Separately, the U.S. has circulated a draft Security Council resolution that would further choke North Korea’s economy. The 15-member Council is likely to vote on it today.
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• In Washington, Congress approved a plan to keep the U.S. government funded into January — while kicking fights over issues like immigration and surveillance into the new year.
And Republicans are gearing up for what could become bruising midterm elections in November.
The party’s candidates will have to contend with President Trump’s historically low approval ratings and Democrats gaining in the polls.
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• Chaplains are an integral part of many professional soccer teams in England, counseling players. Our correspondents met some of them.
Their jobs are not a glamorous but can be crucial to young men and women under intense pressure on and off the field.
“We can all be chaplains to someone,” wrote a rabbi who shared the story on Twitter.
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• Our correspondent joined some of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who flock to Finland each year to see Santa Claus Village, in Lapland near the Arctic Circle.
He found that no amount of commercialization could wipe the Christmas wonder from a child’s eyes. The village includes a self-anointed “official Santa,” real igloos and ice furniture.
Chinese adults make up the largest single group of visitors. (Their children do not get a school holiday at this time of year.)
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• For the first time since their city’s liberation from the Islamic State, Christians in Qaraqosh, Iraq, will openly celebrate Christmas.
Here are some photos from the country’s largest Christian enclave as it’s slowly rebuilding.
Your briefing team is off for the holidays. The next briefing will publish on Tuesday, Dec. 26.
Business
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• Dozens of major U.S. employers — including Amazon and Goldman Sachs — placed recruitment ads on Facebook that were limited to particular age groups, an investigation by ProPublica and The Times found.
The practice raises concerns about discrimination against older workers.
• Shell, Europe’s largest fossil fuel company, bought a British electricity provider to hedge against demand for oil eventually peaking.
• Eric Schmidt, who helped build Google into a colossus, is stepping down as executive chairman of Alphabet, its parent company.
• Some companies have rushed to rebrand themselves to benefit from the Bitcoin boom. (But not without risk: The digital currency’s value fell overnight.)
• Is Apple slowing down some old iPhones? Yes, but it’s complicated.
• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
In the News
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• Many more people will seek asylum in Europe as temperatures in their home countries rise, new research suggests. [The New York Times]
• The prime ministers of Poland and Britain met in Warsaw, addressing their respective woes with Brussels, but there is little they can do to help each other. [Politico]
• The Kremlin is seeking to block U.S. trials of cybercriminals detained across Europe by trying to get them extradited to Russia instead. [The New York Times]
• Australian officials said that the driver of an S.U.V. who plowed into a crowd in Melbourne, injuring 19 people, was mentally ill. They said it was an “act of evil” but not terrorism. [The New York Times]
• South Sudan’s warring factions agreed to a cease-fire that is set to begin on Sunday morning. [Associated Press]
• A Burmese general and a former president of Gambia are among the first people hit with U.S. sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act. [The New York Times]
• Cuba’s leader, Raúl Castro, will step down as president in April, later than anticipated. [The New York Times]
• Several orchestras distanced themselves from the conductor Charles Dutoit after four women accused him of assault. [The New York Times]
Smarter Living
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
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• You actually do want to know how the sausage (salami) gets made.
• Recipe of the day: Samin Nosrat’s recipe for Russian honey cake is worth the time.
• If you’re not done with your holiday shopping, here are some last-minute ideas.
Noteworthy
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• Cybersecurity researchers warn that some new toys are vulnerable to hacking threats. (Hackers were able to hijack Furby Connect dolls like the one above to speak to children.)
• Starwars, whatever, letmein: This year’s list of worst passwords says a lot — including how bad we are at online security.
• We have new guides to two proud cities that don’t let visitors ignore their glory or their grit: Manchester, England, and Alexandria, Egypt.
• Deborah Feldman, an American Jewish author, describes how she found her voice and purpose in Berlin. (Yiddish helped.)
• To counter the seemingly constant barrage of heavy news, here are seven great things we learned this week.
Back Story
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President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel brought to mind a similarly momentous announcement more than a century ago.
In December of 1911, King George V of Britain announced that India’s capital would be moved from the city then known as Calcutta to Delhi.
For 24 hours, The Times reported, the British news media “was so astonished as to be unable to comment.” The British officials then ruling in India had proposed the move because Delhi was more centrally located and because of growing opposition in Calcutta to the Crown’s rule, or Raj.
Countries change their capitals to signal a fresh start or to move government away from economic hubs — with varying success.
Myanmar, for example, built a new capital that replaced Yangon in 2005. But the city, Naypyidaw, is eerily quiet, and most embassies have stayed put.
Similarly, Dodoma has been Tanzania’s seat of Parliament since 1996, but the rest of the government has been slow to move there from Dar es Salaam.
Other countries whose capital relocations can trip up even the biggest geography buffs include Brazil (Brasília, not Rio de Janeiro, since 1960), Kazakhstan (Astana, not Almaty, since 1997), Nigeria (Abuja, not Lagos, since 1991) and Turkey (Ankara, not Istanbul, since 1923).
Jennifer Jett contributed reporting.
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This briefing was prepared for the European morning and is updated online. It will resume publishing on Dec. 26. Browse past briefings here.
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