Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Iran’s biggest protests since 2009 continue. Late last night demonstrators attacked police stations as the ongoing violence escalated. Some 13 people were reported killed on Sunday, and hundreds have been arrested in rallies held across the nation to protest corruption and economic hardship.
India considers major divorce reforms. Legislation to improve marriage rights for Muslim women will be introduced in the upper house of parliament. The measure, already approved by the lower house, would criminalize ”triple talaq,” in which a Muslim man attains a fully legal divorce by giving three oral, written, or electronic messages. It would also help women seek alimony and child custody.
A brutal cold spell continues in the US. The National Weather Service warned that an Arctic air mass would lead to the prolonging of an unusually harsh period, with new record lows likely. The record-shattering cold has reached as far south as Florida.
While you were sleeping
Oil prices had their strongest start to a year since 2014. Crude rose to mid-2015 highs amid anti-government protests in Iran and continuing supply cuts led by OPEC and Russia. Those reductions, which began a year ago, are scheduled to cover all of 2018, while higher oil prices are expected to stoke US shale production.
South Korea’s president called for quick action on getting North Korea involved in the Winter Olympics. Moon Jae-in said the two sides should “urgently meet to discuss the possibility.” That followed a New Year’s Day speech by Kim Jong-un saying he might send a team to the Games, which will be held next month near the border between the two nations.
The leader of the New York City Ballet resigned following a sexual-harassment allegation. Peter Martins has denied the accusation but announced Monday evening he would step down (paywall). Last month the ballet’s board suspended him as it began an investigation. Martins began his tenure in the 1980s and has also faced allegations of verbal and physical abuse.
Gretchen Carlson is Miss America’s new boss. More than a year after settling her lawsuit against Fox and Roger Ailes, Carlson will lead a new board of directors replacing former Miss America CEO Sam Haskel and other board members outed for harassment against previous pageant competitors.
Quartz obsession interlude
Kelly Kasulis on the dark side of South Korea’s play culture. ”If there was a prize for the most stressed-out nation in the world, South Korea would make a good contender… The pressure to succeed in South Korea has fostered a culture of play that at first glance looks unusually vibrant and fun.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Nobody is ready for the killer robot. A full-out arms ban won’t prevent the AI-weapons apocalypse, but an agreement to limit war robots just might.
The Chinese renminbi could be the next global super-currency. The country’s monetary authority will have to prioritize internationalization over domestic stability (paywall).
Iran can become a democracy. The Arab Spring showed that reform, not revolution (paywall), is the key to ushering in democracy.
Surprising discoveries
Bitcoin wasn’t among the 10 best-performing cryptoassets of 2017. The currency may have shot up more than 1,000%, but it was left in the dust by Ripple, NEM, Ardor, and Dash.
There were at least 7.1 million robocalls in the US last year. The robocall menace is growing: The Federal Trade Commission got 1.8 million more complaints in 2017 than it did the previous year.
American doctors routinely prescribe pricey procedures that don’t work. Nearly half of medical procedures might not be based on sound science.
There were just two deadly flights out of 35 million last year. Fewer people died in plane accidents in 2017 than any other year on record.
There’s a growing movement in the US to get off the water grid. It’s backed by millions of dollars in funding, sophisticated marketing, and supporters in Silicon Valley (paywall).
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