Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Davos kicks off. The 48th annual World Economic Forum brings together the world’s political and corporate elite under this year’s theme, ”Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World.” Today’s opening address will be delivered by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. Get the Quartz Davos Daily Brief for in-depth coverage of the event.
Procter & Gamble reports quarterly earnings. The consumer goods giant may face questions (paywall) from analysts over the recent fallout from viral videos showing people eating Tide Pods. P&G has taken measures such as launching a safety campaign on social media.
A South Korean delegation inspects North Korea’s ski venues. On a three-day visit they’ll examine the Masik Pass resort and other venues. The inspections will facilitate joint training for the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, with the collaboration between the nations expected to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.
While you were sleeping
Alaskan earthquake prompted a tsunami alert. The alert was issued after an 8.0-strength earthquake was recorded off the southern Alaskan coast in the US at 12:32 a.m. local time. Areas including California and the coasts of British Columbia and Alaska are said to be affected by the warning.
South Korea will stop cryptocurrency traders from using anonymous bank accounts. Traders who want to make deposits into their cryptocurrency wallets will need a bank account with a name that matches their account on the exchange, said the nation’s financial regulator. The rule will take effect on Jan. 30.
A volcanic eruption in Japan triggered a deadly avalanche. At least one person died in the accident near Kusatsu in Gunma prefecture in central Japan, and at least a dozen critically injured. Among those injured are skiers and people trapped inside a gondola.
North Korea might upstage South Korea’s Olympics party. Pyongyang announced that it would change the anniversary of the founding of the army from April 25 to Feb. 8, the day before the Winter Olympics kicks off in Pyeongchang. The event is likely to be accompanied by a major military parade.
Neil Diamond announced he has Parkinson’s. The 77-year-old singer said that he’ll retire from touring because of his diagnosis. His last show was in London in October, and he was set to embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in March.
Quartz obsession interlude
Chase Purdy on the debate over whether high-tech “clean meat” is kosher. “For now, the kosher-certification authorities are further along in their consideration of clean meat than their halal counterparts. Still, neither group has reached a consensus on the matter and religious scholars are split over how to address the new technology. It’s a topic that’s opening up important discussions around how clean meat will fit into the culture of cuisine.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Centrism can be an effective governing platform. In the US, there’s far more similarity between Clinton Democrats and Jeb Bush Republicans than between supporters of Clinton and Sanders or Bush and Trump.
There is still one e-commerce business that Amazon can’t touch. Luxury retailing online demands that goods must be expensive and scarce, opposite to Amazon’s philosophy of making things abundant and cheap.
By at least one (pathetic metric), gender equality is improving. There is a greater representation of women at key Davos meetings.
Surprising discoveries
Mung beans are being sold as scrambled eggs in Hong Kong. A Silicon Valley startup is behind the egg-like “Just Scramble.”
Team USA will wear self-heating Ralph Lauren parkas for the Olympics opening ceremony. At a full charge, the coats provide five hours of heat on the high setting, and 11 hours on the low.
There may soon be an anglerfish emoji. A deep-sea ecologist and a sociologist are determined to diversify your mammal-dominated emoji dashboard.
WeWork is the biggest corporate occupier of real estate in central London. The co-working group has rented 2.6 million square feet of office space (paywall) in the capital’s center—only the UK government occupies more.
Botoxed camels aren’t welcome in Saudi Arabia. A dozen dromedaries were disqualified from a camel beauty contest because their looks had been artificially enhanced by their owners.
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