🌍 Phrasing “phased out”

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Here’s what you need to know

Language over fossil fuels is holding up the United Nations’ draft climate agreement. Nations vehemently opposed the removal of text that had said the fuel should be “phased out.”

Turnout for Hong Kong’s election hit a record low. Only pro-Beijing candidates were on the ballot, and nearly three-fourths of voters didn’t show up. Meanwhile, eight years of nationalist rule ended in Poland.

US stocks closed at new highs for the year. The boost comes ahead of the Federal Reserve’s latest inflation numbers, to be released today.

This year was officially the hottest on record. Scientists confirmed what many had expected, with a month to spare—all while a heat wave rages in Australia.

China and the US are playing tug-of-war with Vietnam

As Chinese leader Xi Jinping makes a trip to Vietnam this week, he’ll be seeking closer relations with his neighbor to the south—just as the US tries to nudge itself between the two.

China’s overtures come just weeks after US president Joe Biden’s visit to Vietnam in September. That trip took Washington’s relations with Hanoi up a notch, which is just what Xi is trying to do through upgraded railroad links and other infrastructure incentives.

Vietnam’s job is to thread the needle, staying in the good graces of both the US and China while maintaining sovereignty over its own affairs. That geopolitical love triangle will be difficult to maintain… but not impossible.

Apple is PETA’s company of the year

Big Tech isn’t an industry commonly linked with animal rights, but this year Apple is the apple of PETA’s eye.

The animal rights group named Apple its company of the year because the iPhone maker said in September that it would no longer use leather as part of its goal to make all of its products carbon-neutral by 2030. One analysis by VegNews estimates that the company has used the hides of about 2,500 cows for every 1 million iPhone cases it sold.

Apple isn’t alone in its decision to ditch leather. Fashion companies are increasingly turning to faux versions, like “mushroom leather,” which is both recyclable and biodegradable, and even favored by fashion designer Stella McCartney.

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🤖 Europe agreed on world-leading AI rules—but how do they work and will they affect people everywhere?

🇬🇧 Rishi Sunak faces a revolt in the UK parliament over his Rwanda plan

👀 Next year’s labor market could look a lot like 2019

Surprising discoveries

2024’s color of the year is peach fuzz. Pantone said the muted hue inspires recalibration.

J.R.R. Tolkien is entering the public domain. But only in countries with a copyright term of life plus 50 years, which includes New Zealand and most of Africa and Asia.

AI has a new job: sommelier. An algorithm was able to identify which chateau Bordeaux wines came from 100% of the time.

The Great Wall of China has a living skin. A protective barrier of lichen, mosses, and algae stops erosion.

An unknown prehistoric world was discovered on Earth. White salt plains in Argentina are home to lagoons with bacterial communities that resemble our planet’s first organisms.

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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, peaches, and mosses to [email protected]. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.