Emmanuel Macron, Royal Wedding, Cannabis: Your Friday Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/briefing/emmanuel-macron-royal-wedding-cannabis.html

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Good morning.

Europe raises the ante with Trump, Britain’s royal wedding fever and Estonia’s high internet hopes. Here’s the latest:

• “We will not negotiate with the sword of Damocles hanging over our heads.”

That was the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, above center, venting his anger at President Trump. European Union leaders announced they would seek to prohibit companies based in the bloc from complying with newly reimposed American sanctions on Iran.

The move marks the latest rift in the trans-Atlantic alliance, with the Europeans united in preventing the United States from determining the continent’s economic interests.

And perhaps no European leader is more bruised than President Emmanuel Macron of France, whose fruitless embrace of Mr. Trump, replete with hand holding, hugs and dandruff dusting, has come back to haunt him domestically.

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• Across Britain, Meghan and Harry are everywhere.

Royal wedding fever has gripped Britain, where Prince Harry, sixth in line to the throne, and Meghan Markle, an American actress, will be married tomorrow. To capitalize on this singular moment, companies are rolling out all manner of commemorative items.

In anticipation of the big day, we asked readers for their best advice for a happy marriage.

One gave this sage counsel: “Never take anyone else’s side against your spouse, even if it’s the queen of England.”

And after weeks of media speculation, Meghan Markle confirmed that her father would not be walking her down the aisle. (Here’s a closer look at previous British royal weddings that drove international interest, even if the participants were never going to rule.)

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• “A betrayal and a whitewash.”

A British inquiry into the deadly fire at London’s Grenfell public housing complex recommended a radical overhaul of building rules, but did not call for banning all flammable facades, a critical factor in the inferno that killed 71 people last June.

Survivors of the fire and Labour members of Parliament condemned the report, and demanded a ban on the cladding used on Grenfell Tower, above. Still, the report amounts to a striking indictment of property developers and the officials who police them.

The blaze prompted a national debate about the government’s retreat from business regulation, and the yawning gap between rich and poor in London.

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• Chinese officials are preparing to offer the U.S. a mammoth package of promises to buy up to $200 billion worth of American goods. The offer would allow President Trump to claim a major victory in his campaign to rebalance America’s trade relationship with its biggest economic rival. But economists say it’s simply not practical.

Meanwhile, it’s been exactly one year since Robert Mueller was appointed as the special counsel for the Russia inquiry. Mr. Trump noted the anniversary with a series of Twitter posts reminding his 52 million followers of his belief that the investigation is a witch hunt.

And the Senate confirmed Gina Haspel as the first female director of the C.I.A., despite questions about her role in the agency’s use of torture.

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• This much ought to be clear by now: If you ask the internet to settle anything, you do so at your own peril.

An Estonian town called Kanepi recently asked internet users what its emblem should be. Their answer: the cannabis leaf.

Kanep means cannabis in Estonian, and the leaf has been used as a symbol of the area for years, referring to the hemp traditionally grown there and made into cloth, oil and rope.

Local officials followed through on their promise and adopted the symbol, above, this week.

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• The Kushner real estate company, controlled by the family of President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, is close to getting a bailout of its financially troubled flagship property, above, in New York City, by a company tied to Qatar’s government.

• PayPal reached a deal to buy the iZettle, Europe’s answer to the mobile payments company Square, for about $2.2 billion. The deal will expand PayPal’s global reach and highlights the arms race in the world of payments.

• A crude bargain: President Trump’s efforts to pressure the oil-producing giants Venezuela and Iran could increase demand for Russian petroleum and offer China and Russia a chance to deepen their ties to the Iranians.

• Fashion companies everywhere are at risk of boycott for political missteps, but the provocative Chanel and Fendi designer, Karl Lagerfeld, seems immune. Our chief fashion critic finds out what makes him so special.

• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

• Libya’s denuclearization 15 years ago is playing a key role in North Korea’s hesitations over upcoming talks with the United States. The fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, above, who was toppled and killed in 2011, looms large for Pyongyang. [The New York Times]

• The E.U.’s top court ruled in favor of a near-total ban on three insecticides that studies have linked to declining bee populations. [BBC]

• Poland plans to expel one Russian and banned four others over allegations of trying to fuel animosity between Poles and Ukrainians. [Associated Press]

• “Thank the party!” Tens of thousands of Chinese Muslims are being held in internment camps where they are being forced to disavow their faith. [Associated Press]

• An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to a major port city, raising alarm among health officials. [The New York Times]

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

• Recipe of the day: This weekend, plan on making green goddess roasted chicken. (Or at the very least, just make the dressing.)

• For a different kind of vacation activity, try going to an art fair.

• Is it better to outsource routine tasks or do them yourself?

• “A failure at every level.” A California man is awaiting execution for a quadruple murder, and officials refuse to allow DNA testing that will most likely exonerate him. Our Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof examined the case.

• Yanni, the Greek-American maestro of lush, soft-drama music, is on tour celebrating his breakthrough 1993 performance in Athens.

• Not a “Black Mirror” plotline: By transferring brain molecules from trained snails to untrained snails, scientists made the snails remember something that never happened to them.

A 92-year-old made headlines last week when he became the world’s oldest elected head of government. After his victory, Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia, above, told the crowd, “Yes, yes, I am still alive.”

But that got us thinking. Who are other world leaders who made news recently, at least in part because of their ages?

Robert Mugabe was the world’s oldest head of state at 93 when he was forced out as president of Zimbabwe last fall.

Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 92nd birthday in April (and will do so officially again in June). She’s a little younger than Mr. Mahathir.

On the other end of the age scale, Emmanuel Macron was 39 when he became the youngest president in modern French history.

Jacinda Ardern was 37 when she was picked to become New Zealand’s youngest leader in more than 150 years. She’s expecting a baby in June.

And Sebastian Kurz was 31 when he became chancellor of Austria in December, unseating Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland as the European Union’s youngest leader. His style seemed to help.

Sarah Anderson wrote today’s Back Story.

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