Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The 2018 Winter Olympics begin in South Korea. The opening ceremony will take place in Pyeongchang, where North Korea and South Korea will march under one flag. Vice president Mike Pence could brush shoulders with Pyongyang officials, and South Korean president Moon Jae-in is expected to meet Kim Jong-un’s sister.
A small asteroid flies by Earth today. The NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey spotted Asteroid 2018 CB four days ago. The asteroid, between 50 and 130 feet wide, will miss Earth by a mere 39,000 miles (64,000 km), bringing it five times closer to us than the Moon.
It may rain in Cape Town. An approaching cold front is bringing a forecast of showers, which may hit dam catchment areas in the parched city. Cape Town is at risk of running out of water by April.
While you were sleeping
The US government shut down—again. This is the second shutdown this year, and came after a Kentucky senator stalled a vote on a temporary funding bill. The Senate passed the bill in the early hours (it includes a $300 billion hike on defense and domestic services), and now it needs approval by the House and sign-off from Donald Trump if the shutdown is to be rescinded by Friday morning.
Reuters uncovered a massacre of Rohingya men in Myanmar. The news agency released its investigation into the killing of 10 men from the Muslim minority by Buddhist villagers and Myanmar troops in Rakhine state. Two investigative Reuters reporters are awaiting trial after being charged with violating Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act.
An activist investor plans to oust the board of Newell Brands. Hedge fund Starboard Value wants to replace the entire board and chief executive of the conglomerate, which owns brands such as Elmer’s glue and Yankee Candle, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall).
The Qualcomm-Broadcom dance continued. Broadcom wrote a letter on Thursday demanding that the chipmakers meet after Qualcomm rebuffed its sweetened takeover offer of $121 billion, citing it as an undervaluation of the company. Should the merger go ahead, it would be the largest-ever tech deal.
Maersk had an “unusual and eventful” year. That’s how CEO Soren Skou described the fortunes of the world’s biggest shipping company in 2017. It weathered a cyber attack, and missed earnings expectations, but believes its profit will grow by more than 40% in 2018.
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain on the ever-evolving fashion of figure skating. “Unlike other sports, where the clothes are designed for utility more than appearance, in figure skating the costumes are a crucial component of a skater’s whole creative presentation, alongside the music and the routine itself. It’s the skating, of course, that the Olympians will be judged on, but when all the elements come together, the costume can become part of the margin between victory and loss.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Beating yourself up is pointless. Taming your inner critic is a better way to keep your professional edge.
Trump’s America looks a lot like an earlier golden age. The post-Civil War era was marked by economic inequality, political corruption, and a divisive president.
Mankind fears AI more than aliens. Malevolent computers have replaced little green men as the most terrifying threat to life as we know it.
Surprising discoveries
Pyeongchang might be the last Olympics without AI judges. Fujitsu is developing software that analyzes gymnastics events for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Human eggs have been grown in a lab for the first time. University of Edinburgh researchers said it may help them find ways to preserve the fertility of children having cancer treatment.
Japan is aiming to completely reshape Brexit. It’s wielding its power over the UK to push for a Brexit deal that is totally different to what the British government wants.
A public elementary school in Tokyo tried to introduce Georgio Armani uniforms. Parents are complaining about the uniforms, which cost $750 apiece.
Chinese police are wearing augmented reality glasses. They’re connected to the country’s massive facial recognition database to help spot criminals.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, augmented reality glasses, and tiny Armani suits to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Jill Petzinger, and edited by Lianna Brinded.