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| Catalonia, Japan, Robert Mugabe: Your Monday Briefing | Catalonia, Japan, Robert Mugabe: Your Monday Briefing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| Here’s what you need to know: | Here’s what you need to know: |
| • In an unusually forceful move, Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, is seeking to take control of Catalonia’s administration and remove its separatist leader, Carles Puigdemont. | • In an unusually forceful move, Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, is seeking to take control of Catalonia’s administration and remove its separatist leader, Carles Puigdemont. |
| The Senate could grant him the authority under Article 155 of the Constitution, a broad but ill-defined tool that has never before been used, by Friday. Mr. Puigdemont could still ask lawmakers to vote for a unilateral declaration of independence or call elections. | The Senate could grant him the authority under Article 155 of the Constitution, a broad but ill-defined tool that has never before been used, by Friday. Mr. Puigdemont could still ask lawmakers to vote for a unilateral declaration of independence or call elections. |
| Both sides share blame for allowing the dispute to spin dangerously out of control, our correspondent writes. | Both sides share blame for allowing the dispute to spin dangerously out of control, our correspondent writes. |
| Barcelona, home to many migrants from other parts of Spain, has found itself divided. | Barcelona, home to many migrants from other parts of Spain, has found itself divided. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • In the Czech Republic, the billionaire oligarch Andrej Babis defeated mainstream parties in parliamentary elections and is almost certain to lead a coalition government. | • In the Czech Republic, the billionaire oligarch Andrej Babis defeated mainstream parties in parliamentary elections and is almost certain to lead a coalition government. |
| Meanwhile in Italy, voters in the northern regions of Veneto and Lombardy endorsed negotiations for greater autonomy from the central government in Rome. Slovenia’s presidential election is headed for a runoff next month. | Meanwhile in Italy, voters in the northern regions of Veneto and Lombardy endorsed negotiations for greater autonomy from the central government in Rome. Slovenia’s presidential election is headed for a runoff next month. |
| And in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s victory in parliamentary elections raised the possibility that he would move swiftly to try to change the country’s pacifist Constitution. | And in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s victory in parliamentary elections raised the possibility that he would move swiftly to try to change the country’s pacifist Constitution. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • In Syria, U.S.-backed militia fighters seized the country’s largest oil field from the Islamic State, narrowly beating pro-government forces to it. Our graphics editors traced the militant group’s advance, and subsequent retreat, in maps. | • In Syria, U.S.-backed militia fighters seized the country’s largest oil field from the Islamic State, narrowly beating pro-government forces to it. Our graphics editors traced the militant group’s advance, and subsequent retreat, in maps. |
| In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani is leading a crackdown against the economic might of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which has been seen as a drag on growth after international sanctions were lifted. | In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani is leading a crackdown against the economic might of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which has been seen as a drag on growth after international sanctions were lifted. |
| But speaking in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Europeans not to invest in certain Iranian businesses as the United States considers reimposing sanctions against Iran. | But speaking in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Europeans not to invest in certain Iranian businesses as the United States considers reimposing sanctions against Iran. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Russia is trying to turn the tables against William Browder, a prominent critic: Prosecutors claim that Mr. Browder, a hedge fund manager, had colluded with British intelligence in murdering Sergei Magnitsky, a tax lawyer whose death in a Russian jail has led to international sanctions. | • Russia is trying to turn the tables against William Browder, a prominent critic: Prosecutors claim that Mr. Browder, a hedge fund manager, had colluded with British intelligence in murdering Sergei Magnitsky, a tax lawyer whose death in a Russian jail has led to international sanctions. |
| The graft trial of a former economy minister suggests that infighting is growing within President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle over ever-smaller slices of the country’s economic pie. | The graft trial of a former economy minister suggests that infighting is growing within President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle over ever-smaller slices of the country’s economic pie. |
| Meanwhile in Washington, the three congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election have run into serious obstacles. Definitive conclusions seem to be increasingly unlikely. | Meanwhile in Washington, the three congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election have run into serious obstacles. Definitive conclusions seem to be increasingly unlikely. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Iceland lost most of its trees more than a thousand years ago, when Viking settlers took their axes to the forests that covered one-quarter of the countryside. | • Iceland lost most of its trees more than a thousand years ago, when Viking settlers took their axes to the forests that covered one-quarter of the countryside. |
| Now Icelanders would like to get some of those forests back, to improve and stabilize the country’s harsh soils, help agriculture and fight climate change. But reforestation is a slow and arduous task. | Now Icelanders would like to get some of those forests back, to improve and stabilize the country’s harsh soils, help agriculture and fight climate change. But reforestation is a slow and arduous task. |
| • Fox News gave Bill O’Reilly a new anchoring contract early this year even after it emerged that he had recently settled a previously undisclosed $32 million sexual harassment case, a Times investigation found. | • Fox News gave Bill O’Reilly a new anchoring contract early this year even after it emerged that he had recently settled a previously undisclosed $32 million sexual harassment case, a Times investigation found. |
| • Silicon Valley’s giants are placing big bets on artificial intelligence — and offering A.I. specialists startlingly high compensation. | • Silicon Valley’s giants are placing big bets on artificial intelligence — and offering A.I. specialists startlingly high compensation. |
| • Some of Europe’s largest banks are set to report quarterly results this week. Here’s a look at the week ahead in business. | • Some of Europe’s largest banks are set to report quarterly results this week. Here’s a look at the week ahead in business. |
| • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | • Here’s a snapshot of global markets. |
| • Thousands of protesters marched through Valletta, the capital of Malta, amid outrage at the murder last week of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the country’s best-known journalist. Virtually nobody expects her killing to be solved. [The New York Times] | • Thousands of protesters marched through Valletta, the capital of Malta, amid outrage at the murder last week of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the country’s best-known journalist. Virtually nobody expects her killing to be solved. [The New York Times] |
| • The World Health Organization dropped Zimbabwe’s leader, Robert Mugabe, as a “good-will ambassador” after days of widespread criticism. [The New York Times] | • The World Health Organization dropped Zimbabwe’s leader, Robert Mugabe, as a “good-will ambassador” after days of widespread criticism. [The New York Times] |
| • The C.I.A. is expanding its covert operations in Afghanistan, sending small teams of officers and contractors alongside Afghan forces to kill Taliban militants. [The New York Times] | • The C.I.A. is expanding its covert operations in Afghanistan, sending small teams of officers and contractors alongside Afghan forces to kill Taliban militants. [The New York Times] |
| • In Washington, Senator John McCain, a Republican, has carved out a new role for himself since his cancer diagnosis: elder statesman and truth-teller. [The New York Times] | • In Washington, Senator John McCain, a Republican, has carved out a new role for himself since his cancer diagnosis: elder statesman and truth-teller. [The New York Times] |
| • Prosecutors in France charged eight men, aged between 17 and 29, in what they called a far-right terrorist plot. [Politico] | • Prosecutors in France charged eight men, aged between 17 and 29, in what they called a far-right terrorist plot. [Politico] |
| • The Times mapped 30 videos in an attempt to draw a complete picture of what happened during the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. [The New York Times] | • The Times mapped 30 videos in an attempt to draw a complete picture of what happened during the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. [The New York Times] |
| • “To be fat in France is to be a loser,” said the author of a hit memoir in a country that grapples with often overt stigmatization and growing obesity. [The New York Times] | • “To be fat in France is to be a loser,” said the author of a hit memoir in a country that grapples with often overt stigmatization and growing obesity. [The New York Times] |
| • Conspiracy theorists rejoice: President Trump has said he’ll release the final documents related to the Kennedy assassination. [The New York Times] | • Conspiracy theorists rejoice: President Trump has said he’ll release the final documents related to the Kennedy assassination. [The New York Times] |
| Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. | Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. |
| • Recipe of the day: Find perfection at the bottom of a perfectly cooked katsudon, Japan’s pork-cutlet rice bowl. | • Recipe of the day: Find perfection at the bottom of a perfectly cooked katsudon, Japan’s pork-cutlet rice bowl. |
| • Get a jump on next season’s fashion trends. | |
| • You know when a word is on the tip of your tongue but just can’t think of it? Here’s why (and more, in this week’s Smarter Living newsletter). | • You know when a word is on the tip of your tongue but just can’t think of it? Here’s why (and more, in this week’s Smarter Living newsletter). |
| • For more than a century, the huddle has been one of the most defining fixtures of American football. But in today’s N.F.L., it’s slowly disappearing. | • For more than a century, the huddle has been one of the most defining fixtures of American football. But in today’s N.F.L., it’s slowly disappearing. |
| • “A lot of people said to me, don’t you want to be an air hostess?” That’s Jane Goodall, the primatologist, discussing her career in a new documentary that includes never-before-seen footage of her work among chimpanzees in Tanzania in the 1960s. | • “A lot of people said to me, don’t you want to be an air hostess?” That’s Jane Goodall, the primatologist, discussing her career in a new documentary that includes never-before-seen footage of her work among chimpanzees in Tanzania in the 1960s. |
| • A coming exhibit in Haarlem, the Netherlands, will show that many paintings from the Dutch Golden Age “have a joke as their very core.” | • A coming exhibit in Haarlem, the Netherlands, will show that many paintings from the Dutch Golden Age “have a joke as their very core.” |
| • And our behavioral science reporter explains why so many of us are vulnerable to fake news on social media. | • And our behavioral science reporter explains why so many of us are vulnerable to fake news on social media. |
| “They’re two inches tall and very German. They’re blue and live deep in the forest.” | “They’re two inches tall and very German. They’re blue and live deep in the forest.” |
| That’s how The Times eventually introduced its readers to the Smurfs, a cartoon and merchandising series that first appeared in a European comic magazine on this day in 1958. | That’s how The Times eventually introduced its readers to the Smurfs, a cartoon and merchandising series that first appeared in a European comic magazine on this day in 1958. |
| The Smurfs were the work of the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who penned his work under the pseudonym Peyo. | The Smurfs were the work of the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who penned his work under the pseudonym Peyo. |
| At first, the uniform gnomelike characters played a secondary role as “Schtroumpfs” in another comic series, but they soon had their own albums and movies. (Here’s a detailed history.) | At first, the uniform gnomelike characters played a secondary role as “Schtroumpfs” in another comic series, but they soon had their own albums and movies. (Here’s a detailed history.) |
| In the U.S., they gained popularity under their Dutch name, the “Smurfs,” becoming a perennial pop culture reference after a Saturday morning TV show began airing in 1981. | In the U.S., they gained popularity under their Dutch name, the “Smurfs,” becoming a perennial pop culture reference after a Saturday morning TV show began airing in 1981. |
| Now, there’s the concept of “smurfing” among computer gamers, referring to skilled gamers who play anonymously. In the banking industry, “smurfing” is a form of money laundering carried out by a multitude of couriers. There’s the 1980s break-dance style and there are Smurf conspiracy theories. | Now, there’s the concept of “smurfing” among computer gamers, referring to skilled gamers who play anonymously. In the banking industry, “smurfing” is a form of money laundering carried out by a multitude of couriers. There’s the 1980s break-dance style and there are Smurf conspiracy theories. |
| Six years ago, a village in Spain agreed to have all of its buildings painted in blue to mark the premiere of a Smurf movie. The publicity stunt worked and turned the sleepy settlement into a tourist attraction. | Six years ago, a village in Spain agreed to have all of its buildings painted in blue to mark the premiere of a Smurf movie. The publicity stunt worked and turned the sleepy settlement into a tourist attraction. |
| _____ | _____ |
| Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. | Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. |
| This briefing was prepared for the European morning. Browse past briefings here. | This briefing was prepared for the European morning. Browse 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. | We also have briefings timed for the Australian, Asian and American mornings. You can sign up for these and other Times newsletters here. |
| If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app from iTunes or Google Play. | If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app from iTunes or Google Play. |
| What would you like to see here? Contact us at europebriefing@nytimes.com. | What would you like to see here? Contact us at europebriefing@nytimes.com. |