Your Monday Briefing

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, August 21, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Samuel Aranda for The New York Times • The Spanish authorities said that the attacks that [killed at least 14 people]( in Barcelona and Cambrils appeared to be part of [a terrorist cell’s extensive plot]( that could have resulted in far more devastation. The country has been the [target of Islamic State propaganda]( for years. Behind the attacks was [a terrorist recruiter]( who worked as an imam in the mountain town of Ripoll. He may have died a day before the attacks when explosives that the group was manufacturing accidentally detonated. At least four suspects have been arrested, but the [search for the Barcelona driver continues](. _____ Doug Mills/The New York Times • In the U.S., Steve Bannon, above, [returned to Breitbart News]( the right-wing website, after [leaving his post as President Trump’s chief strategist](. “I can be more effective fighting from the outside,” he said. Some of his protégés are [said to have already been sidelined]( in the White House. The Daily, our podcast, [has more analysis]( and [here’s a timeline]( of his career. On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators [denounced Nazism]( at rallies across the U.S. amid widespread criticism over Mr. Trump’s somewhat muted reaction to violence at a rally of white supremacists. But many of Mr. Trump’s supporters [stood by him](. And our reporters found that Rinat Akhmetshin, a lobbyist who met last summer with senior Trump officials, [has much deeper ties to the Russian government]( than previously known. _____ Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Iraqi forces [began a new offensive to retake Tal Afar]( one of the last big cities in Iraq under the control of the Islamic State. Above, paramilitaries advance toward the city. Meanwhile in Afghanistan, [our correspondent notes]( that the violent squabbling among warlords is reminiscent of the Taliban’s rise to power in 1996. The White House said that [President Trump would announce a new strategy]( in Afghanistan in a speech on Monday evening. _____ Andreas Friese/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Germany’s troubled ties with Turkey soured further. The two governments are feuding over a Turkish request to Spain to [extradite a German writer]( to Turkey. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, at a town hall event ahead of general elections next month, [criticized Turkey’s use of an Interpol arrest warrant]( to seek the rendition of the writer, who is a government critic. Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey [called on ethnic Turks]( in Germany to boycott Ms. Merkel’s party, along with the Social Democrats and the Greens, in next month’s election, calling them “enemies of Turkey.” _____ Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau, via European Pressphoto Agency • A farewell to beloved comedians: [Jerry Lewis]( who rose to fame with films like “The Nutty Professor,” died at 91. [Our critic writes]( that Mr. Lewis’s work shaped generations of his colleagues. The English entertainer, host and quizmaster Bruce Forsyth, who was a television presence for 75 years, [died at 89](. And Dick Gregory, the American black satirist who used humor to explain the civil rights struggle to white audiences, [died at 84](. Business Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times • Eneco, a Dutch utility firm, [is trying to prepare for a world where its customers produce their own power]( by offering new services like the repair of solar panels. • C.E.O.s [are increasingly speaking out on moral issues]( as their companies are adapting to meet new social and political expectations. • The stock markets have been unusually calm this year. Our columnist expects that to [change](. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva, via Associated Press • The Finnish police are investigating Friday’s knife attack in the city of Turku as a terrorist attack. Two people were killed and eight wounded. Above, Hassan Zubier, a British paramedic who was injured while trying to help a victim. [[The New York Times]( • In Russia, a man stabbed and wounded seven people in the Siberian town of Surgut on Saturday. The police later shot and killed the attacker, the authorities said. [[The New York Times]( • A quiet suicide epidemic has hit French farmers as their physically demanding, solitary existence is increasingly precarious. [[The New York Times]( • Far fewer migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to reach Italy this summer compared with previous years. Experts said the lull was unlikely to last. [[The New York Times]( • Grace Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s first lady, was whisked out of South Africa after the government granted her diplomatic immunity. A model had filed assault charges against her. [[The New York Times]( • Some 500 neo-Nazis gathered in Berlin to observe the 30th anniversary of the death of Rudolf Hess, the onetime deputy to Hitler, but were far outnumbered by counterprotesters. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Melina Hammer for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: [Make poundcake]( with whipped cream and fresh fruit. • Here are tips for [wearing, storing and cleaning your clothes](. Noteworthy Josep Lago/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • “No tinc por” (I’m not afraid): That’s what soccer fans chanted at [Barcelona’s triumphant first match]( since the terrorist attack. Players swapped their names on their shirts for the city’s name. • In a Serbian refugee center, a 10-year-old Afghan artist [has won acclaim]( as a “Little Picasso.” • Our “Game of Thrones” recap of the latest, [thrill]( comes with a spinoff idea. • Some travel inspiration: [Our 36 Hours guide to Baden-Baden]( the historic German spa town. • Rather than taking you out of the moment, snapping photos may sometimes [help you better remember it](. Back Story Hannah McKay/Reuters After striking noon today, [Big Ben]( is set to fall silent for as many as four years, part of [a $37 million maintenance program]( at the London landmark. In fact, Big Ben, the main bell that tolls every hour, doesn’t need fixing. But the clock tower containing it — called Elizabeth Tower and commonly referred to as Big Ben — is showing signs of aging, like the rest of [the crumbling Palace of Westminster]( the seat of Britain’s Parliament. Since its completion in 1859, Big Ben has had only [one major breakdown]( in 1976. It was silenced during the world wars — although [it rang throughout the Blitz]( Germany’s aerial bombing of London in 1940-41 — and also for occasional maintenance. The BBC, which has [regularly broadcast the bell’s toll since 1924]( still begins [two radio broadcasts a day]( — at 6 p.m. and midnight — with the ringing. In [an interview last week]( a BBC official said the search for a replacement bong led back to the original. Denis Nowlan said, “We decided in the end that the only substitute for the most majestic, most evocative bell in the world is Big Ben.” So the BBC will use an earlier recording rather than a live broadcast from Westminster. Palko Karasz contributed reporting. _____ 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