Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Nepal receives internet bandwidth from China. Beginning Friday, the Himalayan nation will no longer solely depend on India to connect to cyberspace. The state-owned Nepal Telecom said that all the groundwork has been completed to begin commercial operation of the Nepal-China optical fiber.
India sends up 31 satellites. They will be launched into the Earth’s lower orbit in a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from a spaceport located off the Bay of Bengal coast. Three of the satellites are Indian, whereas the rest come from Canada, Finland, France, South Korea, the UK, and the US.
Trump makes decisions on the Iran nuclear deal. By Friday, the US president must decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program, which would effectively kill the Obama-era nuclear deal with the country. According to US officials and others familiar with deliberations, Trump will spare the deal, extending relief from economic sanctions to Iran.
While you were sleeping
Walmart said it would boost employee wages. It credited corporate tax cuts passed in the Republican tax plan last month for its promises to raise new employee pay from $10 to $11 an hour, but state and local minimum wages are set to increase across the country anyway. On the same day, the company abruptly closed 63 Sam’s Club stores, laying off thousands of workers without prior notice.
James Franco responded to accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior. The allegations came from former students or mentees of Franco’s, who won a Golden Globe for his performance in The Disaster Artist on Sunday. Franco says the allegations are “not accurate” but that he’ll “fix it” if he did anything wrong.
Missouri governor Eric Greitens admitted to having an affair. After a St. Louis television station reported explosive allegations, the governor issued a joint statement with his wife, admitting his unfaithfulness. A separate statement, issued by Greitens’ attorney, denied accusations that he’d threatened to blackmail the woman about their sexual encounter.
The US announced plans to double down on Afghanistan. The military will send in 1,000 new combat advisers, as well as a larger number of armed and unarmed drones for air support, intelligence, and surveillance. The idea is to bulk up US military presence (paywall) before the traditional fighting season begins in the spring.
Rebels launched a counterattack against Syrian government forces. The conflict now envelops the Idlib Governorate’s northern region bordering Turkey, which has deployed its own troops to the area. The Free Syrian Army claims to have captured 15 villages and 60 government fighters, although those reports are disputed.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jean M. Twenge on iGen, the next generation of workers that is almost everything millennials aren’t. “As iGen begins to dominate the pool of entry-level talent, expect to see more young employees who are eager to do a good job but are scared of making mistakes. Whereas millennials demanded praise, iGen’ers want reassurance.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The #MeToo movement is the enemy of sexual freedom. French cinema legend Catherine Deneuve is defending the “freedom to pester” and warning of “puritanism.”
India’s bank bailout won’t help its worst banks. That’s a good thing if the goal is to prod banks into lending to spur economic growth.
The Arctic will never be frozen again. Scientists say the region’s rapid warming is unprecedented and irreversible.
Surprising discoveries
Uber had a panic button for police raids. The protocol remotely locked down servers when authorities targeted international Uber offices.
Some wild pigs mourn their dead. An eight-year-old discovered that skunk pigs repeatedly visited a fallen member of their herd, even protecting its corpse from scavengers.
Cape Town has three months of water left. Unless the South African city institutes extreme rationing measures, it will be the first global city to completely dry up.
A robo-taxi startup is launching in a retirement suburb. Florida’s famously active senior retirement community will enjoy a fleet of autonomous rides as a golf cart alternative.
China’s theaters drop Last Jedi screenings. Episode VIII of Disney’s saga didn’t have much staying power with Chinese audiences, leading to a 92% cut in showtimes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mourning pigs, and Star Wars ticket stubs to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.