Verbatim

‘Addressing climate change should not deny the legitimate needs of developing countries.’

Chinese President Xi Jinping, during international climate talks in Paris

518,838

Number of lights on an artificial Christmas tree in Australia, setting a new Guinness World Record

700,000

Number of lung-cancer deaths expected per year in China by 2020, as the country deals with pollution and rising smoking rates

‘We should not have to live in a world where accessing health care includes safe rooms and bullet-proof glass.’

Vicki Cowart, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, after a shooting at one of the group’s clinics in Colorado left three dead and nine others injured

‘We are truly saddened by this incident.’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after his country’s air force shot down a Russian warplane it said had violated its airspace; Russia denies that, and has placed surface-to-air missiles in Syria

Amazon

It sold a record number of its own devices on Black Friday and over the holiday weekend

GOOD WEEK

BAD WEEK

The Amazon

Half the rain forest’s tree species may be endangered

‘My mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.’

Kobe Bryant, basketball star, announcing his retirement after 20 seasons in the NBA, all of them with the Los Angeles Lakers

‘We want you to grow up in a world better than ours today.’

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, and his wife Priscilla Chan, announcing in an open letter to their newborn daughter that they will donate 99% of their Facebook shares–currently worth about $45 billion–over the course of their lives for philanthropic purposes

$110,000

Value of 40,000 lb. of beef (18,000 kg) stolen from a Pennsylvania meat plant