Your Wednesday Briefing

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, August 16, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Al Drago for The New York Times • President Trump [defended his weekend remarks]( over the white supremacist rally and [counterprotests]( in Charlottesville, Va., laying “blame on both sides” for the violence, which had turned deadly when a man plowed his car into counterprotesters, killing a woman. “Is it George Washington next?” [Mr. Trump asked,]( referring to the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, which led to the protests. Mr. Trump’s fiery news conference [left many on U.S. cable news networks searching for ways]( to address his words, and partisan lines blurred in the process. Emboldened white supremacists [reacted with praise]( for the President. ([Here’s a timely glossary]( of terms used by the far right). _____ Glyn Kirk/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • “A fantasy.” That was Guy Verhofstadt, a key European lawmaker, dismissing [a British government proposal]( to keep the country in a customs union with the European Union for two years after Brexit. Under the proposal, Britain would quit the actual customs union, but seek to temporarily join an almost identical accord. That would allow the country to sign — but not put into effect — trade deals with other partners. ([Here’s the full text]( For British business groups, the proposal could have perhaps meant two additional years of stability, but there’s [concern about additional red tape](. Today, the government is set to [unveil a plan on the Irish border](. _____ Cristina de Middel/Magnum, for The New York Times • Our Cairo bureau chief delves into the strange twists, betrayals and secrets in [the case of]( Regeni]( an Italian graduate student who was tortured and murdered in Egypt last year. Former U.S. officials said that the U.S. had informed the Italian government of “incontrovertible” evidence that an Egyptian security agency, which they did not name, was behind Mr. Regeni’s murder and that the leadership in Cairo was fully aware of the circumstances around his death. This morning, [several Italian newspapers]( carried Italian government denials that evidence had been passed on to Rome. _____ Jane Hahn for The New York Times • Hundreds of people [remain missing after deadly flooding and mudslides in Sierra Leone](. At a morgue in Freetown, the capital, a resident said he was given a mask and led past hundreds of bodies to look for his 10 missing relatives. He could not find them. Separately, suicide bombers [killed at least 20 people in Nigeria]( some at a camp for people displaced by the fight against the Boko Haram militant group. Meanwhile, mayhem among armed militias is spreading in the Central African Republic. [Aid groups warned]( that they may be forced to leave amid attacks on civilians. _____ Samuel Aranda for The New York Times • Finally, our correspondent in Spain [talked to ranchers in Galicia]( who since medieval times have ritually rounded up their horses in the summer, letting them roam wild in the green forests and hills of northwestern Spain for the rest of the year. But tougher regulations and higher costs have forced some to abandon keeping horses in the wild. Animal rights activists say the roundups cause unnecessary stress to the wild animals, and should end. “Modern society is losing a way of life that has kept us and animals in harmony,” one rancher said. Business Felipe Trueba/European Pressphoto Agency • As talks begin on the renegotiatiation of Nafta, here’s a look at how the [agreement changed trade between the U.S., Mexico and Canada](. (For one, the cross-border supply chain made U.S. carmakers competitive with European manufacturers.) And here’s a look at [Canada’s negotiating strategy](. • The German government provided [Air Berlin with a transitional loan]( to keep the carrier, the country’s second-largest, running after it had filed for insolvency. Ryanair, the budget airline, [claimed]( that Air Berlin was being “set up” for a takeover by Lufthansa. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Catarina Nunes/Diario De Noticias Da Madeira, via Associated Press • At least 13 people were killed in Madeira, Portugal, when a tree fell on a crowd that had gathered for a religious festival. [[The New York Times]( • Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, warned that the country’s nuclear program could be restarted in a matter of “hours,” if the U.S. government imposes further sanctions on Tehran. [[The New York Times]( • Italy’s government seeks tougher punishments for the promotion of fascism amid a resurgence of nativist sentiment. [[Politico]( • The British government said that its inquiry into the deadly Grenfell Tower in June would also look into the conduct of the local authorities in London. Yesterday, [our correspondent explored the disconnect between the city’s elite and its poor residents]( which the tragedy highlighted. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Craig Lee for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Put your pressure cooker to work with this excellent [black bean soup recipe](. • Maybe don’t buy [that iodized salt](. • How much should you [invest in stocks]( Noteworthy The New York Times • Sam Sifton, our food editor, considers it a nearly sacred process: [the slow, deliberative steps in the making of a pizza](. And whether you call it a “kaiser” or a “Vienna,” [here’s an ode to the buttered bread roll]( a distinctly New York City phenomenon with Central European roots. • Soccer: Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid’s coach, [was hopeful]( that Cristiano Ronaldo’s [five-game ban]( would be overturned before [a]( Barcelona today](. • Maria Sharapova has been [granted a wild-card entry into the U.S. Open]( her first Grand Slam appearance since serving a 15-month suspension for doping. • In memoriam: Dr. Ruth Pfau, [a German-born medical missionary]( who was hailed as “the Mother Teresa of Pakistan,” died at 87. • Children who sleep less may be at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, [researchers say](. Back Story Today in 1930, a dancing frog set a new standard in animation. “Fiddlesticks,” featuring Flip the Frog, above, was a stand-alone cartoon with synchronized sound. ([Watch it here]( By that year, music had been widely used to accompany animations. Some of the more laborious animations were even in color. Then around 1930, those two features were combined. In Germany, [Lotte Reiniger’s character silhouettes]( of the 1920s used changing background colors to create atmospheric scenes. In the U.S., “King of Jazz” in 1930 featured a [short color animation]( with synchronized sound. In “Fiddlesticks,” Flip the Frog tap-dances his way through a world of merry animals, but then is moved to tears as he plays the piano alongside a violin-playing rodent that resembles Mickey Mouse. The animation was released by [Ub Iwerks]( who had helped produce Mickey Mouse, shortly after he left Walt Disney’s growing enterprise. The Flip franchise ended in 1933, and Mr. Iwerks returned to work at Disney. But he never stopped innovating. [His obituary]( noted that he invented “a panoramic camera arrangement.” Imagine his excitement if he could see today’s [360-degree cartoons](. _____ This briefing was prepared for the European morning. [You can browse through past briefings here](. 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