Good morning. We’re covering Ukraine’s attack on Russia using U.S. missiles and jail sentences for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy leaders. Plus, the Scandinavian band that’s big in Asia.
Ukraine fired U.S.-made missiles into Russia for the first timeUkraine’s military used American-made ballistic weapons known as ATACMS yesterday to strike into Russia for the first time and hit an ammunition depot in the Bryansk region of southwestern Russia, officials said. The attack came on the same day President Vladimir Putin lowered Russia’s threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The timing of the long-planned move was clearly meant to send a message, just days after President Biden authorized the use of the long-range missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia. The decree shows how Putin is trying to use the threat of his nuclear arsenal to deter the U.S. from further supporting Ukraine. The White House played down Putin’s new doctrine and said it had observed “no changes to Russia’s nuclear posture.” Analysis: It’s telling that the reaction in Washington to yesterday’s attacks was just short of a yawn, my colleague David Sanger wrote. Over nearly three years, the war in Ukraine has inured Washington and the world to the renewed use of nuclear weapons as the ultimate bargaining chip. Related: Germany’s defense minister called the severing of two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea an act of sabotage. Concerns have been rising in Europe that Russia may wage a hybrid war against it in retaliation for helping Ukraine.
New York prosecutors suggested freezing Trump’s caseManhattan prosecutors rebuffed President-elect Donald Trump’s request to dismiss his criminal conviction yesterday and instead raised the prospect of a four-year freeze while he holds office. The prosectors acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the case in a letter to the judge overseeing the trial, but argued that a jury had already convicted Trump of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal before he was elected. Eager to clear his criminal record, Trump is expected to move forcefully for a dismissal. The fight will almost certainly delay Trump’s sentencing, which was scheduled for next week.
Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders were jailed up to 10 yearsA Hong Kong court yesterday sentenced to prison 45 former politicians, journalists and activists who in 2020 took part in an unofficial poll by the opposition, some for as long as 10 years. The sentences highlighted the sweeping power of a national security law Beijing imposed to tighten its grip on the Chinese territory. Benny Tai, 60, a legal scholar and opposition strategist, was sentenced to 10 years while Joshua Wong, 28, a prominent pro-democracy activist, was among 24 defendants whose sentences ranged from just over four to just under five years. Here’s a look at the 45 pro-democracy leaders.
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Their songs have been downloaded more than a billion times and they have sold 11 million records. But most people outside Asia have never heard of the band Michael Learns to Rock. The Danish group broke through across the continent in the 1990s, and their easy lyrics and melodies have created a soundtrack for a generation of Asian youth. Lives lived: Arthur Frommer, who helped popularize low-budget travel with his guidebook, “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day,” died at 95.
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Can ‘Glicked’ recapture the magic of ‘Barbenheimer’?When “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” opened on the same day in the summer of 2023, crowds swarmed to movie theaters to be part of “Barbenheimer.” Now there’s a buzzy new movie face-off with its own catchy name: “Glicked.” “Wicked,” the first installment of the adaptation of the Broadway musical, and “Gladiator II,” a swords-and-sandals epic directed by Ridley Scott, will both be widely available to international audiences by the end of this week. Will Elphaba green replace Barbie pink? Our culture reporter brings you up to speed.
Cook: Red cabbage with walnuts and feta can be served warm or at room temperature, and as a side dish or a light main course. Watch: “Interior Chinatown” satirizes Hollywood’s penchant for pigeonholing Asian actors. Read: These two novels are filled with Christmas miracles. Repel: Here are eight factors that put you at risk of severe flu. Travel: Wirecutter has tips for finding fast Wi-Fi while on the road. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya P.S. Jeanna Smialek will be our new Brussels bureau chief, and Jim Tankersley is our new Berlin bureau chief. We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.
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