Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UN climate meeting begins in Madrid. Delegates from around the world begin a week of negotiation over how, exactly, they will implement their Paris Agreement goals. In particular, rules for carbon offset markets will be on the table. Those are way more controversial than you might think.
A gauge of US factory output. The Institute for Supply Management will release its manufacturing survey for November, with most economists expecting a slight rebound, helped by the pause in US-China trade tensions.
Cyber Monday goes for a record. It could be the biggest day ever for US e-commerce sales, following a Black Friday in which many Americans opted to shop online instead of wait in lines.
Over the weekend
China launched mandatory face scans for mobile users. The requirement, which applies to customers signing up for new mobile plans, comes amid growing concerns about privacy and surveillance. Beijing has been trying to limit people’s ability to stay anonymous online.
Carmakers teamed up for a new R&D venture focused on advanced automotive technologies. Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi Motors will back it, and, they hope, improve their strained alliance in the process, Kyodo News reported Sunday. The companies will reportedly offer more details next month.
EU antitrust regulators are looking into Google. The European Commission confirmed it’s investigating how and why the Alphabet unit collects data, according to Reuters. The EU has fined Google over €8 billion ($8.8 billion) in the last two years.
North Korea rattled its saber. Offended that Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe apparently mislabeled its latest weapons test last week, the country’s state media warned Saturday that Japan “may see what a real ballistic missile is in the not distant future.”
Malta’s prime minister said he would resign. Joseph Muscat made the announcement amid a crisis over the 2017 murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. A businessman with alleged links to government officials was charged with complicity in the killing on Saturday.
Matters of Debate
AI companies should be listening to kids. Like the digital natives before them, “AI natives” use and relate to technology in unanticipated ways.
Reusable plastic shopping bags are making environmental problems worse. “Bags for life” all too easily become bags for a week.
The EU is now the global authority on competition regulation. It’s overtaken the US, where antitrust laws got their start.
Surprising discoveries
A Japanese retailer is reconsidering menstruation badges. It’s faced backlash for its plan to make staff wear the badges when on their periods.
Christmas ornaments with Auschwitz images are sold on Amazon. The Auschwitz Memorial has asked the online retailer to remove them.
Baby Yoda is inspiring more social media chatter than Democratic candidates. The breakout star of The Mandalorian is suddenly everywhere.
Brazil’s president is blaming Leonardo DiCaprio for the Amazon fires. Jair Bolsonaro accuses nonprofits of setting fires to solicit donations from wealthy donors like DiCaprio.
Russian cows are using virtual reality. A farm outside Moscow hopes VR goggles showing sunny fields will lead to tastier milk.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Baby Yodas, and VR-fortified dairy products to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android, and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Steve Mollman, Zoë Schlanger, and Nicolas Rivero.