France, Iran, Eurovision: Your Monday Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/13/briefing/france-iran-eurovision.html

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Good morning.

A terrorist attack in France, debates over Iran and a new challenge for Spain. Here’s the latest:

• “Allahu akbar.”

The suspect in a deadly knife attack in Paris on Saturday was on a list of potential terrorism suspects, leading critics of the French government’s antiterrorism policy to call for a crackdown on those on the list, which has 20,000 names.

Khamzat Azimov, a French citizen born in Chechnya, stabbed five passers-by, one fatally, in the center of Paris, screaming, “God is great” in Arabic before he was killed by the police. Officials said his parents had been taken in for questioning and that a friend of his was in custody. Above, investigators at the scene of the attack on Saturday.

The Islamic State released a cellphone video on Sunday of the attacker pledging allegiance to the group’s leader and urging more attacks across the globe. (It also claimed responsibility for suicide bombings at three churches in Indonesia that left at least 13 people dead.)

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• European officials should have known that President Trump would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, his hard-line national security adviser, John Bolton, said on Sunday. His remarks could further exasperate European leaders as they decide whether to challenge Mr. Trump’s reimposition of sanctions or assist in negotiating a new deal with Iran.

There are divisions even in the White House over how to confront Iran, though the emergence of Mr. Bolton, above right, as an influential figure offers a glimpse into the shifting balance of power in the Trump administration.

The U.S. and its Saudi and Israeli allies see the withdrawal as a new opportunity to challenge Iran’s rising influence. But their abilities to do so remain limited while Tehran supports a network of powerful militias across the Middle East, especially in Syria, where Israel and Iran are locked in a shadow conflict that analysts fear could burst into a war.

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• In the days to come, anyone wishing to criticize Meghan Markle will have to contend with Tshego Lengolo, above, an 11-year-old Londoner and ardent fan.

Ms. Markle, of course, is the biracial American actress Prince Harry is set to marry on Saturday. When she looks at Ms. Markle, Tshego sees a version of herself, new to England, trying to find a place among its racial codes. (And here’s a closer look at the queen’s official consent for Prince Harry’s wedding: an elaborately ornate document, written on vellum and steeped in history.)

Meanwhile, supporters of British withdrawal from the E.U. are threatening retribution against the House of Lords after it defeated the government 14 times on Brexit legislation.

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• “Next time in Jerusalem!”

In a competition known for campy excess, the Israeli singer Netta Barzilai, above, won the Eurovision Song Contest with a feminist anthem and a chicken dance.

Ms. Barzilai’s victory helped ease some Israelis’ deep-seated fears of cultural boycott and isolation. In line with Eurovision protocol, next year’s contest will be held in the holy city that Israel is battling to have recognized internationally as its capital.

Meanwhile, meet Sun Diego, a Jewish German rapper who proclaims his heritage in videos with flame-shooting menorahs and neon stars of David. His popularity is all the more notable at a time when Germany’s booming hip-hop scene has stirred debate about rising anti-Semitism among young people.

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• Catalonia’s main separatist parties cleared the way toward ending the region’s political deadlock by voting on a presidential candidate who is not facing prosecution in Spain.

The candidate, Quim Torra, above, said he was committed to turning Catalonia into a republic, presenting himself as a stand-in for its former leader, Carles Puigdemont, who is awaiting a German court ruling on his extradition to Spain on charges of rebellion related to Catalonia’s tumultuous independence drive.

Mr. Torra fell just short of winning a majority in the regional Parliament, but he will get another chance in a second round of voting today.

• The gender pay gap: Here’s how companies in Britain, recently forced to publish the differences in salaries between men and women, are trying to close the divide.

• A trial for the oil companies Royal Dutch Shell and Eni of Italy, European leaders’ discussions on Iran sanctions and Walmart’s first-quarter earnings are among the headlines to watch for this week.

• Russian protesters gathered in Moscow to demand that the government unblock the Telegram messaging app, the second such demonstration in the Russian capital since the authorities banned the service last month.

• The head of AT&T said hiring Michael Cohen, President Trump’s fixer, as a political consultant was a “big mistake.”

• Bullying, racism and threats of violence: We found signs of a toxic work culture at the tech world’s charity of choice, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

• Prime Minister Viktor Orban, above, of Hungary wants to spread his antimigration crusade across the European Union. His new strategy: redefining the term “Christian democracy,” long used to describe the Continent’s dominant center-right political ideology, as a bulwark in a clash of civilizations with Islam. [The New York Times]

• In Italy, a finger that broke off a 17th-century statue lent for a show was reattached, but not before stirring a debate on whether artworks should be lent for exhibitions. [The New York Times]

• North Korea said it would allow foreign journalists to watch the shutting down of its underground nuclear test site later this month. [The New York Times]

• Mexican investigators said two European cyclists were murdered in an attempted robbery last month, after first claiming they had died in an accident. [BBC]

• An Italian court lifted a ban on former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s holding public office, shaking up Italy’s political landscape just as populist parties move closer to forming a government. [Politico]

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

• Does everyone seem angry with you? They probably aren’t.

• Recipe of the day: Take a break from meat with a spicy, vegetarian version of mapo tofu.

• Stressless cooking is about your state of mind.

• Catania, Sicily’s second-largest city, doesn’t attract the same kind of attention as Palermo. But its fine architecture, markets and centuries of history are coming into the spotlight.

• Ian McEwan’s novel “On Chesil Beach” is his sixth to be made into a film, and the English writer played a surprisingly key role in the creative process.

• In memoriam: Evgeni Vasiukov, 85, a Russian chess grandmaster who was one of the world’s best players during the Soviet era.

It’s one of the most enduring symbols in rock ’n’ roll: the “Hot Lips” logo of the Rolling Stones.

The red lips and protruding tongue debuted on the 1971 album “Sticky Fingers” and have appeared somewhere on every album since.

The logo’s designer, John Pasche, said his favorite work by the band was its next album, “Exile on Main St.,” because of “its gritty, raw quality.” It was released this week in 1972.

Mick Jagger commissioned the logo when Mr. Pasche was a student at the Royal College of Art in London. Mr. Jagger was inspired by Kali, a Hindu goddess with multiple arms and a pointed tongue, but Mr. Pasche was inspired by the lead singer’s mouth.

Mr. Pasche said he worked on the logo nonstop for two weeks, for which he was paid £50. (A modified version appeared in the United States.)

“It was just a lucky break,” said Mr. Pasche, who also designed posters for the band. “Right place, right time.”

Since then, his simple, anti-authoritarian logo has appeared in some odd places. It has been replicated as mouth-shaped urinals and, Mr. Pasche said, “a fan once sent me a photo of the logo tattooed on his girlfriend’s back side.”

Robb Todd wrote today’s Back Story.

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