Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Protests rage on in Iran. State TV reported that another nine people were killed overnight, bringing the death toll from six days of anti-government protests to an estimated 21. Hundreds have been arrested in rallies held across the country to protest corruption and economic hardship, with demonstrators attacking police stations late last night.
A peeved Pakistan meets to discuss Trump’s angry tweet. Reuters reports that Trump’s latest tweet will be the topic of prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s cabinet meeting. The president accused Pakistan of taking billions in US aid and giving “safe haven to terrorists.” On Monday, the Pakistan foreign office summoned US ambassador David Hale over the tweet.
A brutal cold spell continues in the US. The National Weather Service warned that an Arctic air mass would prolong an unusually harsh period, with new record lows likely. The record-shattering cold has reached as far south as Florida.
While you were sleeping
South Korea’s president might let North Korea join 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.
Oil prices had their strongest start to a year since 2014. Crude rose to mid-2015 highs amid anti-government protests in Iran and ongoing supply cuts led by OPEC and Russia. Those reductions, triggered a year ago, are scheduled to carry on for 2018, while higher oil prices are expected to stoke US shale production.
BP braced for a $1.5 billion hit on the back of Trump’s tax reforms. The British energy giant said it expects the one-off charge in its fourth-quarter earnings. Looking ahead, however, it said that the new US corporate tax rate (lowered from 35% to 21%) would be a boon for the company.
The leader of the New York City Ballet resigned following sexual-harassment allegations. Peter Martins has denied the accusation but announced Monday evening he would step down (paywall). Martins, who was suspended over the allegations last month, began his tenure in the 1980s. He has also been accused of verbal and physical abuse.
Hyundai felt gloomy about 2018. The world’s fifth-biggest carmaker said sales in 2017 dropped to their lowest level in five years—a million cars short of its target—due in large part to a consumer backlash in China over South Korea’s installation of the US-made THAAD missile system. Hyundai’s lack of SUV models is also hurting it in the US market.
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 killer robots. A global ban won’t prevent the AI-weapons apocalypse, but an agreement to limit war robots might.
The Chinese renminbi could be the next 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 democratic change.
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 Federal Trade Commission got 1.8 million more complaints in 2017 than it did the previous year.
American doctors routinely prescribe useless pricey procedures. 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 Silicon Valley (paywall).
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