What to watch for today
François Hollande meets with leaders of UK, US, Germany and Italy. US president Barack Obama will host the meeting in Turkey at which UK prime minister David Cameron, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi are all expected to be in attendance, along with the French president. Their discussion of the terrorist attacks in Paris will immediately follow the conclusion of the G20 summit there.
EU foreign council meets over refugee crisis and Russia’s actions in Syria. The council is expected to discuss the large number of refugees continuing to travel to the EU, and concerns that Russia’s airstrikes are intended to help its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, rather than combat ISIS. Meanwhile, the UN security council will meet to discuss the Beirut bomb that killed 43 people last week.
A Frenchman is due in court after he was discovered with an air rifle at a UK airport. His gun toting shut down Gatwick airport, the second largest in the UK, for six hours on Saturday morning in what was labeled a major security alert. The man will appear in an English court on Monday, charged with possessing a knife and a rifle.
Results roll in for Ukraine’s municipal elections. Voters, split between which political party they prefer, took to the polls Sunday in a runoff vote to elect mayors and council members in 29 cities.
Over the weekend
Paris, and the world, reacted to Friday night’s attacks. The City of Lights has been in mourning since the ISIL attacks, which killed more than 130 people. Many of the victims have now been identified, and at least 25 were foreign nationals. French police have launched a manhunt for a suspect they say may have managed to escape, the first of seven known attackers has been identified as 29-year-old Omar Ismail Mostefai. Belgian authorities have said two of the attackers were French nationals.
World leaders discussed ISIL in Turkey. World leaders convened in Antalya on Turkey’s southwest coast this weekend for a meeting of the G20, to discuss the global economy, the environment, migration and Syria. On Nov. 15, US president Barack Obama promised to take further action against the Islamic State in Syria, which is claiming responsibility for the Paris attacks. Russian president Putin has also reportedly been asked to focus Russia’s aerial campaign on ISIL.
Hillary Clinton teetered in the second Democratic debate. The former US secretary of state was expected to show off her masterful command of foreign policy as the Paris killings placed global affairs at the center of the stage. Instead, she found herself on the defensive over questions about Libya and ISIS. Most of the debate’s heat, however, was generated by her rivals’ attacks on her Wall St. connections.
Ronda Rousey was knocked out of the UFC. She was defeated by Holly Holm in a mixed martial arts fight that left her hospitalised and with a split lip, upsetting those who thought Rousey was unbeatable.
Quartz obsession interlude
Omar Mohammed on why Barack Obama’s love of basketball is part of the president’s legacy. ”Basketball is so central to the president’s political life that he apparently plays pick-up every election day. The tradition acquired superstitious significance after the one time he sat out a game during the New Hampshire primary in 2008—and lost the race to Hillary Clinton.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
English is a very weird language. Which is why spelling bees only work in English, where spelling doesn’t even pretend to mimic pronunciation. And, compared to other languages, the structure of English is deeply peculiar.
Stop pretending Victoria’s Secret shows aren’t sexist. If sex really wasn’t the point—if all that talk about the models’ athletic prowess and personalities was the true focus—then far fewer men would bother to show up.
Political correctness is a good thing. People of color have long been expected to not offend white people. When they do, they pay dearly. Now students at Yale and Missouri want white people to show some respect. That shouldn’t be an offensive request.
France will have to change its foreign policy. The government has long insisted that Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, must step down. The attacks in Paris could push France to pick their number one public enemy. If the government chooses ISIL, it may have to shift its focus away from Assad.
Surprising discoveries
Our humble moon could count as a planet. According to a new, mathematical definition.
Passwords can no longer protect you. These strings of characters are an artifact from a time when our computers were not hyper-connected. Today, there are no precautions that can fully protect you from being hacked.
Our great-grandchildren will speak a wildly different English. Get ready for “interlanguages,” such as Spanglish.
Prehistoric farmers were beekeepers. Humans have been enjoying the fruits of honeybees’ labor for around 9,000 years, according to new archeological research.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, password protection tips, and planet definitions to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.