What to watch for today
Indonesia names a president. Indonesia’s outgoing president has called for calm as the world’s third largest democracy prepares to announce the final results of a closely-fought race in which both candidates claimed victory. Unofficial tallies have put Jakarta governor Joko Widodo in the lead.
Apple’s iPhone keeps things moving. Though it’s been a slow season for smartphone sales in general, Apple’s quarterly results should show growing iPhone sales because of Apple’s partnerships with China Mobile and Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, the largest phone carriers in their countries, and there may be hints about the timing of the iPhone 6.
The screws tighten on Russia. EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels, and there’ll be pressure to up the ante on sanctions against Russia after the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17, suspected to be the work of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia on Monday acquiesced to a UN security council resolution calling for an international investigation.
Bill Ackman goes for broke against Herbalife. In what he claims will be the most important presentation of his career, the billionaire hedge fund manager, who has waged war against the diet shakes company, will have his final word in a high-profile live webcast.
A probe into hedge funds’ evasive maneuvers. A US Senate panel discusses an investigation into how two global banks, Deutsche and Barclays, helped hedge funds escape billions in taxes (paywall). The banks say the methods were perfectly legal.
While you were sleeping
The US got more worried about Gaza. President Barack Obama expressed “serious concerns” after the Palestinian death toll in the latest conflict topped 500 while Israeli fatalities reached 18, and his secretary of state, John Kerry, arrived in Cairo to broker a ceasefire. Israel, though, seems to want to see the offensive through at least until it destroys Gaza’s network of smuggling tunnels.
Economists got more worried about Brazil. The World Cup has evidently done nothing for the country’s economic optimism. The Brazilian central bank’s weekly survey of analysts produced a consensus estimate of 0.97% GDP growth for 2014, the lowest such estimate ever and the eighth consecutive weekly cut in growth forecasts.
South Africa’s string of strikes took their toll on Amplats. The world’s biggest platinum producer may soon be so no longer; it’s seeking buyers for four mines after five months of pay strikes, which were resolved last month, cut into its profits. But it’s still looking for a buyer for a mine it put up for sale 18 months ago.
Barclays’ not-so-secretive trading business plunged. The British bank saw the number of US shares traded in its “dark pool” drop to 66 million shares from 197 million last week, after it was sued for lying to customers.
Allergan cut jobs and drug research. The Botox maker is laying off 13% (paywall) of its workforce and discontinuing some R&D programs. It’s an attempt to convince large shareholders not to approve a takeover by Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which had said it would impose just such measures on Allergan.
Quartz obsession interlude
Gwynn Guilford on why America catches the world’s best salmon but eats the worst. “Two-thirds of the salmon eaten by US consumers is imported—mostly from farms in Chile, Canada and Norway and from processing factories in China. More than just a quirk of taste, this habit of snubbing domestic salmon in favor of foreign farmed fish exemplifies a more disquieting trend for US industry, argues journalist Paul Greenberg in his book American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood (purchase required). It’s the result of an American seafood ignorance that could threaten both the country’s long-term status as a fishing powerhouse and its secure supply of nutritious protein.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
American football can learn from Australian rugby. The referees should wear GoPro helmet-cameras for better up-close coverage and more transparency.
The Middle East today is like Europe in the early 17th century. Meaning we could be facing another Thirty Years War.
Broadband internet should get public funding. Like roads, railways and electricity, it’s too important a piece of infrastructure to leave entirely to the private sector.
Surprising discoveries
Your next retreat destination could be at Foxconn. The electronics assembler’s successful wellness therapy program has opened the door for a chain of healthcare resorts (paywall) in Asia.
The giant inflatable duck is missing. The work of public art that has toured the world was last seen floating on China’s Nanming River before flooding hit the region.
Ancient pieces of Lego keep washing up on a British beach. They’re from a shipping container with millions of Lego pieces lost in a storm in 1997.
A stroll in the park makes you a better person. A French study has found a connection between immersion in nature and acts of altruism.
The German team has broken its World Cup trophy. A piece of the prize “was chipped off“ after celebrations got a little out of hand.
The US is increasingly criminalizing homelessness. Laws that restrict loitering, begging, sitting and lying down in public are on the rise across the country.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, giant duck sightings, and missing bits of the World Cup trophy to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.