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What to watch for today
Italians pick their path forward. Results trickle in for a referendum that began as a streamlining of government decision-making processes, and has evolved into a vote of confidence in prime minister Matteo Renzi. Renzi vowed to resign if the vote goes against him, and markets are bracing for volatility as results emerge after polls close at 11pm Italian time on Sunday night.
One final Brexit appeal. The UK’s Supreme Court will weigh the argument that prime minister Theresa May cannot trigger an exit from the EU without parliamentary approval. The four day long proceedings will be streamed live, but the court isn’t expected to make a decision until the new year.
Uzbekistan picks a new leader. Acting president Shavkat Mirziyoyev, prime minister since 2003, is expected to comfortably win this weekend’s vote to succeed Islam Karimov, who died in September after ruling the country for 27 years. Mirziyoyev will be the central Asian nation’s second leader since the Soviet Union’s fall, and is expected to continue Karimov’s repressive mode of ruling.
Over the weekend
China complained about Donald Trump. The US president-elect’s surprise phone call with Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen—believed to be the first between leaders of the two countries since 1979—sparked an official complaint from China. With his inauguration only seven weeks away, and a vote recount looking unlikely, Trump’s foreign policy chops are under increased scrutiny.
Apple hinted at a self-driving-car project. In a letter to the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (paywall), Apple’s director of product integrity said the company is “investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation.” The statement is the closest Apple has come to acknowledging its car effort, code-named Project Titan.
Austria’s far-right presidential candidate lost. Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer conceded defeat to left-leaning rival Alexander Van der Bellen. Austria is one of several EU countries facing growing far-right parties—France, the Netherlands, and Germany all have elections with similar stakes next year.
Fidel Castro’s ashes were buried in Cuba. Crowds lined the streets in Santiago to see the funeral procession carry Castro’s ashes to Santa Ifigenia cemetery, where they were interred next to those of 19th century independence icon Jose Marti. Castro died on Nov. 25 at age 90.
Inflation pushed Venezuela. The country’s central bank confirmed it would be issuing newer higher-value notes this month to deal with the impact of triple-digit inflation.
Quartz obsession interlude
Mimi Onuoha on Broadway’s dramatic race problem. “The variability and lack of steady increase on the numbers suggest that while in recent seasons there might be more roles being written for and shows being produced that feature people of color, there’s no evidence of people of color being asked to audition more for the current crop of existing roles.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Trump’s Taiwan call doesn’t change US policy. The real problem is what it says about his unpredictability and ignorance.
There’s no difference between online and real life. Telling someone to go offline to get away from trolls is like telling them to stop leaving the house.
You’re not always entitled to your opinion. Using your opinion as a defense only works if you have the evidence to back it up.
Surprising discoveries
A fake US embassy in Ghana was shut down after 10 years of issuing illegal visas. The rundown pink building had a portrait of US president Barack Obama hanging inside.
Pulling an all-nighter could be a quick fix for depression. The brain receptor altered by antidepressants is also affected by sleep deprivation.
An Egyptian engineer is promoting bees by wearing a beard of them. Mohamed Hagras attracts the insects to his chin by strapping on a box housing their queen’s hormones.
Tiny-armed robots could be the future of surgery. The Axsis robot, designed to operate on cataracts, has an internal algorithmic autopilot that keeps human surgeons from making dumb mistakes.
Thomas Edison’s light bulbs sold for $30,000. A set of five bulbs sold to a Pittsburgh man at auction. They had belonged to his great-aunt, who was married to a lawyer at the law firm representing Edison in patent suits.
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