New Year’s Eve, Iraq, Equal Pay
Your Tuesday Evening Briefing |
Good evening from Times Square, where the ball will drop within a matter of hours to ring in 2020. We’ll keep this one brief. |
 | | Khalid Mohammed/Associated Press |
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The protesters lit fires but did not enter the main buildings of the embassy, the largest in the world. They later left and joined thousands of protesters and militia fighters to demand that the U.S. withdraw its forces from Iraq. |
The State Department said that American personnel were safe and that there were no plans to evacuate the embassy. |
 | | Mark Lennihan/Associated Press |
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After a 0.3 percent gain on Tuesday, the S&P 500 index ended 2019 up 28.9 percent. Above, traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange today. |
Broad indexes of the American bond market were up; gold and silver jumped; even hogs gained. The cause? Mostly a head-spinning reversal by the Federal Reserve, which flipped toward lowering interest rates. |
Just before markets opened on Tuesday, President Trump said the U.S. and China would sign a “very large and comprehensive” trade deal at the White House on Jan. 15. Details of the agreement have not yet been released. |
 | | Kazuhiro Nogi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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Cameras were on his doorstep. Police and reporters watched his every move. And yet, somehow, the deposed chief of the Nissan and Renault auto empire was able to flee to Lebanon, his home country, to avoid trial on charges of financial wrongdoing. Above, Mr. Ghosn in April. |
Politicians in Japan wondered whether shadowy figures or even a foreign government were involved. An official in Beirut said Mr. Ghosn entered the country using a French passport, while at least one Lebanese outlet reported (without proof) that he had escaped inside a box meant for musical equipment. |
 | | Matthew Abbott for The New York Times |
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At least 11 people have died and thousands have fled their homes. Some even climbed into boats in bodies of water. |
In the state of New South Wales, which includes Sydney and Conjola, above, more than 900 homes have been destroyed and nine million acres have burned since November. About 100 fires are raging in the state, with about three dozen more across the border in Victoria. |
The fires have been so intense that they have created their own weather systems, including a phenomenon called a fire tornado in which turbulence is caused by extreme rising heat. |
 | | The New York Times |
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5. Where are all the women coaches? |
About 40 percent of women’s college teams are coached by women, and only about 3 percent of men’s college teams are coached by women. That gap only gets starker higher up the administrative ladder: 89 percent of Division I college athletic directors are men. |
In a video Op-Ed, three women coaches argue that it’s time to apply Title IX, which got women playing college sports, to leadership positions. It’s the latest from our Opinion section’s “Equal Play” series showcasing athletes who are bringing women’s sports into the 21st century. |
 | | Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times |
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6. In a tough world, Lily Tomlin has always tried to make it a little more tender. |
The actress’s career has been marked by empathetic and generous performances, a rarity in comedy. In a wide-ranging interview with the Times Magazine, Tomlin talks about how comedy has evolved since the 1970s, her identity as a feminist and the roles she looks for. |
“I want to deal with characters who make you laugh, because they have something amusing about them in a wonderful, connected way,” she said. “They might be overlooked easily, but they have something to say.” |
 | | David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. |
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In her meat-lover’s guide to eating less meat, Melissa Clark recommends keeping a daily mix of what you eat to 80 percent plant matter and 20 percent meat, dairy and seafood. To do that: Eat beans, turn to high-protein grains (pasta counts!), elevate your tofu game and more. Above, Indian butter chickpeas. |
 | | Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times |
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8. Finally, New Year’s traditions — and superstitions — from around the world. Above, Hong Kong got the festivities started. |
In Denmark, they throw plates as a sign of friendship; in Scotland, balls of fire are swung to ward off evil. And in Sweden, folklore enthusiasts take a “year walk,” or årsgång, where they wander through a forest to a church or graveyard on New Year’s Eve. |
And what of the midnight kiss? It is said a person who kisses their beloved at the stroke of midnight will have 12 months of continued affection. Perhaps starting with a clean slate is more up your alley: Try opening all the doors and windows in your house at midnight to usher out the old year and invite the new. |
Wishing you a happy and healthy new year. We’re off tomorrow, see you in 2020. |
Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. |
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