Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Ash Carter tries to reassure Asia. The US defense secretary will speak with Asian allies, who are nervous about a Trump presidency, on a trip spanning Japan, India, and Bahrain. Separately, the president-elect “will be on everyone’s minds” as NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels.
Japan releases October wage data. Shinzo Abe’s economic reforms will be put to test once again. Wages have been flat for the past two months.
India’s Central Bank meets. The country’s monetary policy committee is likely to cut its benchmark interest rate to 6%, the lowest since 2012. Many expect the cash crunch from demonetization to shave up to 1% off India’s GDP growth.
While you were sleeping
Markets didn’t flinch after Italy’s populist vote. Unlike votes for Brexit or the US presidency, the no vote on prime minister Matteo Renzi’s referendum on constitutional reform caused only a small ripple in global markets. US and European stocks climbed, as did the euro.
Amazon is building grab-and-go grocery stores. The e-commerce giant is opening a brick-and-mortar pilot store with no checkout lines. Instead, a combination of sensors, computer vision, and deep learning will track the items that shoppers choose.
The US tried to make good with China. After Donald Trump’s call with Taiwan’s leader caused a diplomatic furor, the Obama administration spoke twice with Beijing to reassure them of Washington’s continued support for its 40-year-old “One China” policy.
Donald Trump and Al Gore discussed climate change. The president-elect—who has called global warming a Chinese hoax—had a “productive” meeting with the former vice president, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his climate change efforts.
Movie star turned politician Jayalalithaa Jayaraman passed away. The 68-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest at Chennai’s Apollo Hospital. The former actress turned revolutionary leader was serving her her sixth term as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, despite a career plagued with legal trials and tribulations.
Quartz obsession interlude
Isabella Steger on the unbearable sadness of being Taiwan, a liberal island other democracies refuse to talk to: “The simple fact that it took a phone call between US president-elect Donald Trump and Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen to draw attention to one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies highlights the humiliating plight of Taiwan in the international arena.” Read more here.
Quartz haiku interlude
Matters of debate
You’re not entitled to your own opinion. It’s a logical fallacy that is often used to shelter faulty arguments.
Airbnb is no longer the nice guy of the sharing economy. The once idealistic start-up has become yet another corporate giant.
Italy’s referendum shouldn’t be conflated with Brexit and Trump. Italians were actually voting to maintain the status quo.
Surprising discoveries
Japan won’t be getting reindeer-delivered pizzas after all. Domino’s canceled its unusual transportation scheme because it’s “difficult to control the reindeer.”
Cannabis coffee pods are coming to California. They work in Keurig machines for those who want to wake, bake, and caffeinate.
Chimps recognize each other by their backsides. They have specific neural areas devoted to butt recognition.
The best bed in the world costs $150,000. The Hästens Vividus is made of rare Swedish pine and hand-braided horsehair.
A Chinese nursing home is paying people to visit their relatives. Visits have soared since the home started offering a $29 cash bonus.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, reindeer pizza deliveries, and recognizable primate butts to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.
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