What to watch for today
Still no resolution on elections in Haiti. Protesters and police continue to clash as politicians have yet to agree on new elections in the country. The government’s mandate expires tonight at midnight, after which the president would rule by decree.
South Korea’s 2015 plans set out. President Park Geun Hye will set out prospects for better ties with North Korea and increased spending amid a weakening economy in her annual New Year’s speech.
Corporate results and data. The aluminum company Alcoa and Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei reveal their latest set of results. In economic data, there is little of consequence, with Russian inflation and Czech retail sales to chew on.
Merkel meets Turkey’s Davutoglu. The chancellor of Germany meets the prime minister of Turkey, with terrorism after the attacks in Paris on the agenda. Germany also has a very large population of Turkish descendants.
While you were sleeping
AirAsia’s black box was located. Divers have marked an area for retrieving the doomed plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Information from these devices could help explain the plane’s unexpected crash while flying from Indonesia to Singapore on Dec. 28.
Paris stopped to remember its victims… France’s president François Hollande and leaders from several European and Middle Eastern nations joined hundreds of thousands in a silent march to honor those killed in last week’s terror attacks.
…while searching for more suspects. Hayat Boumeddiene, the partner of the man who killed a police officer in Montrouge, is still being sought by police. Reports suggest that she may have entered Turkey on her way to Syria.
SpaceX’s Dragon made its way to ISS. Elon Musk’s company successfully launched its autonomous Dragon spacecraft on a resupply mission to the International Space Station—a lift to the industry after failures by other commercial space companies in 2014. But its experiment with recovering the first stage of the rocket on a floating platform failed. “Close, but no cigar,” says Musk.
Quartz obsession interlude
Kabir Chibber on the biggest hypocrites celebrating free speech yesterday in Paris. “Perhaps most surprising of all in these circumstances, Ireland has had ‘blasphemy’ as a criminal offense on its books since 2009. Blasphemy is punishable with a fine of up to €25,000 ($29,500), but there are plans to hold a referendum to abolish it.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Could 2015 be the the year for rebuilding middle-class wealth? New savings options are entering the market.
Boko Haram is turning into the next Islamic State. It is gaining territory and confidence.
There’s a formula for falling in love. You have to make the choice to do it.
The UAE could soon be competing with Peru and Bolivia. In growing the lucrative crop of quinoa.
Surprising discoveries
Lego has an education arm. And a product for schools called MoreToMaths.
The LAPD is using data to help win the war with street gangs. It also used ”broken windows” policing.
Amazon has three rules for hiring the best people. Culture is paramount.
France’s most famous writer is predicting a Muslim president. Who legalizes polygamy when he wins in the year 2022.
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