Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China and Pakistan meet about infrastructure. The Joint Cooperation Committee on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will hold a meeting in Beijing to evaluate ongoing infrastructure and energy projects. CPEC has strong critics in both countries; last week, Pakistan’s federal minister for planning, development, and reform said CPEC initiatives would alleviate the energy crisis, foster equality, and improve quality of life.
The US releases November pending household sales. Analysts expect data released from the National Association of Realtors show month-on-month increase of 0.5%, up from 0.1% the year prior. The numbers will mark an early indicator of how rumors of imminent interest rate hikes have impacted the housing market.
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks on Israel-Palestine peace. Days after a US vote abstention helped pass a UN resolution that condemns the expansion of Israeli settlements, Kerry will lay out a peace proposal for the two sides. His remarks will serve as mere symbols of Barack Obama’s vision of an agreement, as Donald Trump has already vocally opposed the outgoing administration’s policy in the Middle East.
While you were sleeping
Japan’s prime minister visited Pearl Harbor. Shinzo Abe joined Barack Obama at a memorial atop the remains of the USS Arizona, seven months after Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Hiroshima. Abe’s visit had been touted as the first to Pearl Harbor by a Japanese head of state since World War II, but that’s not entirely accurate. While he is the first to visit the Arizona, at least three other Japanese PMs have paid their respects in Honolulu, including Nobusuke Kishi, prime minister from 1957 to 1960 and Abe’s grandfather.
The US charged three Chinese nationals with insider trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission has indicted Iat Hong of Macau, Chin Hung of Macau, and Bo Zheng of Changsha after they allegedly hacked into the servers of two law firms, obtained private emails, and bought shares of companies poised for acquisitions. The vulnerable firms haven’t been named, but the Wall Street Journal reports that the hackers likely targeted (paywall) Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
South Korea fined Qualcomm $853 million. The country’s anti-trust regulator has accused the chipset designer of imposing unfair licensing fees on mobile device makers using its patents. The company has faced similar hurdles in China and Europe, but South Korea remains an important market—it generates 11% of its sales from Samsung.
Actress Carrie Fisher died at age 60. The actress, author, screenwriter, and script doctor—best known for playing Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy—died in Los Angeles, four days after suffering a heart attack. Over the course of her career, Fisher was candid about her experiences with marital discord, drug addiction, and bipolar disorder.
Police pulled a “false alarm” evacuation in Trump Tower. After learning of a “suspicious package” left unattended, at 4:45PM EST authorities ordered visitors in the lobby of Trump Tower to clear the building, leading to a pedestrian scramble. Within 25 minutes, bomb squad technicians determined the package was a backpack full of children’s toys, and declared the building safe.
Quartz obsession interlude
Amy X. Wang on music’s dizzying year of change. “Something new. That’s the key word here, the one that describes all the conscious efforts of many artists, in 2016, to make their releases stand apart. Musicians—true ones, anyway—have always done their best to differentiate their work from that of others past and present. (Some would argue that’s one of the most imperative points of art.) Now they’re doing the same with the way their music comes out, too.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Time management is ruining our lives. The quest for personal productivity only creates more anxiety.
Respect for others should be taught in school. Educators can respond to identitarian movements by helping students identify their own biases.
Humans should leave Mars alone. Making the planet habitable is theoretically possible, but also unethical.
Surprising discoveries
Carrie Fisher had a secret career as a script doctor. She quietly helped rewrite Hook, Sister Act, and the Star Wars prequels.
DJs are sampling Indonesian bus horns. The brief melodies are hugely popular with kids in Java.
An Amazon Echo might have overheard a murder. Arkansas police want to know if the device picked up audio that could help in their investigation.
Governments once wanted to abolish passports. Enabling easy migration was seen as a vital international goal until World War I.
Egyptian fruit bats argue—a lot. About 60% of their disputes are over food, sleeping positions, unwanted mating advances, or personal space.
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