Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Bank of England tries to halt its first strike in 50 years. The central bank will meet with union representatives in hopes of heading off a three-day strike over staff wages. If the talks fail, the strike will begin Tuesday. The Bank of England is also set to announce interest-rate changes on Monday.
Jury deliberations begin in the Martin Shkreli trial. US federal prosecutors argue that Shkreli, who ran two hedge funds along with the pharmaceutical company Retrophin, cheated investors in a Ponzi-like scheme. He could face up to 20 years in prison for fraud.
Heineken announces its second-quarter results. The Dutch beer behemoth has faced pushback (paywall) from UK regulators concerned that its plans to buy 1,900 Punch Taverns pubs would leave British customers in certain areas with too little competition. To avoid further scrutiny, Heineken has proposed selling the pubs in 33 areas; regulators are still weighing the offer.
HSBC posts its latest earnings. Analysts expect the UK-based bank to announce that profits are down from the same period in the previous year.
Over the weekend
Trump took China to task over North Korea’s missile tests. US President Donal Trump tweeted on Saturday that China’s leaders are doing “NOTHING” to help thwart North Korea’s nuclear weapons. US secretary of state Rex Tillerson piled on, calling Russia and China North Korea’s “principal economic enablers.” As tensions mount, the US carried out a test of its controversial anti-missile system and flew B-1 bombers over the Korean peninsula as part of military exercises.
Venezuela went ahead with a controversial vote. Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pushed ahead with an election Sunday to form a new constituent assembly that could rewrite the country’s constitution. Critics called it a move (paywall) to displace the elected, opposition-controlled National Assembly and create Latin America’s newest dictatorship. Violence erupted on both sides, with at least 10 dead in the last 24 hours.
Apple removed apps that help people in China evade censorship. Chinese users rely on virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent the country’s internet filters and access the open web. But on Saturday, Apple confirmed that it had removed the software from its China app store in order to comply with a law, approved in January, that bans all VPNs operating without government approval.
Elon Musk handed over the keys to Tesla’s Model 3. The first 30 owners of Tesla’s long-awaited mass market vehicle drove their cars home after a launch event outside the company’s Fremont factory in California. Tesla hopes the Model 3, with a minimum price tag of $35,000, will be the first electric vehicle to be adopted by millions of mainstream buyers in the US and Europe.
Russia retaliated against impending US sanctions. Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the US embassy to cut 755 diplomats from its staff in response to tough new sanctions approved by the US Congress last week. Although Trump opposed the sanctions, which condemn Russia for meddling in the 2016 US election, he is expected to sign the bill.
Quartz obsession interlude
Melody Wilding on the confidence myth. “We tend to think confidence is a personality trait, and treat it as a prerequisite for action. So we put off signing up for a dating site because we feel insecure about our looks, or neglect to apply for jobs because we worry that we won’t be competitive. But the truth is that confidence isn’t an innate trait; it’s a quality gained through experience. So we should take risks in order to build confidence—not the other way around.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Elon Musk should stop running Tesla. Passing the torch on the auto company would relieve Musk of his boring CEO duties, so he could put his visionary talents to better use.
Paid parental leave has bipartisan appeal. Trump and Democrats have come to the same conclusion: The US needs to pay parents for time off after the birth of their child.
The American South is much more diverse than most people assume. The media and pop culture tend to depict the South as a bastion of white conservatives—but the reality is far richer and more complex.
Surprising discoveries
Millennials don’t have any special tech superpowers. Research suggests that so-called “digital natives” are no more adept at smartphones and computers than older generations.
Finnish scientists are using electricity to make food. Zapping protein powder into existence could be a step toward addressing world hunger.
The US Department of Defense wants a better way to vet social science. The goal is to develop a system that can help separate credible research from unreliable studies.
A record-holding 17th-century pub is for sale. The Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, Yorkshire, the highest watering hole in the UK at 1,735 feet, often gets snowed in—but it’s the perfect spot to glimpse the Northern Lights.
Alcohol may be the culprit behind teenage obesity. A recent study showed that 39% of high schoolers in Canada admitted to drinking five or more drinks per night once a month—which adds up to a lot of calories.
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