Catalonian election, Melbourne car attack, “pawnographic” chess logo

[Quartz - qz.com]() Quartz Daily Brief sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Catalonia holds a snap election. The region will [vote on its new parliament]( less than three months after Spain’s central government dissolved the previous one in the wake of Catalonia’s formal bid for independence. Seven political parties are [expecting to win seats]( in the 135-seat parliament—coalition building will be long and messy. The UN discusses Jerusalem. The UN General Assembly [will hold a rare emergency session]( on Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They plan to vote on a draft resolution—vetoed by the US in the Security Council earlier this week—that calls for Trump’s declaration to be withdrawn. Trump hinted that he would [cut foreign aid]( to countries that vote against the US. Nike reports on its second quarter. The sportswear giant’s sales will be scrutinized for signs of improvement in the [North American market]( where it’s trying to fight off rival Adidas. Analysts expect a 22% profit decline, but sales growth of 2.6% to $8.39 billion. Sponsor content by Google Cloud There’s an AI for that. From defeating world-class Go players to detecting financial fraud, artificial intelligence is establishing itself as the future of computing. [See how the diverse applications of machine learning]( are sweeping across industries at a massive scale. [Advertisement] While you were sleeping A car plowed into pedestrians in central Melbourne. Australian authorities say [14 people]( were injured, several critically, after two people in a car drove into the busy Flinders Street junction. Police have arrested the driver and another man, and say it was a deliberate act, but can’t yet confirm if it was terrorist-related. Another North Korean soldier defected to South Korea. Following the dramatic crossing of a soldier across the Demilitarized Zone last month, a low-ranking soldier [defected to the South]( over the land border. South Korea’s military later fired about 20 warning shots at North Korean guards searching for the defector. Didi Chuxing raised $4 billion in another round of investment. The Chinese ride-hailing giant didn’t disclose its investors’ names, but the [Wall Street Journal reported]( (paywall) that they include SoftBank and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Capital. Didi is valued at over $50 billion and has a monopoly in China, so why does it need more money? [Global expansion plans]( are one reason. Memphis, Tennessee took down its Confederate statues. Officials [removed the statues]( of Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest and president Jefferson Davis. Forrest was was a pre-war slave trader and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, though he later renounced the white-supremacist group. The Bank of Japan held rates steady. The central bank closed its last policy meeting of the year with the decision to keep interest rates at -0.1%. Experts [anticipate]( (paywall) the bank will likely leave policy unchanged until the end of 2019. The BoJ also said it expects the current growth in exports and domestic demand to continue. Quartz obsession interlude Dan Kopf on the enduring popularity of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” “Among the most popular songs of all-time, Mariah Carey’s hit is the only one getting more popular. The song was released in 1994, and in December 2017, for the first time, it cracked the top-10 of the Billboard Hot 100, the music industry’s standard for ranking current song popularity. Carey has already earned about $60 million in royalties on the song since its release, according to the Economist.” [Read more here](. Matters of debate Silicon Valley could have saved its soul by putting philosophy before money. Tech types are [turning to the Esalen Institute]( to deal with their crisis of conscience. Everyone in the world should be taxed on their energy footprint. A reimagined tax system [would discourage people]( from making environmentally destructive choices. The solution to food waste starts with grocery stores. Their direct links with farmers, processors, and consumers mean [they influence]( (paywall) every facet of the supply chain. Surprising discoveries The 2018 World Chess Championship has a “pawnographic” new logo. The shape of two people playing chess in a [rather tantric way]( has drawn widespread ridicule. The Mafia was born of a severe Sicilian drought. New research reveals that a 1893 dry spell [triggered a revolt against elites]( which the Mafia terminated when the government couldn’t. A British car park will be given protected status. The [remains of King Richard III]( dating back to 1485 were discovered at the parking lot in Leicester in 2012. Control of Virginia’s 94th district is now down to a coin toss. After the House of Delegates vote [ended in a tie]( between Republicans and Democrats, control will be decided “by lot.” For the first time in history, more women than men are going to medical school. Trends suggest there may soon be [more female doctors](. Correction: In yesterday’s Daily Brief, we noted that the UN General Assembly meeting on the Jerusalem resolution was taking place on Wednesday, Dec. 21. It is, in fact, happening today. Our apologies for any confusion. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, tie-breaking coins, and protected parking lots to hi@qz.com. You can follow us[on Twitter]( for updates throughout the day or download[our apps for iPhone]( and[Android](. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( Want to receive the Daily Brief at a different time? [Click here]( to change your edition. To unsubscribe entirely, [click here](. 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