Dose of Hope: First Americans Take COVID Shots

The Electoral College on Monday confirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s win, even as Attorney General William Barr resigned, weeks after refusing to endorse President Donald Trump’s assertion of widespread fraud in the election. (Sources: NPR, BBC)

2. ‘I Trust Science’

So said Jamaican-born Sandra Lindsay, a nurse at a Queens hospital who became the first American outside trials to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Lindsay said she hoped to inspire other Americans of color to also take the shot amid concerns over vaccine skepticism. Meanwhile Russia is trialing a COVID-19 vaccine for domestic animals. (Sources: NYT, WaPo, Reuters)

3. Searching for Google

It’s the modern equivalent of a snow day. Google services including Gmail, YouTube and Google Docs went offline for about 45 minutes Monday in an outage that brought work around the world to a standstill. Should companies reduce their dependence on Google? Vote on Twitter. Meanwhile there’s no standing still in the declining Australia-China trade relationship, which Canberra might soon complain about to the World Trade Organization. (Sources: TechCrunch, Bloomberg)

4. Open and Shut

The U.S. has removed Sudan from a blacklist of terrorism sponsors, opening the way for foreign investments to that country, even as Mexico is considering a law that would severely restrict access for foreign agents, including the Drug Enforcement Administration of the U.S. (Sources: UPI, FT)

Jupiter and Saturn will give up social distancing on December 21, aligning in a way so they’ll appear closer and brighter than they have in 800 years. Grab a blanket, forget your earthly worries for a moment and soak in this celestial love affair. 

Like le Carré — to whom he’s often compared — Mai knows what he’s writing about. He served for 17 years in China’s military intelligence before picking up the pen and turning into a bestselling author of spy thrillers. The bespectacled 56-year-old was bullied as a child and his most famous character Rong Jinzhen was also socially awkward growing up. But like Mai, Rong — a cryptographer — knows how to crack the code to success.

2. Imraan Coovadia

Call it spy-ence fiction if you will. The South African writer marries the spy thriller and science fiction genres, with secret agents who travel in time to save Johannesburg from destruction. But time travel is also the soft-spoken Coovadia’s metaphor for South Africa’s political shifts. Growing up, he loved reading science fiction but wasn’t allowed into Durban’s main library because of the color of his skin. Now the country’s libraries proudly house his books.

3. Nona Fernández

At the height of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in 1984, a Chilean secret service agent enters the office of a dissident magazine and confesses he tortured political opponents of the regime. His testimony must be smuggled out of the country. Fernández, a rising star of Chilean literature, channels her own childhood experiences under the dictatorship. In her world, spies aren’t glamorous — and living with their crimes is a part of the punishment they must suffer. 

And thank you for sharing your favorite le Carré books that made it to the screen! Anne B. loves Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alexandre I.’s favorite is The Constant Gardener, while John K. prefers Smiley’s People.

It’s one of Carlos’ favorite interviews to date. Former ESPN hosts Jemele Hill and Cari Champion — co-hosts of “Cari and Jemele (Won’t) Stick to Sports” — open up about the problematic environment at ESPN, how they met and why Black women must have each other’s backs. Don’t miss it later today. 

Ask Fauci: Later this week, Carlos will also be interviewing America’s most trusted epidemiologist, Dr. Anthony Fauci. What would you like Carlos to ask him? Tell us.

Remember the early days of the pandemic, when there was a run on toilet paper? While things have settled a bit since then, it’s clear we’re likely to be staying indoors for several more months. Suzano, the Brazilian firm that is the world’s largest wood pulp producer, is smiling. Its stock value has risen 50 percent since mid-July.

2. Vaccine Vehicle

One of the biggest challenges involving leading COVID-19 vaccines is their need for refrigeration at hard-to-maintain, ultralow temperatures. But that’s good news for ilShin BioBase, a leading Korean manufacturer of freezers for drugs. It has seen its share price quadruple since June as demand grows for a cold chain to keep these vaccines safe.

3. Cementing Success

With country after country turning to infrastructure spending as a way out of the recession, cement companies are emerging as key gainers. The stock price of Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest cement manufacturer — owned by the continent’s richest man, Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote — has risen nearly 40 percent since September.

It’s thenew kid on the block. Named carmeltazite, the mineral was only discovered last year in the volcanic rocks of Mount Carmel in Israel. Its rarity could make it more valuable than diamonds, and it’s to be marketed as the “Carmel sapphire.” There’s still mystery around it though: Carmeltazite shares a composition very similar to a mineral found in Mexico after a meteor crash.

2. Paraiba Tourmaline

Found in the Paraiba province of Brazil, it’s costlier than gold and rarer than diamonds — a combination that has made it afavorite of top global jewelers in recent years, but also the target of a $1 billion trafficking operation to funnel the precious material from a poor part of the country to international markets.

3. Mozambican Rubies

For centuries, treasure hunters and gemstone connoisseurs have been drawn to rubies from Southeast Asia. Then sanctions against Myanmar over human rights violations choked that source. But in 2009, the world’s largest source of rubies was discovered in Mozambique — it now produces 50 percent of all rubies — making East Africa the new capital of this bright-red stunner.

Even before its launch last week, this game by Polish developer CD Projekt Red hadsold 8 million copies. More than a million people are playing the year’s most anticipated game at the same time. You play V, a cynical mercenary hunting for a computer chip that could make you immortal. And your guide is a character played by Keanu Reeves! Now you know why this game is “The One.”

2. Genshin Impact

Free-to-play games are typically poor in quality and charge you for every character or tool you want to add.Genshin Impact, launched in September by Chinese developer miHoYo, breaks with that mold — dramatically. With stunning visuals, a range of characters and a score by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, itsucks you deep into the game before you need to consider paying anything ... and then, it’s worth every dollar.

3. The Wagadu Chronicles

Fantasy role-playing games are mostly set in European mythology.The Wagadu Chronicles is all about the beauty of Africa and its cultural traditions. One of the most anticipated video games of the next few months, its stories are inspired by the Maasai in Kenya and the Yoruba in Nigeria. Launched by Alan Cudicio, a developer of Ghanaian heritage, this could be the Black Panther of gaming.