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What to watch for today
The British prime minister delivers a Brexit speech in Northern Ireland. Theresa May visits Belfast as she seeks new negotiations with Brussels over the Irish border, after the House of Commons rejected the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
Asia celebrates the Lunar New Year. Schools, businesses, and government offices will close in countries such as Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In China, the holiday week will yield a boom in tourism (paywall) and shopping.
The US president gives his State of the Union address. Donald Trump’s speech comes a week later than originally scheduled because of the partial government shutdown. He is likely to focus on immigration and his border wall, as well as infrastructure, health care, and prescription drugs. Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response.
Greece’s prime minister visits Turkey. Alexis Tsipras will meet with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss long-running issues between the two countries, including Cyprus and other terrtorial disputes.
Afghan and Taliban diplomats meet in Russia. Two days of peace talks in Moscow aim to settle hostilities in the region—though the ruling Afghan party and the US government will be notably absent (paywall).
While you were sleeping
Alphabet beat expectations. The Google parent’s earnings, profits, and costs were all better than analysts’ estimates, though its other bets, like Waymo autonomous cars, fell short of revenue targets. Alphabet shares dropped about 3% in after-hours trading.
Trump’s inaugural committee was subpoenaed. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are seeking documents (paywall) as part of an investigation into illegal foreign donations to the committee, as well as whether committee staff members knew that such donations were illegal.
Mark Zuckerberg defended Facebook on its 15th anniversary. “Networks of people replace traditional hierarchies and reshape institutions… from government to business to media,” the Facebook CEO wrote on his page. He also slammed critics of the social network for overly emphasizing “the negative.”
The US and South Korea agreed “in principle” on sharing troop costs. Under the revised agreement, Seoul would boost its financial contribution to the cost of keeping US forces in the country to nearly $1 billion. Trump has been pressuring South Korea to bear more of the cost.
North Korea is trying to protect its nuclear capabilities, the UN said. The country is not only maintaining its nuclear and ballistic missile programs but also making sure military strikes cannot destroy those capabilities, according to a confidential report. The report comes ahead of a visit by US envoy Stephen Biegun to Pyongyang tomorrow for preparatory talks for a second summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Quartz obsession interlude
A tribute to scissors. The simple-but-critical cutting tool has snipped its way through history, creating several lasting business empires. Some manufacturers have lasted for centuries, while small groups of artisan scissor makers—called “putters”—continue to ply their handcrafting trade. Cut into the matter in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Membership
Esports: If you think “watching other people play video games” is a flash in the pan, you haven’t been paying attention. Last year, an estimated 200 million people watched the League of Legends World Championship Series—about twice as many as the Super Bowl. We’re kicking off esports week with a state of play memo explaining its origins and projecting its future. We also have a timeline of key dates in the industry’s short but fast-moving history.
Matters of debate
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Facebook’s “weak” connections are designed to live forever. The site’s “vestigial friendships” are unprecedented in human history.
Americans are ready to soak the rich. Formerly extreme proposals to sharply raise taxes are receiving mainstream support.
The world is in danger of running out of people. Mainstream projections of population increases may not account for the disruptive effect of cheap technology.
Surprising discoveries
The death of a crypto-exchange founder stranded $200 million in assets and payments. Quadriga CX’s CEO, who died last month in India, was the only one with the necessary passwords (paywall).
Japan is moving toward one-handed junk food. Manufacturers are experimenting with “snack tongs” and “drinkable” potato chips (paywall) for smartphone-obsessed customers.
Trump’s schedule is 60% free time. Aides assign large blocks of “executive time,” a euphemism for watching TV and tweeting.
The Philippines leads the world in screen time. Internet usage there averages more than 10 hours a day, while Japan is in last place with about three hours a day.
Art restorers are finding new clients on superyachts. Champagne corks and breakfast cereal are among the new threats to priceless artworks.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, art restoration tips, and one-handed junk food 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 Yenni Kwok and edited by Isabella Steger.