QUICK HITS

1 Murder conviction: A former University of Maryland student who admitted fatally stabbing a black Army lieutenant at a campus bus stop was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder. The guilty verdict against Sean Urbanski came the day after a judge dismissed a hate-crime count against him in the May 20, 2017, killing of Richard Collins.

2 Protests in India: From campuses along India’s Himalayan northern border to its southern Malabar Coast, a student-led protest movement against a new law that grants citizenship on the basis of religion spread nationwide Wednesday despite efforts by the government to contain it.

3 Fireworks show off: Hong Kong has canceled its traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks show over security concerns, the latest popular event to be scrapped in the Asian financial hub amid ongoing pro-democracy protests.

4 Hurricane victim victory: The federal government can be held financially liable to hundreds of Hurricane Harvey flood victims because officials knew two reservoirs could flood their Houston-area properties, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

5 NOAA leader nominated: Less than a month after Barry Myers, the controversial pick to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, withdrew from consideration, President Donald Trump has nominated acting Administrator Neil Jacobs to lead the agency. Jacobs, a meteorologist, has been the acting head of NOAA since 2018, but the agency has been without a permanent leader since Trump was inaugurated, the longest stretch in its history.