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Europe Edition

United Nations, Mexico, Hurricane Maria: Your Wednesday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

• President Trump made a bellicose debut speech at the United Nations, threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea and referring to its dictator, Kim Jong-un, as “Rocket Man.”

He called the Iran nuclear deal “an embarrassment,” promised to “crush the loser terrorists” in the Middle East and said the U.S. was prepared to confront Venezuela’s authoritarian government. (Here’s the video.)

Our White House correspondent noted a dissonance between Mr. Trump’s vision of renewed sovereignty of the nation state and his threats to act aggressively against some countries.

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Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

• Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said that the nuclear deal with Iran was “essential for peace” and that his country would “not close any door to dialogue” with North Korea. (Here’s the video, in French.)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel agreed with Mr. Trump’s assessment of Iran. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey called for more financial assistance for sheltering more than three million Syrian refugees.

Among today’s speakers: the presidents of the European Council, Iran and the Palestinian Authority and the prime ministers of Britain, Italy and Japan.

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Credit...Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

Mexico was hit with a 7.1-magnitude earthquake, just two weeks after it was struck by its most powerful tremor in a century. At least 216 people were killed. Millions poured into the streets and remained there, fearful of returning inside. Images show crushed cars and falling facades.

The quake came on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 quake that killed as many as 10,000 people.

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Puerto Rico Flooded by Hurricane Maria

All regions of Puerto Rico battled floodwaters as Hurricane Maria regained “major hurricane status” off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

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All regions of Puerto Rico battled floodwaters as Hurricane Maria regained “major hurricane status” off the coast of the Dominican Republic.CreditCredit...Hector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• Hurricane Maria left “mind-boggling” damage on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica and in Guadeloupe, the French overseas territory.

The Category 5 storm is expected to approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today. Here’s a map of its projected path.

It’s not your imagination: This year’s Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually active. At the U.N., leaders of island nations called for a reconceptualization of aid to help vulnerable countries recover from devastating storms linked to climate change.

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Credit...James Hill for The New York Times

• Zapad-2017, the large Russian and Belarusian military exercises that target fictional countries somewhat resembling the Baltic States, ends today.

It will most likely be remembered for a mishap: At least one bystander narrowly escaped death when a military helicopter accidentally fired rockets into a parking lot.

Separately in Moscow, a towering monument to Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the AK-47, was unveiled to the sounds of the Soviet anthem and Orthodox prayers. There was no mention of the untold millions killed by the weapon.

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Credit...Richard Wallbank/Smithsonian Institution and University of Cambridge

• Scientists have found the genes that control pattern and color in a butterfly’s wing — meaning they may someday be able to design them.

The advances are thanks to the new Crispr-Cas DNA editing technique, which allows researchers to figure out what a gene does by deleting it and seeing what happens.

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Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• Foxconn’s stalled plans in Brazil show the difficulties the company has faced in replicating its manufacturing model outside China. Above, its compound in Shenzhen.

• Here’s a look at how Apple’s new iOS 11 will change your iPhone. And our tech columnist reviewed some of the new iPhones, describing them as “an ultimate refinement before eternal retirement.”

International tourism to the U.S. declined significantly over the first few months of 2017. European countries were down 10.1 percent.

• German watchmakers like A. Lange & Söhne and Nomos are emblematic of the industry’s renaissance that has taken place in the city of Glashütte.

• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

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A Family’s Return to Mosul

Thousands have been returning to western Mosul after Iraqi forces pushed ISIS out of the city. The Salman family moves back amid risks and widespread damage to their neighborhood. They now hope to rebuild.

Their roof was struck during the nine-month battle, causing them to flee.

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Thousands have been returning to western Mosul after Iraqi forces pushed ISIS out of the city. The Salman family moves back amid risks and widespread damage to their neighborhood. They now hope to rebuild.CreditCredit...John Beck for The New York Times. Technology by Samsung.

• In our latest 360 video, we follow an Iraqi family returning to Mosul and hoping to rebuild their home after Iraqi forces declared victory against the Islamic State there. [The New York Times]

• The police in London said they were considering manslaughter charges over the deaths of around 80 people in a fire at Grenfell Tower in June. [The New York Times]

• Our reporter shares how he inadvertently landed a scoop on the investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election by overhearing a conversation at a steakhouse. [The New York Times]

• The Spanish police searched some offices of Catalonia’s regional government and detained several officials ahead of a planned independence referendum, which the central government had declared illegal. [El País / Catalan News]

• In Germany, auditors are busy figuring out what happened at Documenta, the contemporary art exhibition that required a government bailout. [The New York Times]

• From the Op-Ed section: A new documentary shows how a Swedish graduate student infiltrated the alt-right movement in the U.S. and Europe. [The New York Times]

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

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Credit...Lars Leetaru

• If you plan to visit Ireland, here are some tips on how to live lavishly without spending too much.

• What’s the secret to an organized kitchen? Experts share their insights.

• Recipe of the day: Deep dive into our collection of delicious recipes for Rosh Hashana, which begins at sunset.

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Credit...Markian Lozowchuk for The New York Times

• We asked the people behind “Mother!” how the year’s most divisive film came about. The actress Jennifer Lawrence, above center, called it an allegory for climate change. Our critic’s take: “It’s a hoot!”

• A Jordanian princess, whose brother twice lost bids for the FIFA presidency, has been discreetly working with British private investigators to collect evidence of soccer corruption.

• A cautionary tale: A copy of a masterpiece by Piet Mondrian passed unchecked around some important art institutions as though it were the real thing.

• In an Op-Ed, the author Miljenko Jergovic writes about how Communist Yugoslavia’s rulers considered punk rock a useful outlet for youth rebellion.

• At London Fashion Week, Italian designers showcased their latest collections from their younger, more accessible lines. Today, the focus shifts to Milan’s shows.

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Credit...Dan Grossi/Associated Press

For today, a slice of culinary history. The Times introduced readers to pizza 73 years ago today as “a pie made from a yeast dough and filled with any number of different centers.”

“With the dexterity of a drum major wielding a baton, the baker picks one up and twirls it around, first in one hand and then in the other,” the report said, describing Luigino’s Pizzeria Alla Napoletana in Times Square.

In the early 1800s, Naples was famous for working poor, the lazzaroni. Pizza was the answer to their need for quick and cheap food. Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba opened in Naples in 1830 and is widely thought to be the world’s first pizzeria.

When Neapolitans began migrating in large numbers to the U.S., they brought their tradition of wood-oven bakeries. The first U.S. pizzeria opened in New York in 1905.

Some things have changed. Pizza is now embedded in much of the world’s culinary fabric. (Last week, our dining critic proposed that Jersey City actually has New York’s best pizza.)

But the gluttony that pizza can inspire is enduring.

“Each one will make four portions,” The Times wrote in 1944. “Although many people can do away with a whole pie single-handed.”

Remy Tumin contributed reporting.

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Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online.

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