German scientist working in Italy is using technology to find out — and is trying to avoid being dismissed as crazy. • A huge bloom of phytoplankton has [illuminated the Black Sea with beautiful swirls of milky blue-green]( that can even be seen from space. Back Story John Rous/Associated Press Yesterday was Father’s Day in many countries. While we may think of it as a [commercialized holiday]( its roots stretch as far as the Middle Ages. Its modern beginnings date to 1910. [Sonora Smart Dodd]( of Spokane, Wash., is thought to have hosted the first Father’s Day celebration to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised her and her five siblings after their mother died. In France, Father’s Day was introduced in 1950 by a manufacturer of cigarette lighters as part of an [effort to lift sales]( during the slow summer season. Germany celebrates on Ascension Day, the Thursday 39 days after Easter, and [men traditionally hike together]( while pulling a small wagon filled with wine or beer. In Thailand, it is typically observed on Dec. 5, the birthday of the former king. In the U.S., the third Sunday in June has been officially reserved for dads since 1972, when President Richard Nixon, the father of two daughters, signed it into law. “In fatherhood we know the elemental magic and joy of humanity,” [Nixon wrote in his proclamation](. “It is a rich patrimony, one for which adequate thanks can hardly be offered in a lifetime, let alone a single day.” Remy Tumin contributed reporting. _____ This briefing was prepared for the European morning. We also have briefings timed for the [Australian, Asian]( and [American]( mornings. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters [here](. Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [europebriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:europebriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Europe)). ADVERTISEMENT 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 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018