Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The EU withdrawal bill heads to Parliament. Fresh from winning a large parliamentary majority, UK prime minister Boris Johnson will introduce an updated framework for leaving the EU to vote on today.
US consumers open their wallets. Data on consumer spending in November is due to be released today, giving a read on the strength of holiday shopping (although plenty of people leave it until much later, namely this weekend).
Uzbekistan holds parliamentary elections. Though the repressive country has been instituting a wave of political reforms, voters in Central Asia’s most populous nation won’t have many choices: No opposition parties have registered to face off against president Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Sunday.
Cuba brings back the prime ministership. President Miguel Díaz-Canel will nominate a person for the role for the first time in 40 years—Fidel Castro was the last person to hold the post. It’s unclear, however, what the job entails.
While you were sleeping
The US Democratic presidential debate was censored in China. A feed of the event in Los Angeles was blacked out for about nine minutes when candidates were asked if the US should boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over China’s detentions of Uyghur Muslims, and about Hong Kong.
Andrew Bailey was named the next Bank of England governor. He will become the 121st head of the UK central bank in its 325-year history. (Also, the 121st man to take the top job.) Bailey is currently the head of the Financial Conduct Authority, but spent nearly all of his career at the Bank of England before that.
Shell warned of a hefty charge and lower sales. The oil giant said it expects a $2.3 billion impairment charge in the current quarter, citing lower demand linked to trade tensions, higher taxes, and write-offs of uneconomic wells. It also warned that capex spending will be at the lower end of its promised range this year.
Australia’s prime minister resurfaced. Scott Morrison cut short his Hawaii vacation and apologized for his absence during some of the country’s worst bushfires.
Xi Jinping lauded Macau. The Chinese leader attended a celebration to mark 20 years since the territory’s handover from Portugal and the swearing-in of its new chief executive. Xi is using the three-day visit to herald the casino hub as a new financial center, a rebuke to “disobedient” neighbor Hong Kong.
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Matters of debate
Don’t buy a 5G smartphone yet. The networks haven’t reached a key maturity level for them to make sense for users.
Anarchy is making a comeback. This year’s mass protests show that many people don’t believe in the state’s legitimacy anymore.
Britain has a trans problem. Transphobia has been normalized, in part by the country’s conservative press.
Surprising discoveries
Gift-giving has become more practical. Blame the Society for the Prevention of Useless Gifts for that annoyingly useful present.
UN ambassadors are being forced to shout speeches at one another. Cost-cutting measures mean mics get turned off if meetings run too long.
Wakanda was an official trade partner of the US—for a bit. The US agriculture department used the fictional country in Black Panther to test a website function.
Train-bragging is on the rise thank to Greta Thunberg. Swedes who emulate the teen activist’s preferred method of travel are posting about it on Facebook.
Untitled Goose Game is a left-wing icon. A disempowered goose trying to stir up minor mayhem is a symbol of sticking it to the man.
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