Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Japanese emperor Naruhito proclaims his enthronement. The 59-year-old officially succeeded his father Akihito in May. He will be joined in the centuries-old ceremony by empress Masako, while royals and heads of state from more than 180 countries look on.
Turkey coordinates military strategy with Russia. As a five-day ceasefire between Turkish and Kurdish troops expires, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Sochi. Erdogan cryptically vowed that he would then “take the necessary steps.”
Earnings season heats up. Snap spiked 8% yesterday ahead of an expected earnings beat. Investors hope McDonald’s can repeat last quarter’s magic and climb back to all-time highs. And Procter & Gamble will try to maintain the momentum that’s pushed shares up over 50% so far this year when it reports before the bell.
While you were sleeping
The US taxed another $112 billion in Chinese imports. The latest round of tariffs which targets household goods like shoes, diapers, and food is expected to cost US households $800 per year. Meanwhile, China asked the World Trade Organization to impose $2.4 billion in unrelated trade penalties on the US.
SoftBank prepared to take over WeWork. The Japanese firm plans to take control of the struggling shared-space startup in a deal that will value WeWork between $7 billion and $8 billion.
Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government. The Israeli prime minister announced that he had given up on trying to form a governing coalition among the Knesset’s divided parties and would cede the chance to lead to his longtime centrist rival Benny Gantz.
Thailand’s king dumped his royal consort. King Vajiralongkorn stripped Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi of her rank, titles, and military decorations for trying to “elevate herself to the same state as the queen.” Sineenat, a major-general and pilot, was the first person granted the title of Royal Noble Consort in nearly a century.
An American entourage will attend the Saudi “Davos in the Desert.” Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner, and US corporations including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup booked their tickets despite Saudi Arabia’s unpunished murder of US journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Brexit hit another roadblock. The speaker of the British house of commons did not allow Boris Johnson to bring his Brexit deal up for a simple yes-or-no vote on Monday, forcing him to take a more complicated legislative path to get the deal ratified.
Membership
India is shifting to renewables. India, it is rightly said, is a land of contradictions. Nowhere is that contradiction clearer than in its energy use. India is highly vulnerable to climate change, and yet 55% of all its energy comes from burning coal. The world can learn from India trying to deal with its coal addiction.
Quartz Obsession
Black holes may be the greatest enigma in the known universe. They are not directly observable—light can’t escape their gravitational pull—so we can’t actually see them. And while we’re as sure as we can be that they actually exist, black holes are still full of secrets. Take a journey through time and space with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation on the Quartz app!
The gaming industry needs to show some restraint. Advances in AI make it too easy for video games to extract maximum cash from its players.
It’s ok to be a tourist. Don’t seek out an impossible authenticity when traveling abroad. Get on the tour bus and enjoy the show.
Tell your guests if your house is bugged. Google’s head of hardware recently said that he discloses his use of smart speakers to visitors at his home.
Surprising discoveries
An Amazonian bird sings louder than a rock concert. The white bellbird, the world’s loudest avian, belts out its mating call at 113 decibels.
A Bangladeshi MP hired eight lookalikes to take her college exams. Tamanna Nusrat was expelled after a local broadcaster exposed one of her stand-ins in a viral video.
Rat-devouring monkeys are an effective pesticide. Malaysian pig-tailed macaques reduce the rat population on palm oil plantations by more than 75%.
A Christian rock record holds a secret computer program. Data hidden in the 1984 vinyl’s final groove calls up an Einstein quote and a Bible verse on the Commodore 64.
Tiny worlds are lurking in plain sight. The winning shots from the Small World microphotography competition reveal the intricacies of alligator embryos and housefly eyes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, smart device disclosures, and hungry monkeys to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Max Lockie and Nicolás Rivero.