Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
OPEC convenes in Vienna. The oil cartel will likely cut production in a bid to stabilize oil prices after they plunged below $50 a barrel. Qatar, which will withdraw from the organization next year, will attend.
Yemen peace talks in Sweden. The Yemeni government and Houthi rebels will meet for a weeklong UN-sponsored discussion that aims to end nearly four years of civil war, the cause of one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times. The Houthis failed to show up for the last round of talks in September.
The battle against the AT&T-Time Warner merger continues. A US federal appeals court will hear arguments from 27 antitrust scholars, including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, in the Department of Justice’s petition to overturn a decision allowing the merger.
Golden Globe nominations. Viewers can tune in live for the announcement starting at 8am ET. The show’s producers revealed yesterday that Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg will host the ceremony on Jan. 6.
A service for George H.W. Bush in Texas. The ceremony follows his state funeral at Washington National Cathedral yesterday.
While you were sleeping
China’s embassy in Canada demanded the release of Huawei’s CFO. Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the company’s founder, was arrested in Canada and faces extradition to the US for allegedly violating sanctions on Iran. A court hearing has been set for Friday.
Two US military aircraft collided off the coast of Japan. Japan is assisting in a search-and-rescue operation for five US marines, with two already recovered, after a collision between a KC-130 refueling aircraft and F/A-18 fighter jet. The cause of the accident was unclear, but happened during a regular training exercise.
SpaceX lost a rocket booster during landing for the first time since 2016. The brand-new Falcon 9 rocket booster lifted off successfully from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but the first stage—which contained nine engines and the bulk of the rocket’s structure—lost control and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean as it returned to Earth.
China may have been behind the Marriott hack. Reuters reports the hackers left behind clues that were consistent in other attacks attributed to Chinese intelligence. The breach, which was revealed last week, began four years ago and compromised the data of up to 500 million customers.
USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy. The move could bring all legal proceedings against it in civil court to a halt. Hundreds of women have filed lawsuits against the sport’s governing body related to sexual abuse by former national team doctor Larry Nassar.
Obsession interlude
Orchids are exotic… and also an impulse purchase. In the 19th century, they had to be retrieved at great risk from the wild; in the 20th century, we figured out how to grow them from a test tube, but it was still a long process that produced pricey petals. How’d they get so commonplace? The answer blooms at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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The global female shortage is a human-rights issue. India and China are already feeling the crunch, and neighboring countries are suffering from bride trafficking.
Taiwan could win a war against China. Despite Beijing’s massive advantage in military strength, the government in Taipei is well-prepared to resist the onslaught.
Startups aren’t cool anymore. Millennials, saddled with debt and scarred by the financial crisis, have become jaded with the romance of entrepreneurship.
Quartz membership
Are trucking jobs about to drive off a cliff? US trucking has long been consistently white and overwhelmingly male, but now it’s also getting older, which is creating some problems. Fewer young people are moving into the profession, and there is already a shortage of drivers. If e-commerce continues to grow (and there’s no reason to suspect that it won’t) the demand on trucking will only increase, creating a potentially huge driver shortage. Read more here.
Surprising discoveries
More parents are naming their babies after groceries. The rise of Kale, Sage, and Saffron suggests parents are finding inspiration in the wellness movement.
Trevor Noah’s grandmother doesn’t watch The Daily Show. Though the 91-year-old has a satellite dish, scheduled rolling blackouts keep her from tuning in.
PETA wants people to avoid “anti-animal language.” The animal-rights group is being ridiculed for suggesting people swap idioms like “beat a dead horse” with “feed a fed horse.”
An American rapper is suing Fortnite for ripping off his dance move. Terrence Ferguson, aka 2 Milly, said the game appropriated his likeness and copied a dance move that went viral in 2011.
A Russian city is embroiled in protests over philosopher Immanuel Kant. Many reject naming their airport after the German moral philosopher because of a perception he disrespected Russia.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, animal-friendly phrases, and moral quandaries to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Alice Truong and edited by Tripti Lahiri.