Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Britain tries to figure out a way forward. The country is facing a hung parliament after prime minister Theresa May’s Conservatives lost their majority and the Labour Party gained dozens of seats in yesterday’s snap election. Reports say that May, under pressure to resign, will stay on and will see the queen on Friday to try to form a government. Sterling tumbled to a low of $1.26 (paywall) early in the morning.
France begins legislative elections on Sunday. President Emmanuel Macron needs his upstart party to win a majority in the National Assembly to push through his reformist agenda. Judging by early opinion polls, it will. Macron, who won the presidency in early May, has pledged to cut public spending and liberalize the labor market.
New US consumer protections go into effect. An Obama-era rule that requires financial advisers to act in a customer’s best interest will be implemented, but maybe not for long: The regulation is currently under review (paywall) by a skeptical Trump administration.
While you were sleeping
EU leaders fretted about a Brexit delay. The EU budget commissioner, Günter Öttinger, said the UK election result threw the start date for Brexit negotiations due on June 19 into doubt, while Germany’s deputy foreign minister said there should be no more time wasting and that negotiations needed to start regardless of who forms a government in the UK.
L’Oreal picked a buyer for The Body Shop. After a lengthy auction process, the struggling British cosmetics firm is now in exclusive talks with Brazil’s Natura Cosmeticos (paywall). The deal, which values the ethical skincare company at €1 billion ($1.1 billion), will still need approval by US and Brazilian regulators.
Germany upped its imports. The country’s massive trade surplus—attacked most recently by Donald Trump—narrowed somewhat in April, when imports jumped 1.2% from the month before, shaving its trade surplus down to €19.8 billion($22.1 billion) last month from €19.9 billion in March. It reflects a bump in domestic demand driven by record-high unemployment.
Alphabet finally sold Boston Dynamics. Japanese tech giant SoftBank is the new buyer, but there’s no word yet on what they paid for the company, which is best known for its quadruped robot Big Dog and bipedal robot Atlas. Alphabet bought Boston Dynamics in 2013 but has been looking into selling it since a while to refocus its robotics efforts in areas like AI and self-driving cars.
Japan allowed its emperor to abdicate. The historic bill means Emperor Akihito will be the first to step down in 200 years. The 83-year-old monarch said his failing health was making it hard for him to keep serving—his abdication is expected to happen in late 2018. The move has opened the conversation on whether a woman could take the throne.
Quartz obsession interlude
Leah Fessler on the five-minute trick that Instagram’s CEO uses to crush procrastination: “Our motivation to engage in an activity increases as costs decrease, says Moeller. So compared to facing down hours of work, a five-minute sprint transforms a burden into something quick and exciting.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
There’s a new wealth gap online. Thanks to private content-delivery networks, the internet in rich countries will be significantly better than in poorer lands.
You should act like James Comey at work. Documenting conversations with your boss is smart, especially when it’s your word against theirs.
The Trump presidency won’t be brought down by outside forces. It will implode (paywall) thanks to a White House culture of back-stabbing and bile.
Surprising discoveries
Bad mayonnaise is a power source. When 1,250 gallons (4,700 liters) of it spoiled, researchers at Michigan State University converted it to biogas.
Some cheetahs are terrible mothers. Many cubs are born, but only a few survive—having an older and wiser mom helps.
Monogamy is sexually satisfying. Only 11% of people in one-on-one partnerships are dissatisfied, versus 22% of those in open relationships.
Tilapia skin has painkilling properties. Researchers in Brazil are using the fish skin to heal burns.
Fetuses can recognize human faces. They can also tell whether the faces are upside down.
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