Quartz Daily Brief—Abe’s economic boost, Thai army meets, Turkey scandal deepens, ramen cakes
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Thailand’s political wrangling. The senior staff of Thailand’s army will meet after the country’s Election Commission said polls should be delayed amid violent protests. Demonstrators want to push back the Feb. 2 vote, and are demanding Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra step down immediately.
UN peacekeepers—and perhaps a Chinese envoy—arrive in South Sudan. The two-week-old civil war in the world’s newest state has China worried about its energy interests after rebels seized several oil wells. Beijing is sending an envoy to help with talks, as the UN moves quickly to reinforce its thinly-stretched peacekeeping forces.
Yet more storms hit the UK. More heavy rain and high winds are expected, with some 1,200 homes in Southern England already flooded. Meteorologists are warning of gusts of up to 80 miles per hour. Meanwhile, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority is investigating a Christmas Eve power cut at Gatwick airport that left thousands stranded.
While you were sleeping
An economic boost for Abe. A day after his controversial visit to a symbolic shrine, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic plan got a lift, with consumer inflation rising above 1% last month for the first time in five years. Other data showed factory output and retail sales also picked up.
Obama signed the bipartisan budget deal. President Barack Obama, on vacation with his family in Hawaii, put pen to paper on the hard-fought plan, which will head off potential government shutdowns for almost two years.
Textron is buying Beechcraft. The company that makes Cessna planes is buying Beechcraft, whose jet plane business has been losing money, for $1.4 billion.
US retailers had a happy holiday. All their customers did not. Sales rose 2.3%, compared to 0.7% in 2012, despite a shorter holiday shopping season. But a surge in last-minute orders and bad weather meant some gifts shipped by UPS didn’t arrive in time for Christmas.
Turkey prosecutor blasts government. Istanbul prosecutor Muammer Akkas was removed from a massive corruption case for allegedly leaking information to the media, and Akkas accused the government of obstructing the graft probe.
Unrest continued in the CAR. Dozens of people have died in recent days, including six peacekeepers from Chad, as a Christian-Muslim conflict rages in the Central African Republic.
Quartz obsession interlude
Chris Mims on the tech sector’s wasted year. “All in, 2013 was an embarrassment for the entire tech industry and the engine that powers it—Silicon Valley. Innovation was replaced by financial engineering, mergers and acquisitions, and evasion of regulations. Not a single breakthrough product was unveiled—and for reasons outlined below, Google Glass doesn’t count. If it’s in the nature of progress to move in leaps, there are necessarily lulls in between.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Public bathrooms should be gender neutral. Men’s and women’s rooms, based on the clear-gut gender binary, create discomfort for all involved, not just gay and trans people.
Antibacterial soaps don’t help. Aside from offering little real benefit, they actually increase the risk of antibiotic-resistant germ development.
We know plenty about pot. Those against marijuana claim we’re ignorant of the drug’s medicinal properties, but a huge body of research shows pot is relatively safe and therapeutic.
The US, China, and Japan were losers in Abe’s inflammatory shrine visit. Here’s how Japan’s prime minister changed fortunes around the globe.
Surprising discoveries
A cake that looks like ramen. A confectionery shop in Japan sells cakes that are dead ringers for the beloved noodles.
Our geopolitical forecasting algorithm was five for six in 2013. Thanks a lot, erratic US lawmakers.
Everything you know about gangs is wrong. For one, even gangsters aren’t entirely sure who’s actually in the gang.
Europeans are now too cheap for Champagne. Maybe China sales will make up EU losses for the world’s finest bubbly.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, bottles of Champagne and geopolitical forecasting algorithms to [email protected]. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.