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What to watch for today
The US reports economic data. The Commerce Department gives details of orders of durable goods in November, a key measure of the health of the manufacturing sector. Economists expect a jump of 1.2%. It also reports sales of new homes.
Xi Jinping hosts Shinzo Abe and Moon Jae-in. The Chinese leader meets with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts for trilateral talks on trade and North Korea, amid a renewed attempt at diplomacy by the US in response to signs of growing belligerence from Pyongyang.
North Korea looks poised to test missiles. Satellite photos and a military meeting convened by Kim Jong Un suggest that the country might resume test launching intercontinental ballistic missiles for the first time since 2017.
Over the weekend
Saudi Arabia convicts suspects for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. A court in Riyadh sentenced five people to death and three to 24 years in prison for killing the prominent Saudi journalist inside its consulate in Istanbul. A close aide of the Crown Prince faces no further charges.
New details of the Ukraine case emerged. The Center for Public Integrity published correspondence that shows that US officials moved to block military aid to Ukraine 90 minutes after Donald Trump’s phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
India’s governing party lost power in yet another state. Prime minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, under pressure from protests against a citizenship law that is seen as anti-Muslim, lost in the mineral-rich northern state of Jharkhand. This is the fourth state election loss for the party in 2019.
Credit Suisse cleared its CEO in another spying case. The bank said that a former top executive acted independently when he hired a contractor to spy on former HR chief Peter Goerke, the second such case to come to light involving the bank.
Australia’s prime minister refused to change its climate policy. Scott Morrison said he would not curb production of coal because of “panic,” as the country suffers a record heat wave and intense bushfires that have already killed nine people.
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Matters of debate
Your email problem isn’t your fault. Email wasn’t designed to be a good communication system, or designed to be a system at all.
A solution to Delhi’s apocalyptic smog might just be in sight. New technology could mean farmers don’t need to burn their crops.
A Chinese woman sues a hospital which refused to freeze her eggs because she was unmarried. It’s the first time that a woman fighting for her reproductive rights has mounted a legal challenge in China.
Surprising discoveries
Seasteading is moving onto land. Tired of the pirate life, investors are now aiming to set up neoliberal city-states in developing countries.
Nearly 80% of internet porn is now viewed on mobile. The trend is particularly noticeable in India thanks to the relative cheapness of phones and data.
The longest walkable route on Earth takes about three years to complete. The distance from L’Agulhas in South Africa to Magadan in Russia is about 14,000 miles (22,500 km).
Only two swimming pools in Kabul allow women. Though more pools are opening in the Afghan capital, women’s recreational rights remain restricted.
Impeachment reignited the “irregardless” debate. Merriam-Webster stepped into the breach to confirm that yes, it is a word, and no, you shouldn’t use it.
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