Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China showcases investment opportunities in the Philippines. As part of the cozy new relationship between Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration and Beijing, the Bank of China is trying to matchmake investors with small Filipino businesses at a conference today. The bank has promised to become a “bridge between Chinese and Philippine trade and investments.”
The EU talks Turkey and Ukraine. In response to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s human rights crackdown, the European Parliament is expected to vote to freeze long-term plans for the country to join the European Union. EU leaders will also meet Ukraine’s president to discuss governance reforms, visa-free travel, and a stalled EU-Ukraine trade deal, in what is likely to be a morose summit.
ThyssenKrupp takes stock. The German manufacturing giant publishes its full-year results for 2016, which may contain clues for its year ahead. These include a potential merger with Tata’s European steel arm, which could save the latter from write-downs worth billions.
While you were sleeping
The Fed hinted further at a rate hike. The US Federal Reserve’s last pre-election monetary policy minutes showed many officials leaning toward an interest-rate increase “relatively soon.” Much of the market has already priced in a hike for the not-too-distant-future, so US traders can enjoy their Thanksgiving break.
Trump finally diversified his cabinet. The president-elect nominated South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for UN ambassador and billionaire Betsy DeVos for education secretary. Haley is much-admired in the GOP but has little experience outside her home state, let alone internationally. Meanwhile DeVos, a fierce advocate of parental choice in education, is expected to push for decentralizing government control of the sector.
Mexico’s Jose Cuervo postponed its IPO. The world’s biggest tequila producer has reportedly pushed back plans for a potential $1 billion IPO, as Trump’s ascendancy has wreaked havoc on Mexican stocks. The company plans to reassess in January, after Trump’s inauguration.
Iraqi-led forces surrounded Mosul. A month after starting their surge on the city, a coalition of militias and government forces says it has cut off ISIL access to Mosul. Iraqi forces will now aim to reclaim the city entirely.
Another Alzheimer’s drug fails. After a decade-long, industry-wide effort to target a primary culprit for the disease, pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly’s latest trial was shown to have little effect on patients. Deflated researchers began taking stock of how next to battle the disease, as Lilly shares dropped 10% in New York.
Quartz obsession interlude
Lily Kuo on life aboard the Chinese fishing boats dominating West Africa’s seas. “China is now the largest fishing power in West Africa, home to more than 500 Chinese industrial fishing fleets in seas once dominated by Russian and European operations, according to Greenpeace. Environmentalists say the waters can’t support this level of fishing for long, and that local fishermen will eventually be left with nothing to catch.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Apple has turned its back on software professionals. The new MacBook Pro’s features fail to deliver on the flexibility, power, and battery-life needs of designers.
Makeup doesn’t need to be moralized. A “serious intellectual person” can care about their appearance, argues writer and Boots beauty ambassador Chimamanda Ngoczi Adichie.
Our slavish devotion to clocks is hurting us. Using nighttime as a resource might help us deal with time more effectively.
Surprising discoveries
Fake news writers are going after Elon Musk. With presidential nominee Hillary Clinton out of the way, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO is being targeted by attackers who fear he might go into politics.
Cranberry sauce has a dark past. Many farmers are convinced there’s no viable way to organically farm the popular Thanksgiving fruit.
Scientists don’t improve with age. They’re as productive and influential at the start of their careers as they’ll ever get, according to new research.
A species of Ethiopian ant has set its sights on world domination. The ants appear to be forming a supercolony that could spread if they start hitchhiking on plant materials or tourists’ luggage.
Domino’s is pondering reindeer pizza delivery in Japan. Winter temperatures in its northernmost island, Hokkaido, could make delivery by humans—and even drones—impossible.
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