Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Catalonia holds a snap election. The region will vote on its new parliament less than three months after the Spanish central government dissolved the previous one in the wake of Catalonia’s formal bid for independence. Seven political parties are expecting to win seats in the 135-seat parliament; it’s likely several will have to form a coalition.
The UN discusses Jerusalem. The UN General Assembly will hold a special session on Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They plan to vote on a draft resolution—vetoed by the US in the UN Security Council on Monday—that calls for the declaration to be withdrawn.
Theresa May heads to Poland. The British prime minister’s visit comes as the European Commission prepares to trigger a “nuclear option” against the EU member state, whose right-wing, populist government is forcing judicial reforms perceived as a threat to its democracy.
While you were sleeping
The US Congress sent a sweeping GOP tax bill to Trump’s desk. Final touches were passed in a final 224-201 House vote. No Democrats supported the $1.5 trillion bill, which also repeals the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate (paywall.) Trump is already touting the bill as his administration’s biggest legislative victory.
North Korea may have been involved in a bitcoin heist. South Korean officials are investigating Pyongyang’s potential involvement in a collapsed Seoul-based bitcoin exchange. People familiar with the situation suspect that the heavily-sanctioned regime is developing new ways to raise money (paywall), and evidence shows that it has increasingly turned to sophisticated financial warfare.
Myanmar barred a UN human rights investigator. Yanghee Lee, the UN’s independent envoy into the Myanmar’s human rights crisis—including alleged abuses against Rohingya Muslims—had called for more international pressure on the country’s military. The government issued a ban ahead of her planned visit in January. Lee said in a statement that the country’s refusal to cooperate indicated that there must be “something terribly awful happening” there.
The EU ruled that Uber is a taxi company. The European Court of Justice rejected Uber’s claim that it is a technology platform and should be regulated like one, instead subjecting it to the same rules as a taxi service. It will now be up to EU member states to regulate Uber’s services, which could mean an increase in operational costs that sets back the company’s global expansion plans.
Justin Trudeau broke ethics rules. The Canadian prime minister’s 2016 vacation to Prince Shah Karim Al Husseini’s private island contravened conflict-of-interest rules, the country’s ethics watchdog said Wednesday. Trudeau says the Aga Khan is a family friend, but accepted the report. He will not face any penalties.
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain on retail’s year of existential reckoning. “Consumers are still spending on retail, but which stores they’re going to and what they’re spending on is fundamentally changing. The year wasn’t so much an apocalypse as a reckoning, and the common thread through these events has been brands big and small forced into pondering fundamental questions about the purpose of physical spaces. Why does a store need to exist? And what should a store actually do?” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Silicon Valley needs to give up on the idea of the self. Tech types are finding out that success doesn’t make them happy—but understanding the interconnectedness of the universe might.
Everyone in the world should be taxed on their energy footprint. Our current tax systems don’t discourage people from making environmentally destructive choices, so we need a global tax instead.
The solution to food waste should start with grocery stores. Because of their direct links with farmers, processors, and consumers, they influence (paywall) every facet of the supply chain.
Surprising discoveries
The Mafia was born of a severe Sicilian drought. New research reveals that a 1893 dry spell triggered a revolt against elites, which the Mafia terminated when the government couldn’t.
A London café lets you drink your own face. Tea Terrace sells “Selfieccinos”—wherein a customer’s selfie is machine-etched into a drink’s foam—at £5.75 ($7.50) a pop.
China is turning panda poop into tissue. Paper manufacturer Jianwei Fengsheng is capitalizing on the naturally processed bamboo fiber in the animals’ waste.
Coco made more money in China than the US. The tale of a young Mexican musician and the ghosts of his ancestors is Pixar’s first film to perform better in Beijing than at home.
For the first time in history, more women than men are going to medical school. Trends suggest there may soon be more women than men in the medical field.
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