Damien Cave, our Australia bureau chief, shares insights on global news, local recommendations and feedback from readers in this weekly newsletter. To receive it in your inbox, sign up here.

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The end of the year at The New York Times usually means a rush of big, ambitious stories — and don’t miss this examination of Harvey Weinstein’s complicity machine, detailing all the people who knew about his behavior and did nothing, or helped hide it.

But this week, I’m counterprogramming with a newsletter of (mostly) bite-size thoughts.

1.

Two of Australia’s biggest stories this year — same-sex marriage, and China’s influence on politics — reached their expected conclusions this week.

As you no doubt know, Parliament changed the definition of marriage, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull proposed new laws that would limit foreign interference.