Israel, Apple, Debbie Reynolds: Your Thursday Briefing

Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher"s mother, dead at 84

It was not immediately clear which of the scores of rebel groups scattered across Syria had agreed to the deal, which does not include Islamic State fighters.

A new normal in Chicago.

More than 750 people have been killed in the city this year, the police say, the highest total since 1997. Residents, primarily in African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods on the South and West Sides, fear that shootings have become a routine part of life.

We should be embarrassed as a city, one activist said.

The violence has made walking to and from school treacherous for many children. The citys Safe Passage program hopes to change that.

Inside Apple.

Our investigation into the worlds biggest iPhone factory, in Zhengzhou, China, revealed a hidden bounty of perks, tax breaks and subsidies. The operation shows how China not only provides a large pool of labor but also offers incentives that would be difficult to replicate in the U.S.

Photo Foxconn workers leaving after the end of a shift in Zhengzhou, China. The iPhone factory is central to the production of Apples most profitable product. Credit Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times

We also look at why an iPhone costs less in American stores than in Chinese shops.

A long-shot appeal.

Among our most popular articles this week is the case of Sam Siatta, a Marine Corps veteran of the war in Afghanistan who landed in prison after returning to Illinois.

He was so drunk at the time of the violent act that led to his conviction that he doesnt remember it. Our reporter, who also served in the Marines, visited Mr. Siatta in prison and spent time with him in the months since his release this year.

Health roundup.

Its essentially the serial killer of drugs. Thats an addiction counselors take on Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be 100 times more potent than morphine and that now causes more deaths in some parts of the U.S. than heroin.

A new study found that women who took fish oil in the last trimester of pregnancy significantly lowered the risk that their children developed asthma.

Photo Ed Whitlock completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 3 hours 56 minutes 34 seconds to become the oldest person to run 26.2 miles in less than four hours. Credit Marta Iwanek/Waterloo Region Record

Finally, scientists are reassessing the possibilities of aging and performance thanks, in part, to an 85-year-old who recently finished a marathon in under four hours.

Business

Cable news channels looked as if they were fading two years ago. But 2016 proved to be a banner year for the networks, largely because of the presidential race.

The numbers werent as good, though, for cable TV giants like Discovery, ESPN and TBS.

The chief executive of a Japanese ad agency is resigning to take responsibility for the suicide of a young employee last year.

She was working more than 100 hours of overtime a month, according to an inquiry, much of it unreported and unpaid.

Insomnia and other sleep disorders are said to affect 50 million to 70 million Americans, causing a litany of health problems as well as billions of dollars in lost productivity.

Technology companies are developing alternatives to sleeping pills, which can be addictive.

U.S. stocks were down on Wednesday. Heres a snapshot of global markets.

Noteworthy

In memoriam.

Debbie Reynolds, the Hollywood star known for the 1952 musical Singin in the Rain, died at 84, a day after the death of her daughter, the actress Carrie Fisher.

Photo Debbie Reynolds with her daughter, the actress Carrie Fisher, in 2015. Ms. Reynolds died after suffering a stroke on Wednesday, a day after the death of Ms. Fisher. Credit Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America

Shes now with Carrie and were all heartbroken, her son said. Heres a look at six movies for which Ms. Reynolds will be remembered.

Revisiting an atrocity.

More than 100 years after a genocide of the Herero people in Namibia, Germany is acknowledging its role. In our latest 360 video, a Herero elder recounts a story he heard from his forefathers.

Video Its True, the Germans Killed Us

More than 100 years after a genocide of the Herero people in Namibia, Germany is acknowledging its role. Listen to a Herero elder recounting the story he heard from his forefathers.

By ALEXIA WEBSTER, VEDA SHASTRI and TIM CHAFFEE on Publish Date December 29, 2016. Photo by Joao Silva/The New York Times. Technology by Samsung.. Watch in Times Video

Backlash after beach bash.

The City Council of a Sydney suburb banned alcohol on the beach for the rest of the summer after more than 10,000 people trashed Coogee Beach on Christmas Day.

Revelers were so drunk that oxygen tanks were needed to resuscitate some partygoers and that a shark alarm was set off three times to get intoxicated swimmers out of the water, according to an official. They also left behind 16 tons of garbage.

Video A Sydney Resident Shows Beach Trashed By Revelers

Cyn Coco said she filled more than a dozen garbage bags with trash after thousands of Christmas revelers in Australia celebrated on suburban Coogee Beach.

By CYN COCO, VIA FACEBOOK on Publish Date December 28, 2016. Photo by David Gray/Reuters. Watch in Times Video

Recipe of the day.

Couscous doesnt have to be boring. Jazz it up with sauted cherry tomatoes and basil.

Back Story

In case you missed it, a bit of music history was made this year.

The Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen song by the Japanese comedian Kazuhito Kosaka went from YouTube to a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. At 45 seconds, its the shortest song to ever appear on the list.

Photo The Japanese comedian Kazuhito Kosaka, known as Pikotaro, went from YouTube to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Credit Unioncom/VCG, via Getty Images

And the video has been watched more than 104 million times since its release this summer.

The lyrics, while not likely to win the artist a Nobel Prize in Literature, proved to be catchy: I have a pen, I have a apple. Uh! Apple pen! Many imitations have appeared online over the last months, including one by late-night host Stephen Colbert.

Asked what his favorite version was, Mr. Kosaka, who is better known by his stage name Pikotaro, said it was one from India.

But there is one thing I need to say: There is someone who in one of the videos actually stabs an apple with a pen, he said. Thats a waste.

Mr. Kosaka is relishing his newfound popularity, but hes wary of becoming a one-hit wonder. Hes working on new music, but this time about citrus fruits.

Patrick Boehler contributed reporting.

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