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Britain rolls out the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot… Over half a million doses of the coronavirus vaccine are ready for use today starting at a small number of hospitals before being shipped to more sites.
…while Germany’s vaccine procurement was criticized. Experts and politicians faulted Berlin for not ordering enough of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, so far the only shot approved for use by the EU.
Julian Assange learns his fate. A British court will rule on whether to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to the US to face charges including espionage over his release of confidential US military and diplomatic documents.
Donald Trump demanded that Georgia “find” extra votes. In an hourlong call, the US president put pressure on Georgia’s secretary of state to overturn his election loss, ahead of a critical runoff race there tomorrow.
Iran said it will prep nuclear fuel. The decision to begin enriching uranium violates the nuclear deal abandoned by the US, and complicates attempts by the incoming Biden administration to repair the breached agreement.
Beijing threatened retaliation against NYSE’s delisting of state-owned telecoms. It vowed to take “necessary measures” in response to the removal of China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom.
Tesla met Wall Street’s hopes, but not its CEO’s. The electric car-maker delivered 180,570 cars in the fourth quarter, just shy of its Elon Musk’s full-year goal of 500,000.
India aims to resolve farm conflicts. Farmers’ unions and officials resume talks after weeks of protests against new laws removing state support for key crops.
What to watch for
Health officials around the world will reckon with the effects of Christmas and New Year’s gatherings on the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic when backlogged test results are reported.
- After Tokyo reported 816 new Covid-19 cases on Jan. 3, prime minister Yoshihide Suga is considering new emergency measures in and around the capital.
- Prior to the holidays, Europe and the Americas accounted for more than 80% new Covid-related deaths worldwide, raising the prospect of new restrictions.
- A new, more infectious strain of the virus is spreading. The new mutation was first observed in the UK and has now been found in China and the US.
- India will begin administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, but will not yet allow the drug’s manufacturer to export it. Its simultaneous approval of locally developed shot Covaxin is sparking some concerns.
Charting boycotts of Walmart
Walmart has been a repeat target of calls for boycotts over the years. The demands often focused on Walmart’s treatment of workers, but recently, they’ve reflected partisan anger that can easily surface online. The latest call to boycott the retailer was made by US senator Josh Hawley after the company’s Twitter account mistakenly called the lawmaker a sore loser.
But these boycotts rarely materialize into mass movements, and if they do, they’re not having any evident effect on the retailer, whose US sales have continued to grow steadily.
New Year, New Economy?
The unique nature of the coronavirus recession makes a fast recovery possible. The financial systems crippled by toxic assets and permanently broken industries left behind by other recent recessions required an economy-wide restructuring to fix. In contrast, while the suffering and dislocation of the pandemic have been staggering, societies have the tools to provide relief and a speedy recovery from it.
However, the global economy still faces the myriad of problems it did before 2020, from trade wars to inequality to weak investment. Our latest field guide provides a preview of what to expect for the global economy in 2021, including the indicators to watch, and potential wildcard events.
Surprising discoveries
You have a follow request from the Mafia. A popular Facebook page was shut down after its proprietor was sentenced to 30 years in jail, but he’s hardly the only capo with an online influence strategy.
Buying indulgences? Australian authorities said $1.8 billion was sent from the Vatican to the Australian Catholic Church over seven years, but both have denied knowledge of the transfers.
The longest diplomatic asylum ends. Two convicted Ethiopian war criminals spent 29 years in the Italian embassy in Addis Ababa, but are now set to leave after being granted probation.
Golf had a great pandemic. The sport grew leaps and bounds in 2020 because it’s outdoors and makes for easy distancing.
Prince still owes taxes. The US government says the late rock star’s estate owes another $32 million after executors undervalued his assets to the tune of $80 million.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, hole-in-ones, and mysterious wire transfers to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Mary Hui, Tripti Lahiri, David Yanofsky, and Tim Fernholz.