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What to watch for today
China, Japan, and South Korea hold a trilateral summit. South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe will join Chinese premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday to discuss North Korea, trade, and other regional issues. Moon and Abe met separately with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Monday.
Israel starts final tests in the Leviathan gas field. The delayed tests are the last step before Noble Energy can begin supplying natural gas to Israel later this month, with exports to Jordan and Egypt to follow. Leviathan is one of the largest natural gas fields discovered worldwide in the last 10 years. Noble and its partners have invested $3.75 billion.
Catholics celebrate mass early in Hong Kong. Concerns about churchgoers’ safety amid ongoing protests have led most Catholic churches to bump up Christmas Eve services. Over the past six months, protest slang has changed the way Hong Kongers communicate.
While you were sleeping
Boeing’s CEO stepped down, and shares went up. Dennis Muilenburg will be replaced by company chairman David Calhoun as the airline manufacturer continues to struggle to recover from the fallout following two fatal crashes of its best-selling 737 Max aircraft.
Rivian raised $1.3 billion. This is the fourth wave of investment taken on this year by the electric vehicle startup. The round was led by fund manager T. Rowe Price with existing investors Amazon and Ford also contributing fresh cash.
Argentina’s wine region protested over water rights. Thousands gathered outside the office of Mendoza’s provincial governor after the surprise overturning of a 2007 law that banned water-intensive mining. Though the demonstration started peacefully, angry protesters throwing stones led police to fire rubber bullets and tear gas at the crowd.
The EU denounced a new Russia-Crimea rail link. Russian president Vladimir Putin said the railway will carry 14 million passengers and 13 million metric tons of freight next year. European Union officials and the Ukrainian president’s office in Crimea decried Russia’s continued meddling on the peninsula, which they see as a violation of international law.
The US investigates BMW. The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into allegations the German automaker juiced its US sales numbers (paywall) by telling dealers to register cars as sold when they were still on car lots.
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Quartz obsession
Hot chocolate is global history in a mug. Wherever you go (almost), you’ll find a version of it. Colombians add cheese. Filipinos may include peanut butter. The Viennese top it with a thick slug of whipped cream. In Mexico, where it originated, it is minimally grainy and maximally invigorating. But where did it come from, and how did we all fall in love with it? Take a sip on the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Should we abolish the notion of “statistical significance”? Academics say it’s time to abandon the popular concept.
One-day delivery is a disaster for cities. Sorting packages outside city centers, pooling data, and creating universal lockers would go a long way to help.
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.
Surprising discoveries
A solution to Delhi’s apocalyptic winters might just be in sight. New technology could mean farmers don’t need to burn their crops.
Movies get software updates now. After a dismal opening weekend, Cats is receiving “improved visual effects.”
Bad news on the carbon footprint front. It’s the booze and sweets you love that are hurting the planet, not meat.
Speaking of calories… We’re going to need more of them—80% more—to feed the world’s population by the end of the century.
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).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, booze, and sweets 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 Liz Webber and Susan Howson.