Tag: briefing

Indonesia’s Muslims have questions about the vaccine

With the highest number of coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is keen to start vaccinating in the coming weeks. However, one thing stands in the way of the hundreds of millions of Muslims: is the vaccine halal?

After waiting months for responses from Sinovac, the Chinese manufacturer whose shot is being distributed there, the clergy received a one-sentence answer that said: The vaccine was “made free of pig materials”. Religious leaders want more details as even the smallest amount of pork DNA could deter some devout Muslims from taking it.

President Joko Widodo has rejected concerns, saying the emergency situation is the greater priority. It is possible for a fatwa to be issued, as has been done in the past. Islamic authorities in other countries with large Muslim populations such as Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates have already declared the vaccine legal.

The goal: Indonesia hopes to vaccinate 181.5 million adults within 15 months.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

Two great days in US politics

Voters take part in the elections in Georgia to decide which party has control of the Senate. On Wednesday, Congress will meet to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, while Republicans make one last attempt to scrap the election results.

The elections in Georgia are turning into a nail biter. In November, no candidate received 50 percent of the vote. Early voting data and polls show that the race is very close again.

If the Republicans keep control of the Senate, it will be much harder for Mr Biden to get his agenda through. Republicans need only win one of the two races to retain control of the Senate. Democrats need both to regain control. There is something to see here.

Next Up: Voting in Congress to confirm the results of the presidential election is a procedural step that Americans would ignore in most elections. But it has taken on new meaning in a year the president tried to derail the process.

Some Republicans are planning a final showdown to invalidate Mr Biden’s win, but they will almost certainly fail. Follow our latest updates here.

South Korea’s falling birthrate threatens growth

For the first time since the census was recorded, the number of newborns in South Korea fell below the number of deaths last year. A shrinking and rapidly aging population could lead to a long-term crisis in one of the world’s major economies.

The coronavirus pandemic may have contributed to the problem: Although the death toll was low at around 1,000 people, the health crisis may have deterred people from having children or from marrying. Successive governments have tried to provide financial incentives for couples to have more children without success.

The payment: There were 275,815 births, a decrease of 10.65 percent from 2019 and 307,764 deaths, an increase of 3.1 percent from 2019. South Korea’s birth rate is the lowest in the world.

If you have 5 minutes it is worth it

A new tool for treating mental illness: design

Residents of the Pigeon Pavilion in California wake up in private rooms with views of the forested Santa Cruz Mountains and relax in landscaped courtyards throughout the day. It might sound like a resort, but the center is a mental health facility that opened in June.

Psychiatric hospitals have been a dire situation for decades. However, new research into the health effects of our surroundings is driving the development of mental health facilities that are cozy, calming, and supportive, with private spaces and more greenery.

The following also happens

Vietnam journalists: Three journalists were sentenced to 11 and 15 years’ imprisonment, including a prominent reporter who wrote for foreign news organizations and campaigned for the freedom of the press. As Congress draws closer to the ruling Communist Party, the authorities arrested or prosecuted its loudest critics.

Death penalty for China: Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of Huarong Asset Management, was sentenced to death Tuesday. This is a rare and dramatic example of Beijing’s use of the death penalty for economic crimes. He was convicted of $ 277 million in bribes.

Blockade in Qatar: Representatives of several Gulf states signed an agreement to ease Qatar’s isolation from its Arab neighbors, who have blocked the country since 2017 when neighbors accused it of coordinating too closely with Iran. The deal came a day after Saudi Arabia agreed to reopen its borders and airspace to Qatar.

Snapshot: Above, a group in a rented igloo between curling games in New York City. Restaurants and cafes that can only dine outdoors get creative in a gloomy winter. Heated huts, igloos and games like ice stock sport are popping up in the city.

What we read: This Der Spiegel interview with BioNTech founders Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin. It contains reassuring information about the virus variant (yes, the vaccine will continue to be effective against it) and insight into the amazing life of this “first pair of medicines”.

Now a break from the news

Cook: This yam and plantain curry with crispy shallots is an adaptation of Asaro, a dish made from starchy root vegetables cooked in a flavored tomato and chili-based sauce and served in southern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.

Read: “Himalaya: A Human History” by Ed Douglas, journalist and climber, tells the story of the highest mountains in the world and its equally enormous impact on humanity.

To do: Imagine you are in Cartagena. The Colombian city is so magical that it has inspired entire books by Gabriel García Márquez.

Whether books or baking, we have everything for you. At home, you have ideas for what to read, cook, see, and do while being safe at home.

And now for the background story about …

The corrections the editors are tracking

David Vecsey, a Times editor, wrote about the gaffes and mistakes that can keep him up at night. Here is an excerpt.

It’s a feeling every editor knows. At 3 am you wake up from a deep sleep with your eyes open and say to yourself: Did I misspell “Kyrgyzstan” last night? And nine times out of ten, you can easily go back to sleep knowing you’ve done it.

Copy editors have an almost photographic memory when it comes to the words that pass before our eyes. Unfortunately, the cameras we use are those old-fashioned tripods that use flaming magnesium for a flash and take hours or even days to develop the images.

But at some point it all comes back in a rush of clarity. You might be pushing your toddler through the park on a glorious, sunny day off if you suddenly wonder: Did I say Dallas was the capital of Texas last week? Yes. Yes you did You idiot.

My job, put simply, is to get things right. So there’s no worse feeling than realizing that you’ve put a correctable mistake on the press and that a day or two later a correction will come up to say, “Because of an editing error …”

The Times has strict guidelines for correcting it: if it’s wrong, even if it’s online or in a print issue for a few minutes, get it corrected. It is this commitment to accuracy that deserves the trust of our readers.

Reading proofs in the New York Times is like taking a guided tour through the pitfalls of journalism. Here you will discover the Ginsberg-Ginsburg Vortex, a black hole that has engulfed many journalists who have confused the names of the poet and justice.

When I’ve learned one thing, there is one thing you need to shrug off your mistakes and move on. And one day I’ll learn from God how to do that.

That’s it for this briefing. Until next time.

– Melina

Many Thanks
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

PS
• We listen to “The Daily”. Our latest installment is part 2 of a series about the Georgia Senate runoff races.
• Here is our mini crossword puzzle and a clue: Enthusiastic (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here.
• Katie Glueck, our main reporter for the Biden campaign, joins Metro as Chief Political Correspondent.

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Good Morning.

We cover that Travel bans Great Britain imposed, a early elections in Israel and the rehabilitation of Gibbons in Thailand.

France eases travel restrictions for Great Britain

The UK and France reopened their border on Tuesday to select travelers and are closer to an agreement that would allow trucks to resume travel between the two countries.

France closed its borders for 48 hours on Sunday amid fears of the spread of a new and potentially more communicable variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in the UK. More than 1,500 trucks were stranded and some drivers slept in their trucks for two nights.

The European Commission called on the bloc members to lift blanket bans and ensure essential travel with the UK. More than 50 governments have taken action to close the doors on the UK. Experts are skeptical that travel bans can stop the spread of new coronavirus variants – especially if they are already widespread.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

In other developments:

Israel’s fourth election in two years

A new political crisis puts Israel in fourth place early election in two years. The Israeli parliament dissolved at midnight local time after missing the deadline for approving a new budget, and forced a new election on March 23.

At the center of the crisis is the deep mutual distrust of the so-called unity government, a troubled coalition sworn in just seven months ago that brings Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party together with the centrist blue-white party of his main rival Benny Gantz.

Pointer: Mr Netanyahu, whose corruption process is expected to enter an intensive phase in early 2021, and Mr Gantz have blamed each other for the crisis.

Biden promises more momentum for the USA

President-elect Joe Biden insisted that there would be further relief after his inauguration next month, calling the latest stimulus laws a “down payment” on a larger bill. “Congress has done its job this week,” he said, adding, “I can and I must ask them to do it again next year.”

Mr Biden said he plans to come up with a plan to Congress in the New Year that would include more funding to distribute the coronavirus vaccine to 300 million people, expand the tests, and give Americans a new round of stimulus checks send. But he said the details are a matter of negotiation.

Opinion: Will the auxiliary bill do enough? “As someone who has spent many years as a macroeconomic forecaster at the Federal Reserve, I have my worries,” writes economist Claudia Sahm, the architect of the Sahm rule, of a recession indicator.

If you have 8 minutes, it’s worth it

Gibbon rehabilitation

Gibbons, the smallest of the monkeys, were once common in much of Asia, but deforestation and hunting have greatly reduced their numbers. In the 1990s and early 2000s, when displaying wild animals in bars was part of Thai nightlife, young gibbons were sometimes taught to smoke, drink alcohol, and eat human food.

Now there is hope for the species. Our reporter examined how at least a dozen rehabilitation centers in countries across Southeast Asia are undertaking the slow process of socializing and liberating gibbons salvaged from the illegal wildlife trade.

The following also happens

Russian hack: The hackers who broke into US government agencies were given access to the email system used by the top management of the Treasury Department. It was the first detail of how deeply Moscow was embedded in the networks of the Trump administration.

Journalist murders: According to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, the number of journalists killed as a result of their work more than doubled in 2020. Armed conflict and gang violence made Mexico and Afghanistan the deadliest countries for reporters worldwide.

Morandi Bridge: The collapse of a bridge in 2018, killing 43 people in Genoa, Italy, was a consequence of problems with its conception, design, construction and eventual maintenance, according to an independent report released Monday the structure.

Drilling in Norway: The country’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit from environmental groups seeking to invalidate licenses to explore new oils in the Arctic. The activists had invoked Norway’s constitutional right to a clean environment. The ruling paves the way for further drilling.

Snapshot: Europe’s frontline workers, like those who work upstairs at the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital in Paris, have been the heroes and pillars of a stressful year for the continent. These photos tell the story of the infections that nearly destroyed European hospitals – exhausting, infecting and killing doctors and nurses.

Keeping tradition alive: The Holy Choir of King’s College Cambridge rehearsed for months for its Christmas Eve service, which is broadcast worldwide. His hope was to play it live.

What we read: This report from Columbia Journalism Review of a billing at Magnum Photos, the world’s most prestigious photo agency, is highly recommended by Amelia Kidneyberg from the briefing team.

Now a break from the news

To do: By the end of 2020 and as the vaccination against the coronavirus increases, we know how travel will change in the coming year.

We can help celebrate the holidays with our collection of ideas to read, cook, watch and do while staying safe at home.

And now for the background story about …

The new variant

A seemingly more contagious variant of the coronavirus identified by scientists in the UK has raised alarms around the world. Here’s what scientists have learned about it so far.

Is the British variant some kind of new supervirus?

No. It’s just one variation among many that arose when the coronavirus spread around the world. Mutations occur when a virus replicates, and this variant – known as B.1.1.7 – has acquired its own distinctive set of them.

Is it more contagious than other viruses?

It seems so. In preliminary work, researchers in the UK found that the virus was spreading rapidly in parts of southern England, displacing a crowded field of other variants that have been around for months.

However, the increasing spread of a line of viruses is not evidence that the line is spreading faster than others. It could just spread further through luck. For example, a variant could start in the middle of a crowded city where broadcasting is easy and more copies of yourself can be made. However, the epidemiological evidence so far gathered from England seems to suggest that this variant is spreading very well.

Does it cause more serious illnesses?

There is no strong evidence for this, at least not yet. However, there is reason to take the opportunity seriously. In South Africa, another line of the coronavirus has received a certain mutation, which can also be found in B.1.1.7. This variant spreads quickly in the coastal areas of South Africa. In preliminary studies, doctors there have found that people infected with this variant carry an increased viral load. In many viral diseases, this is associated with more severe symptoms.

Will the variant make the new vaccines ineffective?

No. Most experts doubt this will have a major impact on vaccines, although it is not yet possible to rule out an effect.

That’s it for this briefing. Until tomorrow.

– Natasha

Many Thanks
Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh took the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

PS
• We listen to “The Daily”. Our final episode reflects the lives of four people we lost to Covid-19.
• Here is our mini crossword puzzle and a clue: The elf in “Elf” (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here.
• The word “Vaxications” – vacation some people are rushing to book for after the pandemic – first appeared in The Times yesterday, the Twitter bot @NYT_first_said discovered.
• Poynter recently spoke to our visual journalist Stuart Thompson about his interactive article showing when you can expect a vaccination.