Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Consumer Electronics Show continues in Las Vegas. It’s the second to last day of the world’s biggest technology exposition which means it’s time for the Best of CES awards presentation. Stay on top of all the latest cool, useful, and bizarre gadgets with Quartz’s special edition CES Daily Brief.
UK parliament votes on the Brexit bill. Covering issues including the rights of EU citizens, the post-Brexit transition period, and the Irish border, the withdrawal bill is expected to easily pass in the House of Commons, thanks to the Conservative party’s new majority. It’s also the last chance for MPs to question Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay before his department is shut down at the end of the month.
Australia deals with the latest consequences of its hellish bushfires. In South Australia, marksmen have taken to helicopters to shoot thousands of thirsty camels left roaming residential areas looking for water. The World Meteorological Organization has told the country the summer fire season will be unusually long, thanks to climate change.
While you were sleeping
Oil prices fell after Donald Trump spoke on Iran. The US president’s assertion that Iran was “standing down” caused oil to drop 5% to under $60 a barrel. In a televised statement, Trump also announced additional sanctions while also insisting he wants to work towards a peaceful future. Meanwhile, conflicting statements over the crash of Ukraine International Flight 752 near Tehran raise the possibility that it may have been attacked.
Carlos Ghosn lashed out in his first public remarks after an audacious escape to Beirut. The former Renault-Nissan chairman spoke for several hours, making conspiratorial claims about injustices in Japan and announcing intentions to clear his name. Lebanon’s top prosecutor plans to question him, and Tokyo’s prosecutors’ office has also hit back against the runaway executive’s claims.
Hong Kong police spied on protesters by hacking their seized phones. Hong Kong’s security secretary told lawmakers more than 3,700 devices were confiscated during the first five months of demonstrations and that law enforcement has been cracking into some phones and to read their contents.
Prince Harry and Meghan announced they will step down as “senior” royals. The couple aims to “become financially independent” and “carve out a progressive new role within this institution” while splitting their time between the UK and North America. A statement from Buckingham Palace says that the change is still in”at an early stage.”
Amazon is said to be preparing a luxury fashion platform. The online giant has tried to break into high-end fashion before, without much success. But this time it’s reportedly taking a new approach and already has brands on board.
Quartz membership
Senior living and millennial living are starting to look alike. From a “Zen-inspired” senior community in California to on-demand meals from Postmates, a new crop of assisted living facilities have more in common with the hospitality industry than with hospitals.
Quartz obsession
Google Translate brought once-futuristic instant language translation to the present. Decades of development in machine translation led to the introduction of Google Translate in 2001. Today, 500 million people use the tool to decipher 103 languages at least 143 billion times a day—but not without controversy, legal issues, and some problematic misuse. Break it down in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Hollywood is rotting. The industry can’t seem to quit franchises that have run their course.
Awards are stupid. We’re happier and more productive when we give rankings less weight.
Let’s not tax job-stealing robots. There are better ways to make up lost payroll tax revenue.
Surprising discoveries
Fashion’s youth obsession is bad for business. Ignoring the increasing number of older consumers is costing the industry billions.
A Pacific island adoption scam brought down a local US official. The Arizona county assessor is accused of transporting pregnant women from the Marshall Islands and selling their babies.
One of the world’s largest fish is extinct. The Chinese paddlefish were around for at least 200 million years.
Raising the US minimum wage would reduce suicide rates. A $1 increase could mean a 3.5% to 6% drop in suicides.
Astronomers discovered a “star nursery” in the Milky Way. It gets better—they found the massive star-forming structure because they are building a new map of our galaxy.
Jupiter is throwing comets at Earth. Instead of protecting our planet from debris, researchers think Jupiter is creating it.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Milky Way maps, and loose comets 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 Max Lockie and Liz Webber.