Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Workers in India go on strike. Unions affiliated with leftist political parties have planned a widespread strike to protest prime minister Narendra Modi’s policies, which they say hurt workers. State-run Coal India is expecting a production slowdown as a result.
Carlos Ghosn speaks to the press. The former Nissan chairman, fresh off his escape from house arrest in Japan, has said he will provide documents and name names. On Monday, Japan issued a warrant for the arrest of Ghosn’s wife Carole, whose spokesperson called the move an attempt to distract from the upcoming press conference.
Hong Kong attempts to ward off China’s pneumonia outbreak. The department of health said it will gazette a bill that adds “severe respiratory disease associated with a novel infectious agent” to the existing disease control ordinance—meaning that travelers from the mainland will have to undergo mandatory screenings upon arrival.
While you were sleeping
Flying taxis and disappearing cameras at CES. Uber revealed the answer to road congestion (putting traffic in the air) and Apple talked consumer privacy. Meanwhile, OnePlus demonstrated smartphones with cameras that only appear when they’re needed. Our coverage of CES continues through Friday.
Puerto Rico had another earthquake. The island suffered widespread power outages, significant structural damage, and at least one death in a 6.4-magnitude quake that outranked a series of smaller shake-ups over the past week.
The White House gave guidance on AI regulation. US president Donald Trump’s administration released 10 principles to guide federal agencies when making laws about artificial intelligence, stressing fairness and security, but also cost-benefit analyses. The US urged its international allies to take a similar hands-off approach.
Venezuela’s opposition stormed the legislature. Opposition lawmakers, led by Juan Guaidó, held a symbolic swearing-in ceremony in the darkened halls of congress. After they barged past a line of soldiers trying to keep them out of the building, the government cut the lights inside.
A new study cast doubt on claims against Johnson & Johnson. The health product juggernaut has been slowed by thousands of lawsuits claiming that asbestos within its talc-based baby powder had caused ovarian cancer in some women. A US government-backed study found no significant link between the two.
Quartz membership
What’s the difference between nursing homes, assisted living, and “life plan communities”? Quartz’s glossary to senior housing sets the record straight and includes all the resources readers need to understand the industry.
Quartz obsession
Giraffes are the world’s gentlest giants. At 20 ft (6 m) tall, with 24 lb (11kg) hearts and feet as big as dinner plates, they’re some of the biggest beasts around. NASA has carefully studied their circulatory systems to inform space suit design—but they remain relatively understudied. Although we still don’t know why giraffes hum at night, we have filmed their epic neck wrestling battles. Graze on everything there is to know with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Diversity makes logical sense. It’s not just political correctness—people from different backgrounds approach problems differently.
Don’t go to grad school to learn. Pick up new skills online for cheap, and only enroll if you want to up your salary potential or change careers.
Police dogs should retire. They hurt humans, humans hurt them, and they’re not even that good at sniffing out drugs.
Surprising discoveries
There’s a new magazine about bathrooms. “Facility” thinks restroom culture has not been thoroughly plumbed.
Wayfinding apps are moving indoors. They know we all need help navigating labyrinthine workplaces.
Japanese scientists want to make fish vegan. Farmed fish may soon subsist on plant-based imitations of smaller fish.
European tax fraud generates a phantom trade surplus. Companies over-report hundreds of billions of euros in exports to other EU nations to dodge VAT.
Antique tractors are hot commodities. Machines built before 1980 are cheap, sturdy, and don’t come with hard-to-repair computerized parts.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, fish food, and reliable old tractors to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android, and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Susan Howson and Nicolás Rivero.