Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Nissan holds a key board meeting. It looks unlikely to choose a successor to ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn just yet. French partner Renault wants the Japanese carmaker to call an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders as soon as possible to discuss the alliance’s future and governance (paywall).
Turkey begins issuing foreign currency bonds to individual investors. It’s facing a currency crisis with its lira down sharply this year. The euro- and US dollar-denominated bonds will allow the government to “diversify borrowing instruments and to broaden the investor base.”
Tumblr’s ban on adult content goes into effect. The social media platform historically had more lax content moderation than its peers, but it’s been ramping up its content policing since the sale of parent company Yahoo to Verizon last year.
Over the weekend
A climate rulebook was finalized. At the COP24 meeting in Poland, nearly 200 countries agreed to rules for how they’ll adhere to the Paris climate agreement. The rules define how nations will record their emissions and their progress toward climate goals, among other things.
Sri Lanka overcame its political crisis. Under pressure, president Maithripala Sirisena reinstated Ranil Wickremesinghe (paywall) as prime minister, seven weeks after replacing him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa. But given hostility between the two, long-term stability remains in doubt.
A ceasefire date was announced for Yemen. The Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi agreed with the Iranian-aligned Houthi group to stop fighting on Tuesday. The agreement is the first major breakthrough in peace efforts in five years, with more talks slated for next month.
Boeing’s new China plant delivered its first plane. The 737 Max was completed and delivered at the aviation giant’s new facility in Zhoushan, outside of Shanghai. China will soon be the world’s largest airplane market, and its airlines are already the biggest buyers of 737s.
Indonesia inked a free trade deal. Years in the making, the agreement with the European Free Trade Association (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) will eliminate tariffs for thousands of products. Sustainable palm oil production was key to the deal, said Swiss officials.
Obsession interlude
Fanny packs are one of humankind’s oldest accessories. Belt bags, which accounted for nearly a quarter of the US accessory industry’s growth in the first 10 months of 2018, are hip. But don’t call it a comeback.
Matters of debate
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Using Alexa can hinder a child’s development. Smart devices offer the illusion of companionship without the eye contact, empathy, and demands of human relationships that are critical for kids.
The economics profession is vulnerable to groupthink. It suffers from a stark absence of diversity that results in missing crucial information, and making poor decisions.
Tech job seekers aren’t strong enough in the specific skills employers actually need. They’d be better off deepening those skills rather than learning general programming.
Surprising discoveries
A Swedish professor dispatched armed mercenaries to rescue a student. One of her doctoral students from Iraq was stuck in an ISIS war zone in 2014, so she did something about it.
Russia’s rap scene is at risk of a Kremlin takeover. As Vladimir Putin put it, “If it’s impossible to stop something, you’ve got to take charge of it.”
SpongeBob SquarePants is hot in fashion now. Moschino, Kith, Vans, and other labels are keen to incorporate the character into their products.
A US federal court cited “the Lorax” of Dr. Seuss fame. It quoted the forest-saving creature while throwing out a permit granted to an energy company by the US Forest Service.
Americans can now see life expectancy rates at the neighborhood level. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the data. Quartz made the interactive map.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Russian rap, and Lorax quotes to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Steve Mollman and Kevin J. Delaney.