What to watch for today and over the weekend
A rescue attempt for South African mineworkers. Over 100 people remain “unaccounted for” after a gold mine collapsed in the east of the country. Dozens of others have already been removed from the mine.
A Japanese volcano has erupted near a nuclear plant. Lava is flowing down from Sakurajima after it erupted “explosively.” The volcano is 50 km (30 miles) from a nuclear facility.
The US jobs report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to report that the economy added fewer jobs in January than it did in December, when payrolls grew by close to 300,000. An earlier look at jobs this week suggested job growth is slowing.
It’s Super Bowl Sunday. The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos face off at the 50th annual pro football championship near San Francisco. Amazon, PayPal, and alternative lender Social Finance shelled out big bucks for their first-ever Super Bowl ads.
While you were sleeping
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders debated one-on-one. The US Democratic presidential hopefuls spent much of the time discussing the meaning of “progressive.” They also battled over their track records on Middle Eastern issues, in light of the rise of ISIL.
ArcelorMittal posted almost $7 billion in losses. The world’s largest steelmaker plans to raise $3 billion through a share sale following the fourth-quarter wipeout. The company predicted a dismal year ahead due to oversupply; shares fell by 7.5%.
Foxconn and Sharp sealed the deal. The struggling Japanese electronics manufacturer chose the $5.5-billion advances of the Taiwanese assembler over a much lower cash offer from a Japanese fund, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall).
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp missed expectations. The owner of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post said its second-quarter net income fell by more than 50% from a year earlier, to $62 million. A strong dollar and falling advertising revenue led to the decline.
The UK announced a plane-spraying policy to fight Zika. Staff will begin fumigating the interiors of airplanes arriving from Zika-infected countries, the health ministry announced, as a Spanish pregnancy became the first Zika case in Europe. The practice is common when flying from Malaria-infected countries.
China confirmed it has two more missing Hong Kong booksellers. The men are being investigated for “illegal activities,” according to a statement from Hong Kong police. That brings to three the number of bookstore staff confirmed to be in mainland China.
Quartz obsession interlude
Keith Collins on America’s most common injuries. A series of infographics analyzing US emergency room visits shows that sprains become less common as we age, while fractures become more common. Men visit the ER less frequently as they get older, while the inverse is true for women. See more here.
Matters of debate
Zika virus warnings are sexist. Men should be warned to practice safe sex—not just women.
Jeb Bush is a source of vicarious embarrassment. The Republican is so cringeworthy he makes us all feel bad.
Slack isn’t just for work. It makes for a fantastic way to organize your family life.
Surprising discoveries
A startup founder sold his shares for a bicycle. His partners each got about $36 million.
You can buy bonds backed by Parmesan cheese. They pay 5% annually and mature in 2022.
Now you can summon a Tesla with your Apple Watch. An individual developer published the hack.
North Korea is exploding trash over South Korea. Cigarette butts and used toilet paper have been flown over in balloons (paywall).
France is trying to make French simpler. Linguists are horrified at the latest attempt to banish the circumflex.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, unloved circumflexes, and cheesy bonds to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.