Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
US senators try to reach a compromise to restart the government. Majority leader Mitch McConnell set up a vote on a temporary spending bill for today (Jan. 22), the third day of the government shutdown. Trump suggested the “nuclear option” of changing Senate rules to pass a long-term spending bill with a simple majority.
Helicopters and private planes swarm Davos. The night before the 48th World Economic Forum begins in Switzerland, an awards ceremony for artists will feature Elton John, Cate Blanchett, and Shah Rukh Khan. We’ll be sending a special edition of the Quartz Daily Brief from Davos this week—sign up here to receive it.
Amazon’s AI-powered grocery store opens to the public. Customers at the Seattle store can skip the cashier and walk out with their purchases. The shopper scans a code on the Amazon Go app to enter, and then is tracked around the shop with AI-monitored video—anything they leave with is simply charged to their Amazon account.
Over the weekend
Women’s marches were held around the world. Demonstrators held large rallies across the US and globally on Saturday and Sunday. Organizers in the US spoke out against Donald Trump and urged women to run for office and vote in local, state, and federal elections.
North Korea’s most famous pop star went on a charm offensive in the South. Hyon Song-wol, leader of the Moranbong Band hand-picked by Kim Jong-un, made preparations for an upcoming performance by an art troupe in the South next month. The performances are part of a broader detente between the two countries, which also involves North and South Korea marching under the unification flag at the Winter Olympics.
Sanofi acquired Bioverativ for $11.6 billion. The French health care group agreed to buy the US hemophilia drug maker for $105 per share in cash, a 64% premium to Bioverativ’s closing price on Jan. 19.
Hope emerged for ending the political gridlock in Germany. The center-left Social Democrats agreed to continue talks with chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives to create a governing party for the country. If no deal is reached, an election could be triggered.
A hotel became a battleground in Afghanistan. Gunmen killed at least 18 people in Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel, in a 12-hour attack that continued from Saturday to Sunday. Afghanistan’s interior ministry said 153 people were rescued from the six-story hotel.
Quartz obsession interlude
Steve Mollman on North Korea’s 1968 capture of a US spy ship. “The Pueblo incident is a reminder that the Kim family regime—now in its third generation of authoritarian rule—is an unpredictable entity that doesn’t follow international norms. During the Cold War the US and Soviet Union had a gentleman’s agreement regarding spy ships: don’t interfere with ours and we won’t do so with yours. The US wrongly assumed that Pyongyang would play by the same rules.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Amazon’s policy of not asking about past salaries hurts women. Hirers will make assumptions based on what they think they know.
Europe’s intoxicating love affair with diesel is dying out. People are anxious about being stuck with a car that will be unsellable or unusable.
It’s time to bring back the classic French cooking technique championed by Paul Bocuse. In the farm-to-table era, the late chef showed how ingredients can serve ideas, rather than the other way around.
Surprising discoveries
A killer starfish is ravaging the Great Barrier Reef. Australia’s government announced a A$60 million ($48 million) to protect the reef, with some of that earmarked for an “all-out assault” on the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish.
A serial airplane stowaway has been caught. She was arrested in Chicago after a free trip to London, and might have pulled off the stunt eight times before.
California wants to make surfing its state sport. North Carolina has NASCAR, Alaska has dog mushing, Minnesota has ice hockey, while South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming all list rodeo as their official sport.
China became the first country to test gene-editing on humans. US scientists invented the technology known as Crispr, but doctors there aren’t allowed to use it (paywall) in human trials.
The idea of fabric made of stone won’t die in North Korea. Once hailed as a miracle fabric to save the economy, vinalon is now a symbol for the country’s failure to clothe its people.
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