Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Theresa May trudges to the finish line in Brussels. EU leaders will wrap up a two-day meeting as the British prime minister asks for legal reassurances about the thorny Northern Ireland border deal.
Kosovo decides whether to create its own army. Lawmakers are expected to pass a measure today to upgrade its emergency-response force into a professional army. The country has relied largely on NATO-led forces for security since 1999. The vote is sure to enrage Serbia, which refuses to accept its former province’s independence.
More protests in Paris. The French government has urged demonstrators to refrain from protesting after this week’s terrorist attack in Strasbourg. Some “yellow vest” leaders said they were willing to halt their protests, but others have vowed to continue for the fifth straight weekend.
LVMH acquires high-end hotel chain Belmond. The French luxury-goods maker is nearing a deal that would value Belmond at $2.6 billion (paywall), and could make an announcement as early as today.
COP24 wraps up. Today’s supposed to be the final day for nearly 200 leaders to hash out a number of issues—including how to meet the targets set in the Paris agreement—but it’s possible the two-week-long conference in Katowice, Poland could drag onto Sunday.
While you were sleeping
The US Senate rebuked Trump on Saudi Arabia. The Senate voted to end US military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war and to blame Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The votes were largely symbolic though, because they’re unlikely to pass in the House.
The suspected gunman in the Strasbourg attack was killed. The suspect, who was on the run for two days, died in a gun battle with police Thursday night, about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the site of Tuesday’s attack, which killed three people and wounded 13 at the city’s Christmas market.
A Chinese fugitive who was hiding out in New Zealand surrendered in China. The return of Jiang Lei, a former automotive official who spent 11 years on the run in New Zealand, was arranged by China’s anti-graft agencies with the help of New Zealand law enforcement, said Chinese state media.
Maria Butina pleaded 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 National Rifle Association and aid Donald Trump’s presidential 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 with two astronauts, the first people to go into space from American soil since the last Space Shuttle flight in 2011.
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!
Google’s caste system is bad for the company. The stratification between full-time employees and contract workers has turned what seems like a whimsical workplace into a depressing office.
Facebook says it doesn’t sell user data. But it discloses facts about you in exchange for money whenever you click on an ad.
Emoji still aren’t diverse enough. The five skin-tone options don’t reflect what the world actually looks like.
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 today by clicking here.
Surprising discoveries
Porn sites collect more user data than Netflix or Hulu. They use it to give their customers 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 the rest of the world doesn’t speak English. Sarah Rose Summers apologized on Instagram for mocking other Miss Universe contestants.
A Falkland island is up for sale. Remember that the UK spent $1.2 billion on a war against Argentina over the archipelago in 1982.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, soup orders, and island listings 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 Alice Truong and edited by Isabella Steger.