Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Aleppo completes evacuations… hopefully. Rescue operations are expected to conclude in the war-torn Syrian city, according to Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, though the Red Cross and Russia expect them to last a few more days. On Tuesday, Syrian TV reported a bomb explosion in government-controlled western Aleppo, where residents were attending a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
Accenture reveals its figures. The management and IT services consultancy reports first-quarter 2017 earnings at 8am ET; Thomson Reuters analysts estimate revenue will grow 7% to $8.59 billion. The company has shown strong performance in its insurance, banking, and health segments, and recently tied up its acquisition of Defense Point Security, boosting its government security portfolio.
Winter arrives in the northern hemisphere. Wednesday’s December solstice marks the moment when the North Pole is tilted the farthest away from the sun, and is the astronomical (though not meteorological) start of northern-hemisphere winter, with the longest night and shortest day of the year. In the southern hemisphere, it’s the opposite.
While you were sleeping
The hunt for the Berlin attacker entered its third day. German police released a 23-year-old Pakistani suspect, saying they’d been holding the wrong man, and have launched a huge manhunt for the person—or possibly people—who rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday night, killing 12 people. ISIL said the attack was the work of one of its militants, but offered no evidence.
Taiwan lost another (small) diplomatic ally. The island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, population 192,000, has switched diplomatic allegiances from Taipei to Beijing, bringing the count of governments that recognize Taiwan down to 21. Beijing hailed it as a victory for the “one-China” principle, while Taipei said it “deeply regrets” São Tomé’s decision.
A fireworks display in Mexico turned deadly. Videos show what first appears to be a planned spectacle at a fireworks market in Tultepec, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Mexico City, quickly turn into a series of blasts that killed 31 people, injured at least 70, and totally destroyed the market. It’s the third such incident at the annual market since 2005.
Coca-Cola bought a huge African bottling operation. The company said it will pay AB InBev $3.15 billion for a majority stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the continent’s largest Coke bottler. AB InBev needed to get rid of CCBA to satisfy local competition regulations as part of its takeover of SABMiller.
Monte dei Paschi’s bad situation got worse. Shares in the world’s oldest bank dove 8% and were temporarily suspended on Wednesday, after it said it would exhaust its remaining €11 billion ($11.5 billion) in liquidity within four months—not 11, as previously estimated. The bank launched a share sale this week, and the Italian government asked parliament to let it borrow €20 billion to prop up its teetering banks.
The Bank of Thailand kept rates on hold. The central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged again—it’s been at 1.5% since April 2015 (paywall)—to support the economy, which suffered a drop in private consumption and investment in the current quarter. The government is trying to boost growth with a fresh fiscal stimulus package too.
Quartz obsession interlude
Christopher Groskopf and Jason Karaian supply 10 charts to track Trump’s economic promises. “As president, Donald Trump’s pledge to ‘Make America Great Again’ will be judged largely along economic lines, whether it’s bringing back factory jobs, boosting wages, or renegotiating trade deals. Many of Trump’s promises appear implausible. But we don’t have to rely on guesswork or partisan punditry to evaluate his progress; we’ve got reliable data to gauge Trump’s success.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
It’s time to rename the human species. The term Homo sapiens—wise man—no longer reflects the characteristics of modern humans.
Wall Street isn’t the enemy of Main Street. Main Street relies on Wall Street’s ability to raise capital for startups,
Trump’s approach to China could be a bright spot in his presidency. For decades, the US has given China a free pass on human rights and trade; it’s time to get tougher.
Surprising discoveries
Parents and kids are more affectionate when reading physical books together. Children read from screens with their heads down, which makes it harder to get close.
The Nazis’ racial policies were inspired by the US. In 1934, Nazi lawyers debated bringing Jim Crow segregation to the Third Reich.
Anonymous artists created a tiny mouse cafe in Sweden. The miniature installation—called Noix de Vie, or “Nuts of Life”—features a window display of almonds, pistachios, and hazelnuts.
Richard Nixon’s wife foresaw a Trump victory in 1987. “She predicts that whenever you decide to run for office you will be a winner,” the ex-president wrote to Trump after Pat Nixon saw him on The Donahue Show.
Pregnancy changes the brain for up to two years. Researchers could identify mothers just from their brain scans in a neuro-imaging study.
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