Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
India’s newly installed central bank governor holds his first meeting. Shaktikanta Das faces challenging demands for an economic turnaround after the surprise exit of his predecessor, Urjit Patel.
Theresa May trudges to the finish line. EU leaders will wrap up their two-day Brexit summit in Brussels, where the British prime minister is asking for legal reassurances about the thorny Northern Ireland border deal.
Qualcomm seeks more iPhone bans in China. The company is asking courts to block imports and sales of the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR in the latest chapter of an ugly patent dispute (paywall) with Apple.
While you were sleeping
Renault kept Carlos Ghosn as CEO. The French automaker said that an internal review (paywall) into Ghosn’s compensation turned up no evidence of wrongdoing, despite Nissan’s claims of widespread fraud. However, Reuters reports the search for Ghosn’s replacement is already underway.
Maria Butina pled guilty to conspiring against the US. The Russian gun activist agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors, which could yield critical evidence on the Kremlin’s attempts to court the NRA and aid Donald Trump’s campaign.
Virgin Galactic touched the edge of space. The company’s VSS Unity space plane reached an altitude of 51 miles (82 km) over the Mojave Desert, making it just the second private organization to carry passengers into space. The short trip was just for pilots, but there’s already a list of wealthy passengers waiting to take flight.
Europe ended its stimulus program. It was a momentous day for the European Central Bank, which has purchased €2.6 trillion ($3 trillion) of debt since 2015. But after a surprising year of growth in 2017, the EU is facing a substantial slowdown in economic momentum.
A high-speed train crashed in Turkey. At least nine people died and dozens were injured in the capital of Ankara after the locomotive struck a separate maintenance train used for track inspections. The accident, one of several in the country this year, also collapsed a walkway after taking out the structure’s support beam.
Obsession interlude
Computers no larger than dust motes. Proponents say “smart dust”—a sexier name for tiny wireless microelectromechanical sensors—could be like the Internet of Things on steroids, with invisible sensors and processors hovering around us in an invisible mist. But the technology also raises questions about privacy, weapons, and surveillance. Take a closer look at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
Robinhood is looking to out-bank the banks by paying higher interest rates. But with higher interest rates comes more risk.
Facebook’s claims about user data are preposterous. The company says it doesn’t “sell” your information, but it discloses facts about you in exchange for money whenever you click on an ad.
Google’s caste system is bad for workers and the company itself. Nearly half of its global workers are contractors, temps, and vendors.
Quartz membership
Join our exclusive conference call: Each Friday, Quartz hosts a video conference call for our members. This week we’re exploring how the future of electric cars is being scripted by China. You can join the discussion (for free!) at 10am ET on Dec. 14 by clicking here.
Surprising discoveries
Porn sites collect more user data than Netflix or Hulu. They use it to give internet users exactly what they want.
“No soup for you” was a bad business plan. The company that inspired Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” is now taking a kinder, gentler approach (paywall).
‘Sesame Street’ now has a homeless Muppet. The beloved children’s show hopes the new character will destigmatize homelessness.
Miss USA is shocked that rest of the world doesn’t speak English. Sarah Rose Summers Instagram-apologized for mocking other Miss Universe contestants.
A Falkland island is up for sale for an undetermined sum. Yes, it comes with plenty of penguins.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, soup orders, and islands for sale to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by McKinley Noble and Adam Pasick.