At least 12 people have been killed since protests and clashes erupted last week, according to state news media. Hundreds have been arrested.
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• How did Rupert Murdoch get here?
The 86-year-old media tycoon’s deal to sell much of 21st Century Fox to Disney could reshape the entertainment industry, but it also leaves the future unclear for himself and the two sons who had seemed to be ready to take over his vast empire.
Mr. Murdoch built his holdings by forecasting where media was headed. Several people who confer with Mr. Murdoch or those close to him say that he was troubled by the road ahead.
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• New details emerged about the timeline of U.S. intelligence concerns about Russian contacts with the Trump administration.
Our reporters found that it started with a night of drinking in 2016, when George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy adviser to President Trump, told Australia’s top diplomat in Britain that Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Two months later, when leaked Democratic Party emails began appearing, Australian officials passed the Papadopoulos tip to the U.S., according to current and former officials with direct knowledge of the Australians’ role.
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• It’s called Time’s Up.
Hundreds of actresses, entertainment executives and insiders announced the sprawling initiative to fight sexual harassment in Hollywood and in workplaces.
In Japan, the movement against sexual misconduct is focused on a former news intern who spoke out against one of the country’s best-known television journalists.
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• And Happy New Year!
From Sydney, where rainbow fireworks sparkled off the Harbour Bridge in celebration of Australia’s recent legalization of gay marriage, to New York, where thousands braved single-digit temperatures before the traditional ball drop — we tracked how 2018 was welcomed in from East to West.
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Business
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• China’s largest shipping company, known as COSCO, has spent billions buying seaports in maritime nations. But its latest investment — in Kazakhstan — adds a curious twist: The nearest ocean is more than 1,600 miles away.
• Richard Cousins, who led Compass, the world’s largest catering company, died in a seaplane crash near Sydney, along with his two sons, his fiancée and her daughter and the pilot. Officials said it could take a year to find the cause.
• California marijuana shops have opened, inaugurating what some say will become the world’s largest market for legalized recreational cannabis.
• Our DealBook reporter in London discussed his favorite tech tool — an iPhone X — and British norms for using the gadget socially.
• Most world markets reopen after the Jan. 1 holiday; Tokyo’s market is closed today and tomorrow. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
In the News
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• In Hong Kong, a pro-democracy march ended in a standoff with the police. Organizers said 10,000 demonstrators were on hand; the police put the number at 6,200. [South China Morning Post]
• In Afghanistan, a suicide bomber attacked a funeral on Sunday for a local official, killing at least 17 people. [The New York Times]
• “No more.” President Donald Trump said the U.S. “foolishly” gave Pakistan more than $33 billion over the last 15 years while getting nothing in return. He pledged to end the economic aid. [Reuters]
• Nepal barred solo mountain climbers, including on Mount Everest, in an attempt to reduce accidents. [The New York Times]
• A pro-Israeli U.S. group called the singer Lorde a “bigot” in a full-page ad in The Washington Post. [The Guardian]
• China’s state-sanctioned ivory trade was terminated as of Monday. All licensed carving factories and retailers were ordered to close, and sales are restricted to a limited number of antiques and a few other items. [National Geographic]
• A former cage fighter in London has earned global attention for his method of rehabilitating Islamist militants. [The New York Times]
Smarter Living
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
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• Forget willpower. Here’s the only way to keep your resolutions.
• Tips to surviving a cold or the flu.
• Recipe of the day: Cook black-eyed peas with collard greens for New Year’s good fortune.
Noteworthy
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• A year of style, in pictures. We rounded up remarkable images from 2017, including stars, models, actors, debutantes — even a Chihuahua.
• Here’s a readers’ favorites list of our strangest stories about animals last year: rare white giraffes, criminal donkeys and chilly elephants.
• And 2018 will be an exciting year for space and astronomy lovers. Among the highlights: a new rocket by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and possible moon landings by India, China and private companies.
Back Story
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We begin today on a high kick.
The Rockettes closed their annual holiday season run on Monday, their 85th year at Radio City Music Hall in New York. But their famous kicklines are only a part of the storied history of one of New York’s cultural cornerstones.
Opened on Dec. 27, 1932, Radio City was “the largest temple of entertainment of its kind in the world,” The Times (somewhat breathlessly) proclaimed.
It was part of John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s plan to revive New York after the Great Depression by building a “city within a city” that would provide jobs for New Yorkers and convert a neighborhood known as “the speakeasy belt” into a commercial hub.
Rockefeller partnered with the Radio Corporation of America to develop the 6,200-seat theater, and the building’s design became a beacon of the art deco form.
The theater has hosted everything from the MTV Video Music Awards to more than 700 movie premieres, including “To Kill a Mockingbird,” starring Gregory Peck, a former Radio City usher.
Mayor-elect John O’Brien declared the music hall as “the greatest achievement of the theatrical world” and marked “a new era in the history of New York.”
Remy Tumin contributed reporting.
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