What to watch for today
The Philippines goes to court over the South China Sea. It will present arguments over the contested waters to a UN-appointed tribunal in the Hague. Beijing is not participating, but the tribunal said this will not deprive the court of jurisdiction. The hearing is expected to last a week.
François Hollande visits the US. The French president and his US counterpart will coordinate efforts to investigate the Paris attacks and fight Islamic militants. The visit is part of Hollande’s campaign to build a coalition against ISIL; he will visit Vladimir Putin next.
Canada shuts out Syrian men. The government, working toward a year-end goal of accepting 25,000 refugees, will unveil a plan to limit asylum to women, children, and families. Unaccompanied men will be excluded due to security concerns.
Nigeria announces its rate decision. Analysts are worried that central bank governor Godwin Emefiele will weigh politics heavier than economics and reduce the cost of borrowing. A lower rate would make borrowing cheaper for president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Hewlett-Packard reports quarterly earnings. This is the last time HP will report its earnings as a single entity, after it split into HP Inc. and HP Enterprise earlier this month. Campbell Soup, Tiffany & Co., and Dollar Tree also report their numbers, as does Hormel Foods.
While you were sleeping
Belgian police charged a fourth Paris suspect. The unnamed man, arrested on Sunday, was accused of participating in activities of a terrorist group and of a terrorist attack. Separately, French police discovered what they believe to be the undetonated suicide vest (paywall) of Salah Abdeslam, one of the Paris attackers still at large.
Jaguar Land Rover warned of lower annual profits. The luxury British carmaker said its full-year pre-tax profit will not match last year’s £2.6 billion ($3.9 billion), due to large investments in UK engine manufacturing and a blast in China that destroyed thousands of its vehicles. But CEO Ralf Speth said the Chinese market is rebounding, after a tough year.
Ethiopian Airlines is planning to expand its fleet. Africa’s largest carrier is considering purchasing 10 new planes from Canada’s Bombardier, but is also exploring offers from Brazilian, Russian, and Chinese plane makers. The airline plans to double its fleet from 77 to 150 by 2025—a large proportion of which might be piloted by women.
The US announced sanctions against Burundi officials. Two public security and police officials, as well as two former civil servants, will have their assets frozen and receive visa restrictions, after election-related violence increased in recent weeks. Nearly 250 people have been killed in clashes since April.
Argentina’s president-elect made some grand promises. Mauricio Macri, the center-right leader, promised to cast off capital controls and called on the country’s central bank leaders to step down. But he is refraining from making concrete plans until he sees the “real” state of the nation’s economy, he said.
Japanese manufacturing got a boost. The Nikkei/Markit preliminary purchasing manager’s index rose to 52.8 in November, from 52.4 last month, lifting further from the 50 level that separates expansion from contraction. The highest gauge in almost two years comes on the back of a growth in export orders.
Quartz obsession interlude
Gwynn Guilford and Nikhil Sonnad on why you always get sick on vacation. Lucky are the few who haven’t gone on a much-needed holiday only to spend their vacation hugging a box of tissues in a bed-bound Theraflu blur. So commonly do people seem to fall ill on vacation that some psychologists have christened it “leisure sickness.” Read more here.
Quartz markets haiku
Matters of debate
Nostalgia is ruining video games. Players’ love for franchises is discouraging the creation of new titles.
Bankers are still paid way too much. Even the co-head of Deutsche Bank thinks so.
Bombing Syria won’t make Europe safer. The terrorists who threaten the West are already there.
Surprising discoveries
Scientists discovered how agriculture transformed human genes. It might have contributed (paywall) to Europeans’ white skin color.
There’s a trick to avoiding the winter blues. Don’t distract yourself from the bad weather, get out and embrace it.
Mid-life crises are real. Life satisfaction is lower than ever in your 40s.
IBM wants to predict earthquakes and volcanoes. A new use for Watson, the smartypants supercomputer.
Parasitic infections could make some women more fertile. Roundworms can affect the number of children women have.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, winter happiness techniques, and mid-life crisis remedies to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.