Your Tuesday Briefing

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, August 22, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Tuesday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Al Drago for The New York Times • In a televised speech, President Trump [laid out plans to deepen U.S. involvement]( in Afghanistan, a mission that bedeviled his predecessors and that [he once called futile](. He did not say how many troops he would commit or how he would judge success. ([Here’s a transcript]( Taliban and Islamic State forces [control large areas of the country]( and there’s continued infighting among [warlords loyal to the government](. Last night, a [rocket struck Kabul’s diplomatic area](. Today, Mr. Trump will hold a rally in Phoenix. Officials are [bracing for a furious reception]( given his comments faulting “both sides” for racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Va. _____ Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press • The Spanish police shot and [killed the 22-year-old]( suspected of driving the van in last week’s terrorist attack in Barcelona. Acting on a tip, the police found him in Subirats, a collection of villages west of the city. The authorities said that he had stolen a car, killed its driver and fled with the body still inside. When cornered by police officers, he revealed what looked like a suicide belt, and was shot dead. The attacks’ death toll [rose to 15](. Our reporter found [a decade-old warning]( on the risks of radicalization in Spain. Separately, the authorities in Finland said that the Moroccan teenager accused of carrying out the country’s first jihadist terrorist attack on Friday [had been flagged months ago for extremist views](. _____ Sergei Supinsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • The U.S. has [sharply reduced visa services]( at its diplomatic missions in Russia because of Moscow’s order to cut its staff, the latest in a series of tit-for-tat penalties by the two countries. The Kremlin named a new ambassador to the U.S.: [Anatoly Antonov, a deputy foreign minister]( who is under European Union sanctions for his involvement in the annexation of Crimea. _____ View Pictures/UIG, via Getty Images • Some Portuguese contend that the roles between their country, a former imperial power, and Angola, its former colony, [may have reversed](. Large chunks of Portugal’s banking, media and energy industries are being bought by the wealthiest citizens of the oil-rich African nation, which is also one of the most corrupt. “In Angola, they call Portugal the laundromat,” said a Portuguese lawmaker in the European Parliament. Above, a luxury apartment building, nicknamed the “Angolans’ building,” in a coastal town near Lisbon. _____ [Jay Pasachoff for PBS/NOVA “Eclipse Over America”. Technology by Samsung.]Jay Pasachoff for PBS/NOVA “Eclipse Over America” • “Today was a great day in America,” [wrote Farhad Manjoo]( our tech columnist, [of the collective excitement about the solar eclipse](. It “was thrilling, unusual, and felt so necessary.” The total eclipse was met with gasps and cheers as it traveled [all the way across the U.S.]( from the West Coast to the East, for the first time since 1918. Big crowds [lined the “path of totality,”]( the arc where the moon fully obscured the sun, and millions more saw a partial eclipse. [Readers sent in their own joyful photos]( of kids, dogs, tents, special glasses and more, while scientists conducted [numerous experiments]( to deepen the understanding of Earth’s atmosphere and the sun itself.  Experience the eclipse [in our latest 360 video](. Business Jean-Sebastien Evrard/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Total, the French energy giant, is [buying the oil and gas business of Maersk]( the Danish shipping company, as oil prices start to recover. Above, a Total refinery in western France. • Great Wall Motor said that it was interested in [buying the Jeep brand from Fiat Chrysler](. The expression of interest might prod other suitors to come forward. • A former Audi engineer being held in a German jail [implicated top managers of Volkswagen’s Audi luxury brand]( in the diesel emissions scandal, his lawyer said. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Gaetano Di Meglio/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • An earthquake struck the Italian island of Ischia, killing at least one and wounding several people. [[The Guardian]( • A Danish inventor who had denied involvement in the disappearance of a Swedish journalist now says that she died on his submarine and he buried her at sea. [[The New York Times]( • “Brexit” update: Britain’s next policy paper is set to address how the country wants to handle cross-border judicial matters after its departure from the E.U. [[Politico]( • Brigitte Macron, the wife of President Emmanuel Macron of France, will have an official role, but will not be given a budget or staff after widespread opposition to such plans. [[France 24]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Natalya Balnova • The case for a [big breakfast and a tiny dinner]( New research strongly suggests that watching the clock, not just the calories, can help control weight. • Recipe of the day: Keep dinner fast and simple with [chicken breasts and lemon](. • Wondering how to become a writer? [Start writing](. Noteworthy James Hill for The New York Times • Scouts from Russia and beyond [hunt for talent at the Moscow Circus School’s shows](. “I dream of standing ovations,” said one acrobat  . • We’re in the last week of Edinburgh’s 70th Fringe festival, the world’s biggest arts extravaganza. [Some say it has become too big]( too costly and maybe even too funny. • Among our most-read stories in Europe is the [obituary for Jerry Lewis](. [France, for one, understood him as an avant-garde artist]( not just a comedian. • And due to popular demand, [here is, again, our latest “Game of Thrones” review]( and a [discussion of that wicked flaming sword](. Back Story NTT DoCoMo/Museum of Modern Art, via Reuters The Times has recently been reporting on new waves of fiction that are published on — and inspired by — digital storytelling platforms. We’ve seen a [video series]( where internet celebrities take the online fan fiction written about them and bring it to life; a novel set in the world of the [video game Minecraft]( and an [interactive spy tale]( that uses augmented reality technology to overlay a mystery atop New York City landmarks. Our colleague Amanda Hess recently researched a piece on artists [who tell stories]( through emoji. Above, some original emoji characters. “I was most taken by ‘[Book From the Ground]( a 2012 novel by the Chinese artist Xu Bing,” she said. “I can understand Mr. Bing’s story without translation, because it’s told completely through universally understood glyphs — a pastiche of emoji, corporate logos and scientific symbols, among other images.” Ms. Hess continued: “Mr. Bing has [cited the experience of ‘living between cultures’]( as an inspiration for his work, and his novel mines the connections of an increasingly global culture in both its content and its structure. “It can sometimes be hard to tell whether experimental storytelling forms represent a passing trend or an enduring innovation. ‘Book From the Ground’ strikes the reader as both: a fascinating artifact of our moment that’s built to last.” _____ 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