Your Thursday Briefing

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, December 21, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Thursday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Manu Fernandez/Associated Press • Catalans vote today in regional elections that are unlikely to resolve a deadlock over separatists’ quest to gain independence from Spain. Polls predict a fractured result, but [our correspondent writes]( that such an outcome could push to the fore centrist politicians capable of bridging the gap between separatists and unionists. [In a video]( we asked first-time voters how they felt about participating. Polls close at 8 p.m. local time. Expect results before midnight. _____ Janek Skarzynski/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, above, [signed sweeping legislation]( that effectively puts the country’s courts under the control of his right-wing governing party, which it argues will make the justice system more efficient. Despite a stern warning from the European Commission just hours before Mr. Duda signed the law, the bloc is unlikely to impose any immediate punishment for Poland, like a suspension of its E.U. voting rights. (Hungary has already vowed to veto such a step.) The U.S. has largely stayed out of the discussion, but President Trump’s visit in July was widely interpreted as emboldening the government. _____ Al Drago for The New York Times • In Washington, Congress passed [the $1.5 trillion tax cut](. Republicans are betting that their biggest overhaul of the tax code in a generation will [help them in next year’s midterm elections]( raise wages and create jobs. [Few independent analyses agree](. At a cabinet meeting in which he praised the tax bill, President Trump also [threatened to cut aid]( to any country that votes in favor of a U.N. resolution at the U.N. General Assembly denouncing his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. A trip to the Middle East by Vice President Mike Pence has been tentatively rescheduled to January. His trip, long planned for this week, was canceled after key religious and political leaders [said they would not meet him](. _____ Mario Anzuoni/Reuters • It was just another day in the recording studio. That was the key to writing Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” the runaway hit that topped Billboard’s year-end singles chart and has become the most-played track ever on Spotify, with more than 1.5 billion streams. [In this video]( Mr. Sheeran and his collaborators explain how they crafted the tune in just 90 minutes. (He admits he had no idea it was anything special.) Business Houston Cofield for The New York Times • The season of giving has also become a time for [stealing other people’s gifts](. But people are increasingly using surveillance technology to thwart “porch pirates” and using social media to shame them. • The European Union’s highest court’s ruling that [Uber is a transportation business]( may provide a benchmark for countries seeking to regulate the gig economy. (The court also [quashed Champagne makers’ efforts]( to guarantee their protected designation of origin status against a German retailer.) • An Italian judge ruled that Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, two of the world’s largest oil companies, [must face trial on corruption charges]( over a $1.3 billion oil deal in Nigeria. • France is considering [raising minimum food prices]( in an effort to raise farmers’ income. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • In Britain, Damian Green, a minister who was effectively Prime Minister Theresa May’s deputy, was forced to resign after an investigation found that he misled the public about pornography found on a work computer. [[The New York Times]( • Fighting in eastern Ukraine has flared up again. The authorities in Kiev lay blame on the withdrawal of Russian officers from a cease-fire control group. [[The New York Times]( • The U.S. government imposed sanctions on Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, and four other Russian individuals accused of human rights abuses. [[The New York Times]( • Uganda’s Parliament voted to lift the age limit for the presidency, setting the stage for President Yoweri Museveni to rule for life. [[The New York Times]( • In Mexico, a close ally of President Enrique Peña Nieto was arrested as part of a corruption inquiry that threatens the highest ranks of government. [[The New York Times]( • Our Rome bureau chief, who reported for The Boston Globe from Rome during the “Spotlight” series, reflects on the legacy of Cardinal Bernard Law, the disgraced archbishop of Boston who [died]( on Wednesday. [[The New York Times]( • A ceremony today at The Hague will mark the end of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. It has sentenced 90 individuals for genocide or other crimes. [[The Guardian]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Danny Ghitis for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Tonight, roast salmon with [a glaze of brown sugar and mustard](. • Learn [how to solve The New York Times Crossword](. (Beginners welcome.) • Sexual harassment training isn’t enough — but [here are some things you can do](. Noteworthy Ettore Ferrari/ANSA, via Associated Press • Citizens of Rome lament that the Italian capital’s official Christmas tree — drooping, wilting and dying — [is a symbol of their city’s decline](. • Our sports correspondent went to basketball-mad Lithuania to find out how an obscure team there managed to [lure two semifamous American players]( sending its fans into a frenzy. • The latest episode in our video series “Dance in the Real World” takes you [inside the vogueing scene]( in New York City. • Computer game studios are [turning to film and television writers]( to help craft narratives for their titles. • Today is the solstice, the shortest day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day of summer in the Southern. We [might not be here if Earth]( had a different tilt toward the sun. Back Story Peter Kneffel/DPA, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images This is the time of year when [the Krampus, a mythical, furry, horned beast]( prowls cities and towns in the Bavarian and Austrian Alps, scaring away evil spirits and reminding naughty children that Christmas is just around the corner. The tradition of the Krampus, a mountain goblin who is an evil counterpart to the good St. Nicholas, has recently enjoyed a revival. Even before the [2015 Hollywood horror version]( brought the tradition to millions of Americans, a new generation of Germans and Austrians were reviving a tradition they cherished from childhood. Dozens of “runs,” or parades of people dressed in horned masks and carrying whips or bells, take over towns in southern Germany and Austria from the last weeks of November to Dec. 23. In [a 2014 appearance on “The Tonight Show,”]( the actor Christoph Waltz explained Krampus to an American audience as the Austrian answer to [Elf on the Shelf](. The Krampus, he said, does not just spy on kids and report back to Santa, but arrives “with a stick, a bag, and he threatens you. If you weren’t good, you get stuck in the bag and hit and shipped off.” Modern Krampus parades, however, are bound by strictly enforced rules, including no drinking and no hitting. Scaring children and tourists is allowed, but not sticking anyone in a bag. Melissa Eddy contributed reporting. _____ This briefing was prepared for the European morning and is updated online. [Browse past briefings here](. You can get the briefing delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday. We have four global editions, timed for [the Americas]( [Europe]( [Asia]( and [Australia]( and [an Evening Briefing]( on U.S. weeknights. Check out our full range of free newsletters [here](. If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app [from iTunes]( or [Google Play](. What would you like to see here? 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