Individuals throughout Australia celebrated “Freedom Day,” when months of tough coronavirus restrictions eased within the lead-up to Christmas and summer time within the Southern Hemisphere.

In New South Wales and Victoria, extra individuals can be allowed in bars, eating places, retailers and locations of worship, and dance halls can be reopened in a restricted capability. “From Monday, life can be very completely different,” mentioned Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales.

In Sydney, as much as 5,000 individuals can attend seated outside occasions, and beginning subsequent week, employees are being inspired to return to the workplace.

In Victoria, the place an outbreak in July despatched Melbourne into one of many world’s longest and strictest lockdowns, individuals can now have 30 individuals over at their houses and might collect exterior in teams of as much as 100. Masks need to be worn solely on public transport, in indoor buying facilities and at different crowded locations. Melbourne additionally welcomed its first worldwide guests since June on Monday.

Context: Final month, Victoria successfully eradicated the virus, and has now gone 38 days with out a new case. However as individuals celebrated throughout the nation, officers warned that Australians weren’t within the clear but. Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, advised reporters, “It isn’t over, it will probably come again.”

Listed below are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

In different developments:

The chairman of Shenzhen Kangtai Organic Merchandise as soon as bribed a regulator to approve a vaccine, although not for the coronavirus, in accordance with court docket paperwork. Months later, the chairman, Du Weimin, received the greenlight to start scientific trials. That authorities official went to jail in 2016, however Mr. Du was by no means charged and saved increasing his pharmaceutical firm.

Now, Mr. Du is at the forefront of the race to produce a coronavirus vaccine, which is a precedence for China’s ruling Communist Celebration. Kangtai would be the unique mainland producer for the AstraZeneca vaccine, and can be in early trials for its personal vaccine.

His story is emblematic of the belief points China’s vaccine trade faces: As China has pushed to develop vaccine firms that may compete globally, it has fostered and guarded an trade stricken by corruption and controversy. Weak oversight has led to issues with earlier vaccines, rattling the general public’s confidence.

The way it works: Drug firms have used monetary incentives to sway poorly compensated authorities employees for approval. A whole lot of Chinese language officers have been accused of taking bribes in circumstances involving vaccine firms.

A minimum of one individual has died and tons of have been hospitalized because of an unidentified illness in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, experiences mentioned Monday.

The sickness was detected Saturday night in Eluru, and since then, sufferers have skilled signs together with nausea, anxiousness and lack of consciousness. A forty five-year-old man hospitalized with signs much like epilepsy and nausea died Sunday night, the Press Belief of India information company reported.

An knowledgeable workforce dispatched by the federal authorities reached the town on Monday to research. Officers are nonetheless working to find out the reason for the sickness: Up to now, the individuals hospitalized have examined unfavourable for the coronavirus and different viral ailments like dengue, and water from the realm has not proven indicators of contamination.

When college, work and buying moved on-line this yr, demand skyrocketed for the tech that makes these interactions attainable. Add in low rates of interest and a surging inventory market, and there is now a frenzy of deal-making, our tech reporter writes. This week, DoorDash and Airbnb plan to go public within the busiest I.P.O. itemizing interval in many years.

“I haven’t seen something like this in over 20 years,” mentioned Eric Paley, an investor on the enterprise agency Founder Collective. “The celebration is as loud and the drinks are flowing as freely because the dot-com growth, regardless of that we’re all ingesting at residence and alone.”

Indonesia capturing: Cops shot and killed six followers of the divisive cleric Rizieq Shihab on the outskirts of Jakarta early Monday, after what the authorities described as an assault on officers who have been tailing the lads as a part of an investigation.

Chinese language film controversy: The film “Monster Hunter” disappeared from theaters in China after on-line critics labeled a snippet of dialogue — a pun about knees — racist and known as for a boycott. The German firm that co-produced the movie apologized.

Pornhub investigation response: Visa and Mastercard mentioned they would investigate financial links to the parent company of the adult website after the Instances columnist Nicholas Kristof reported that a few of Pornhub’s movies depict baby abuse and nonconsensual sexual violence.

Snapshot: Above, Savoy Vince the koala in Port Macquarie, Australia. Australia is beginning its first koala count in years, deploying heat-seeking drones, acoustic surveys and detector canine to seek out the marsupials within the wild.

What we’re studying: New York Journal’s tribute to the businesses that have closed during the pandemic. This farewell to beloved institutions, instead of the journal’s yearly “Causes to Love New York” characteristic, is a devastating pattern of what the town has misplaced this yr.

Prepare dinner: Pastel, an Israeli spiced beef pie scented with cinnamon, dill and parsley, might be made with store-bought puff pastry, making it very simple to make but splendidly wealthy.

Deal: As our houses face extra pressure and use within the pandemic, your upkeep to-do record could also be rising. Listed below are some easy repairs that require few tools and little know-how.

Watch: Netflix’s “The Promenade” options Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and extra in a satirical comedy tailored from a Tony-nominated musical. It’s one in all our picks for the best TV shows and movies new to Netflix, Stan and Amazon in Australia in December.

At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to learn, cook dinner, watch, and do whereas staying protected at residence.

“Pleasure” might not be the primary phrase that involves thoughts throughout a pandemic, however individuals are resourceful. Instances readers wrote in to share how they are brightening the days of friends and family, with gestures giant and small.

1. “An expensive pal lately was given a significant medical prognosis. She’s not prepared but for speaking or socially distant visits. As an alternative I textual content her every day photographs of my cat, who she’s affectionately dubbed the Pinkness.”

— Kim Burnett, Denver

2. “Each Monday morning I ship a postcard to my three aged aunties. They dwell distant and due to Covid can’t have guests, and calling on the telephone is cumbersome due to listening to and different well being points. So, initially of Covid I began a ritual of writing to them and placing playing cards within the mail each Monday morning.”

— Laurie Zyons Wooden, Manitou Springs, Colo.

3. “We now have numerous youngsters on our avenue right here in Winston-Salem, N.C. When the climate was hotter, I went to the entrance porch and performed the accordion for the kids who have been using their bikes or in a stroller on the similar time each day, Monday to Friday. Kids’s Completely happy Hour at 4 p.m. In colder climate, I depart little surprises — a flowering pansy, a particular rock or somewhat card each day beneath the mailbox. This turns into a vacation spot for the top of their every day stroll. The dad and mom admire this. And it brings me nice pleasure too.”

— Linda McKinnish Bridges, Winston-Salem, N.C.

That’s it for this briefing. See you subsequent time.

— Melina

Thanks
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the information. You may attain the workforce at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our newest episode is about one Republican election official condemning President Trump’s baseless fraud claims in regards to the presidential election.
• Right here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Skinny vertical line on a music observe (4 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Lori Leibovich, a life-style and well being journalist who labored at The Skimm, is joining The Times as editor of Well.

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