Good morning. We’re covering China’s rollout of vaccines, prison sentences for Hong Kong protesters, and what New Year’s Eve celebrations will look like around the world. | |  By Melina Delkic | | | A volunteer in the clinical trial of the coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. Andrew Testa for The New York Times | | | But Sinopharm’s announcement provided no breakdown of results and left many questions unanswered. Officials have already moved ahead with plans to vaccinate 50 million people by mid-February, in time for the Lunar New Year holiday. | | | Looking back: The first alarm over the coronavirus was sounded a year ago, on Dec. 30. Our reporters examined the 25 days that changed the world. | | | Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany prioritized the accord because of its importance to German manufacturers. Pool photo by Sean Gallup | | | But the landmark pact faces political opposition in Europe and Washington that could ultimately derail it. A large faction in the European Parliament opposes the accord because it does not do enough to stop human rights abuses in China. | | | It loosens restrictions imposed on European companies operating in China, and opens up China to European banks, which have struggled in recent years. | | | Police vehicles on Monday leaving the Yantian District People’s Court in Shenzhen. Noel Celis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images | | | A mainland Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced Hong Kong protesters, who had been arrested by the Chinese authorities while fleeing the city by speedboat, to between seven months and three years in prison. | | | The case of the 12 protesters was closely watched by Hong Kong’s beleaguered opposition movement. Their experience — which included being detained for months without charges — embodied Hong Kongers’ worst nightmare of being subjected to the mainland’s criminal justice system. | | | Family members denounced the proceedings as unjust. “We don’t really know what happened during the detention or during the trial — what kind of evidence was presented,” the sister of one activist said. | | | Details: The 12 protesters were caught in August by the Chinese Coast Guard while trying to reach Taiwan. Eight were sentenced for illegally crossing a boundary, and two others were charged with organizing the escape. The last two of the group, juveniles at the time, were returned to Hong Kong police custody. | | | Katrin Streicher for The New York Times | | | At just 12, Helena Zengel has already won the German equivalent of the Oscars. Now she has landed a starring role in “News of the World,” opposite Tom Hanks, whom she had never heard of before the film. | | | PAID POST: A MESSAGE FROM CAMPAIGN MONITOR | | TEST: Email Marketing 101: Never Sacrifice Beauty for Simplicity | | A drag-and-drop email builder, a gallery of templates and turnkey designs, personalized customer journeys, and engagement segments. It's everything you need to create stunning, results-driven email campaigns in minutes. And with Campaign Monitor, you have access to it all, along with award-winning support around the clock. It's beautiful email marketing done simply. | | | Learn More | | | | Yemen attack: An attack on an airport in Aden, Yemen, killed at least 20 civilians and wounded about 100 on Wednesday just as a plane carrying members of the country’s newly formed government cabinet was arriving. No cabinet ministers appeared to have been injured. | | | James Estrin/The New York Times | | | Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson. | | | Cook: The humble potato in this pommes Anna recipe becomes a glistening, elegant jewel with nothing more than attentive care, a sharp blade and good butter. | | | Read: Children of all abilities glide from page to stage with the likes of American Ballet Theater and New York City Ballet pros in these five dance picture books. | | | Do: For many, 2020 provided lots of worries that kept us tossing and turning at night. Here are some tips to help you sleep better in the new year. | | | We can help you celebrate. At Home has ideas on what to read, cook, watch and do while staying safe at home. | | | The coronavirus pandemic gave 2020 a new dictionary, and seemingly overnight, corporate America began speaking with a new language. These are some of the phrases whose use skyrocketed this year, based on more than 20,000 corporate presentations that The Times analyzed with Sentieo, a research firm. | | | Mentioned in 2,128 calls this year vs. 3 last year | | | “These are unprecedented times. A lot of our reopening is not just our decision. We’re not fully in control.” — Christine McCarthy, C.F.O. of the Walt Disney Company, on Sept. 9 | | | “We’ve never been in a more challenging environment.” — Larry Culp Jr., C.E.O. of General Electric, on Oct. 28 | | | “If a call in 2020 goes by without somebody saying, ‘You’re on mute,’ the year would not be complete.” — Aman Bhutani, C.E.O. of GoDaddy, on Dec. 15 | | | “Obviously, Covid has absolutely humbled the world.” — Ashley McEvoy, worldwide chairman of medical devices at Johnson & Johnson, on Nov. 19 | | That’s it for this briefing. There won’t be a newsletter tomorrow. We’ll be back in 2021. Happy New Year! Here’s hoping that the transition into the next year leaves you feeling a little lighter. — Melina | | Thank you
Carole Landry helped write this briefing. Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh provided the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | | | Were you sent this briefing by a friend? Sign up here to get the Morning Briefing. | | |
