Quartz Daily Brief—China raids Uber, North Korea’s internet returns, UK economy grows, Argentinian orangutan rights
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Narendra Modi wins over India’s Muslims. The prime minister’s predominantly Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already won 25 seats in elections in Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state. The BJP is expected to win more than 30 seats in total, the most that it has ever won there, and enough to give Modi more clout in talks with Pakistan.
The Greek parliament tries again to pick a president. If ruling party candidate Stavros Dimas doesn’t get enough votes, there will be a general election that would could topple the government and destabilize the euro zone.
Protesters spurn Bill de Blasio’s calls for a pause. The New York City mayor asked for a halt to demonstrations against police violence while the NYPD buries two officers who were murdered this weekend. But the Rev. Al Sharpton and other protest leaders vowed to press on.
US growth gets an upward revision. Economists expect third-quarter GDP growth to get a lift to 4.3%. Cheap oil could be a factor, though low-priced crude isn’t benefiting everyone equally.
Ukraine unveils its finances. The country needs to present a fiscally sound budget (paywall)—including a big increase in defense spending to ward off Russian aggression—to secure its next bailout payment from the IMF.
While you were sleeping
North Korea’s internet came back. The 10-hour outage came after US president Barack Obama promised a “proportional response” to the North Korea-supported cyberhack of Sony Pictures. Other explanations—such as cybervigilantes acting against North Korea, or Kim Jong-un’s regime taking down its own internet to prevent an attack—are also possible.
China raided an Uber office. A newly released account shows that police stormed a driver training session in the central Chinese city of Chongqing last Wednesday, the same day the on-demand car service was announcing a tie-up with search giant Baidu. The city said it will levy heavy fines on illegal car services but did not mention Uber specifically.
Dalian Wanda fell after its IPO. Shares of the Chinese commercial property giant dropped by as much as 8.8%, before closing down 2.6% over concerns about the company’s valuation and debt levels. The decline means that chairman Wang Jianlin will remain China’s second-wealthiest man behind Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
French consumer spending saw a minor bump. Shoppers contributed to a 0.4% rise in total household spending in November, after an 0.8% drop in October. That’s slightly lower than expected but is still a welcome change after months of negative signals from the French economy.
British GDP rose, but only slightly. The UK economy grew 0.7% in the third quarter, in line with expectations, thanks to higher household spending. But on an annual basis, growth was revised down to 2.5% from a previous reading of 3% due to lower investment and higher imports.
Hong Kong property tycoon Thomas Kwok was jailed. The 63-year-old former co-chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties was sentenced to five years in jail and was ordered to pay HK$500,000 ($64,000) for paying bribes to Rafael Hui, the city’s former number-two leader. Hui was jailed for seven and a half years and ordered to pay HK$11.2 million.
Quartz obsession interlude
Abu Zafar on how terrorists have subverted the real meaning of jihad. ”The term Jihad is often defined as a ‘fight,’ or a ‘holy war,’ but it actually means a struggle, not just against others but against desire, ambition, and human aspirations to follow what is preached by Islam… In the post 9/11 era, the term Jihad has been twisted by the gangs that commit acts of terror in the name of Islam.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The world is not falling apart. In fact, we’ve never lived in more peaceful times.
China is set for another year of missed opportunities. President Xi Jinping’s promised reforms are unlikely to materialize.
The Sony hack is a wake-up call. If a country can take down a movie studio, it can threaten critical infrastructure too.
Turkey is moving backward… President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s retrograde policies are sabotaging the country’s future (paywall).
…And Saudi Arabia is moving forward. Progressive attitudes are gaining ground, at least in the capital.
Surprising discoveries
You’re more rational in a second language. Perhaps because it’s harder to speak without thinking.
New York’s subway is fighting ”manspreading.” Signs ask male riders to keep their legs closed.
Who says it takes two to marry? ”Solo weddings” are now a thing in Japan.
The US-Cuba thaw was aided by artificial insemination. Officials helped the wife of an imprisoned spy get pregnant.
Argentinian orangutans have rights. A court ruled that a resident of the Buenos Aires zoo is a “non-human person.”
Kentucky spotted its first puma since the US Civil War. A wildlife official promptly killed it.
Click here for more surprising discoveries on Quartz.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, puma sightings, and solo wedding invitations to [email protected]. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.