Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The Munich Security Conference kicks off. All eyes will be on US vice president Mike Pence, who’s planning to reassure EU leaders at the world’s largest discussion on security policy that, whatever his boss has said in the past, the US is still committed to NATO. Washington-Kremlin ties are likely to come up too. German chancellor Angela Merkel will speak in defense of international cooperation.
Campbell Soup feels the carrot effect. A disappointing carrot crop last year and a move by consumers away from canned foods are expected to deal a blow to second-quarter earnings at the world’s largest soup-maker.
SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday. The mission, taking off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will carry a Dragon supply ship to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for about 10am EST, weather permitting.
While you were sleeping
Robert Harward said no to the job of national security adviser. The retired US Navy vice admiral was widely tipped for the post after Trump fired Michael Flynn on Monday. Harward cited family and financial commitments, but reportedly it was also because Trump wouldn’t let him choose his own deputy.
Pakistan launched a huge security crackdown after its deadliest attack in years. The authorities said on Friday that they had killed 39 suspected militants after a suicide-bomb attack at a Sufi shrine killed 75 people and injured around 200 in Sehwan on Thursday. ISIL claimed responsibility. Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan has been closed for now.
The final curtain fell on Hanjin Shipping. Five months after the former shipping giant filed for court receivership, a South Korean court pulled the plug on Friday (paywall), declaring it bankrupt and ordering its liquidation. It’s a rough time for Korea’s family-owned chaebol conglomerates: Yesterday, the Samsung boss was arrested as part of a massive government corruption probe.
Venezuela’s supreme court curtailed opposition parties. The court, aligned with president Nicolás Maduro, has issued tough new rules for the main opposition parties that, they say, amount to an election ban allowing Maduro’s Socialists to run essentially uncontested next year.
A muzak-streaming service launched its global offensive. The Spotify-backed Soundtrack Your Brand plans to push into global markets with its own music catalog and $22 million in fresh, outside funding. It already has deals to pipe its music into McDonald’s and Tag Heuer stores, and is now going up against Canada’s Mood Media, the market leader in commercial background music.
Quartz obsession interlude
Alison Griswold on Facebook’s vast ambitions for job ads. “Facebook’s users include LinkedIn’s ‘thought leaders’ and white-collar professionals, but they’re also people seeking hourly positions, part-time work, and other opportunities that they’d probably find on sites like Monster, Indeed, or Craigslist long before LinkedIn.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The chaos of the industrial revolution is about to return. The rise of automation and political uncertainty could send the global economy into chaos.
The myth of the alpha male is destroying relationships. Respect and self-esteem are eroded by unequal partnerships at work and home.
AI’s most important advantage over humans is confidence. By sparring with AlphaGo, researchers are learning how an algorithm thinks.
Surprising discoveries
Harvard scientists are trying to resurrect the woolly mammoth. A hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo could be a created within two years.
A Turkish butcher’s steak-salting technique has gone viral. “Salt Bae,” as Instagram fans crowned him, coils his hand “like a cobra” (paywall) to drizzle salt off his elbow onto the meat.
Wines for felines are making a splash. Nonalcoholic bottles with added catnip are the latest craze (paywall) in humanizing animals.
A pizza mogul covered the rent for a US civil rights icon. The late Little Caesars boss paid for Rosa Parks’ Detroit apartment for 11 years.
The Bank of England is sticking with its animal-fat banknotes. A redesign to satisfy vegans was deemed too costly.
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