Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
India’s longest expressway opens to commuters. The new road cuts Agra-to-Lucknow travel time from eight hours to five. Inaugurated on Nov. 21, the six-lane highway spans 10 districts.
The United Kingdom’s report card. The Office for National Statistics releases the UK’s third-quarter GDP numbers, and confirms whether the economy grew at a healthy 0.5% as expected. The ONS will also disclose how the UK’s services sector, which accounts for a large share of the economy, fared in October.
Markets close for the holidays. The London Stock Exchange starts to shut down at 07:30 EST, the US bond market closes at 14:00 EST, and US stock markets close at their normal time.
We close too. There will be no Quartz Daily Brief on Monday Dec. 26.
While you were sleeping
Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference got underway. The event, which can go on for hours, traditionally touches on everything from the Russian economy to Putin’s private life. So far he has laid into the Democratic party and Barack Obama, said Russia alone knew Trump would win, boasted about Russia’s nuclear capabilities, and dodged a question about whether Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee.
Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse settled for multibillion-dollar fines. Both banks were under investigation (paywall) by the US Department of Justice over alleged mis-selling of mortgage-backed securities. Deutsche will pay $7.2 billion in penalties—the DoJ originally demanded $14 billion—and Credit Suisse agreed to pay $5.28 billion. Shares in both banks (paywall) rose on news of the agreements.
The Berlin truck attacker was shot in Milan. Tunisian Anis Amri, believed to have driven the truck that killed 12 in a Christmas market on Dec. 19, was shot dead by police on Friday morning. Separately, German police detained two Serbian men suspected of plotting an attack on a large shopping mall, and Australian police arrested five Australian nationals suspected of plotting multiple Christmas Day attacks in Melbourne.
Israel revealed it roped in Donald Trump to protect it at the UN. Learning that the US planned to break with tradition and let a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements pass, officials say Israel prompted Donald Trump (paywall) to tweet his opposition to it. The vote has been postponed indefinitely.
China slammed Trump’s trade pick. After the president-elect tapped vocal China critic Peter Navarro to head a new trade office, state-backed tabloid the Global Times published an editorial fiercely condemning the choice. China “must discard any illusions and make full preparations for any offensive move by the Trump government,” the piece reads.
Quartz obsession interlude
Leslie Josephs with a guide to premium-economy upgrades. “Leave it to the crafty airlines to invent a new product—called premium economy—to capitalize on passengers’ trauma of cramped cabins past. Taiwan’s EVA Air and the UK’s Virgin Atlantic were the ones who pioneered the in-between service class in the early 1990s, but the concept really took off this year as fares tumbled and airlines grappled with ways to drum up revenue.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
A two-state solution for Israel and Palestine is impossible. The only hope for sustained peace is a “binational” state.
Empathy in medicine is overrated. Doctors should alleviate patients’ pain, not mirror their distress.
Believing in Santa Claus is rational. Given all the “evidence,” children’s faith in St. Nick is actually scientific thinking.
Surprising discoveries
A university in Thailand is accepting rice as tuition. The school will put an above-market value on rice to counter the lowest grain prices in a decade.
Teaching African girls about puberty keeps them in school. One study found a 17% drop in absenteeism when girls were given sanitary napkins, puberty education, or both.
Cowbirds are devious criminals. They drop an egg in other birds’ nests, then puncture all the other eggs.
The hottest borehole ever made is almost complete. Iceland’s Deep Drilling Project could reach depths where the temperature is as high as 500°C (932°F).
Wrapping paper is only 99 years old. It all started when two brothers in Kansas ran out of red, white, and green tissue paper.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cowbird eggs, and century-old wrapping paper to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.