Europe – Page 15 – Prologue Journal

Overlooked No More: Karen Wynn Fonstad, Who Mapped Tolkien’s Middle-earth

New York Times She was a novice cartographer who landed a dream assignment: to create an atlas of the setting of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/obituaries/karen-wynn-fonstad-overlooked.html

Oliviero Toscani, Driving Force Behind Provocative Benetton Ads, Dies at 82

New York Times A photographer and art director, he broke the boundaries of advertising in the 1980s and ’90s, embracing activism with images evoking AIDS and racial and sexual diversity. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/business/oliviero-toscani-benetton-dead.html

Russia and Ukraine Battle Inside Kursk, With Waves of Tanks, Drones and North Koreans

New York Times Ukrainian soldiers are describing fierce clashes as Russian forces try to retake territory in the Kursk region that could be key in eventual cease-fire talks. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/world/europe/russia-ukraine-kursk-north-korea.html

A New Age of American Interference in Europe

New York Times Elon Musk and MAGA are already disrupting the status quo, and Europe seems ill-prepared. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/world/europe/maga-musk-europe-interference.html

Monday Briefing

New York Times Here’s what you need to know. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/briefing/wildfires-los-angeles-gaza.html

Italian Justice Ministry Moves to Release Iranian Man Sought by the U.S.

New York Times The request to revoke the man’s arrest came only days after Iran released an Italian journalist being held in Tehran. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/world/europe/italy-iran-us-abedini.html

A French Cathedral Turned to Hams to Restore Its Organ

New York Times A dispute over a project to cure hams in a bell tower underscored the difficulties that churches in France face trying to pay for restorations. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/world/europe/france-cathedral-hams-organ.html

J. Fraser Stoddart, Who Developed Microscopic Machines, Dies at 82

New York Times He grew up playing with model construction sets. As an adult, he tinkered with molecules instead, creating nanomachines and winning a Nobel Prize. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/science/j-fraser-stoddart-dead.html

Ukraine Says It Captured 2 North Korean Soldiers Fighting for Russia

New York Times President Volodymyr Zelensky said the soldiers were captured in the western Kursk region, where Ukraine has been fighting to hold on to territory it seized last summer. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/world/europe/ukraine-north-korea-kursk.html

Photograph Revives Ukraine-Russia Culture War

New York Times An image depicting a famous 19th-century painting of Cossacks, with current Ukrainian soldiers standing in for the warriors, has struck a chord as Kyiv battles to assert its identity. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/world/europe/ukraine-photo-painting-culture-war.html