Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The daughter of Asia’s richest man gets married. Isha Ambani, daughter of mega-billionaire Mukesh Ambani (paywall), will wed Anand Piramal, a scion of another prominent Indian business family, at her family’s 27-story Mumbai home. Hillary Clinton is among the foreign A-listers attending festivities that have included a private concert by Beyoncé (paywall). The wedding has its own app.
Theresa May meets Donald Tusk. It’s unclear what the British prime minister can accomplish in her meeting today with the European Council president. May has scrambled to meet European leaders after calling off a vote in the UK parliament on her unpopular Brexit deal, but EU officials have said there’s no further room to negotiate.
The US indicts Chinese hackers. The Justice Department could announce as soon as today that it is charging hackers working for Chinese intelligence (paywall) with a number of intrusions into US networks dating back to 2014. The indictments aren’t expected to involve the recently revealed hacking of Marriott’s Starwood hotel chain, which investigators believe is also linked to China (paywall).
Tencent Music begins trading after a turbulent IPO. Ahead of its debut on the New York Stock Exchange, the company’s US shares priced at the low end of the target range, due to market headwinds and a lawsuit from a prominent investor (paywall). That values China’s answer to Spotify—and an investor in the Swedish streaming firm—at about $21 billion.
Michael Cohen is sentenced. Special counsel Robert Mueller has recommended “substantial” jail time for the lawyer who admitted to paying hush money to women on behalf of Donald Trump. In November, Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying about his former boss’s business plans in Russia, information material to the investigation into interference in the 2016 presidential election.
While you were sleeping
Huawei’s CFO made bail at $7.5 billion. Meng Wanzhou was arrested Dec. 1 in Canada at the request of the US on suspicion of violating sanctions on Iran, and had to convince a judge she wasn’t a flight risk. China has warned Canada of “grave consequences” over the arrest, which caps a tough year for the world’s biggest telecom equipment provider. In what may be an act of retaliation, a former Canadian diplomat has been detained in China.
Trump threatened a shutdown in a showdown with Democrats. The US president told incoming senior congressional Democrats that he would demand funding for his much-maligned border wall (paywall), even if it prompted a government shutdown in January: “I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it.”
A shooter killed three at a French Christmas market. Strasbourg police are searching for a lone gunman, previously known to law enforcement, who opened fire at different spots in the city center. Officials are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.
Obsession interlude
Tetris: When it all falls into place. Sure, the old-school video game is addictive, but it comes with a big benefit—it trains us to stop using parts of the brain that are inefficient. Read how it all stacks up in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
The global internet hit a tipping point thanks to Africa. More than half of humans now have internet access, with African households driving adoption.
Robots could kill the coffee industry, but boost CBD. Battery-powered workers don’t need caffeine to stay productive, while everyone else may need to take the edge off.
Will 2019 be the new 1929? Rising student debt, consumer spending in China, and interest rates paint a not-so-rosy economic picture for the coming year.
Quartz membership
Why one expert changed his mind about China’s electric cars. “The Chinese have long-term plans that I think are both aggressive and sustainable… Look back at the creation of the Japanese automobile industry in the 1950s onwards, and you’ll see a parallel. The Japanese put up very high barriers around their domestic market through tariffs and restrictions on foreign companies entering the market. At the same time, they began to attempt to export vehicles abroad.” Read more of Quartz’s interview with Levi Tillemann, author of The Great Race: The Global Quest for the Car of the Future.
Surprising discoveries
Films with heroines make more money. And movies where women actually talk to each other do even better (paywall).
A futuristic bodysuit failed to disrupt online fashion. Zozo’s spandex bodysuit covered in polka dots was designed to provide the perfect fit.
“Baby It’s Cold Outside” contributed to Islamic fundamentalism. The “seductive” tune confirmed religious scholar’s Sayyid Qutb’s worst suspicions about Western culture.
Southern Californians don’t understand snow. A recent blizzard inspired car-top snowmen that were whimsical and extremely dangerous.
A history major will run India’s central bank. The top post usually goes to renowned economists, but not this time.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, spandex-free clothes, and female-centric screenplays to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Alice Truong.