Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Uber’s board meets. The ride-hailing company will discuss board reforms that could bring Uber closer to an IPO. It also aims to limit the power of founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick—who named two allies to the board on Friday. Newly appointed chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi will also meet transport regulators in London.
Catalonia, and FC Barcelona, go on strike. None of the soccer team’s professional or youth teams will train amid a region-wide strike in protest of the central government’s attempts to stop the Catalan independence referendum on Sunday.
Equifax’s former CEO goes before Congress. In a prepared testimony on the credit bureau’s data leak, Richard Smith will blame the incident on the credit bureau’s IT department. The company said that 2.5 million more people than initially thought had their data exposed, taking the total number of Americans affected to 145.5 million.
The Nobel Prize in physics will be awarded. The winner is due to be revealed as this email went out. You can watch the announcement live here.
While you were sleeping
The US plans to kick out most of Cuba’s diplomats. The move to throw out two-thirds of Cuba’s embassy staff comes after a number of employees in the US embassy in Havana suffered mysterious illnesses allegedly linked to sonic attacks.
Australia closed the investigation into flight MH370. Australian investigators delivered their last report on the search for the aircraft, which disappeared while flying between China and Malaysia in 2014. The report said it was “almost inconceivable and certainly societally unacceptable in the modern aviation era” that the plane could not be found.
Militants attacked a military camp in Indian-administered Kashmir. Indian media said three soldiers were injured and two attackers died in an attack at a base near Srinagar airport. Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Tom Petty died at 66. The American rocker died in California after suffering a heart attack, his family confirmed in a statement. “It’s shocking, crushing news. I thought the world of Tom. He was great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him,” said Bob Dylan.
Quartz obsession interlude
Thu-Huong Ha on a new book teaches kids all the “lost words” from nature and outdoor play. “In 2007, Oxford released a new edition of its ‘Junior’ dictionary, aimed at kids aged seven and older. A handful of parents and pedants were critical of which words had been dropped from and added to the edition. Words about nature—’moss,’ ‘blackberry’ and ‘bluebell’—were gone, and in their place, ‘blog,’ ‘chatroom,’ and ‘database.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Country-music artists need to speak up about America’s gun culture. Country music is a key part of the National Rifle Association’s lobbying efforts to sell its “lifestyle” (paywall).
Amazon is “too basic” for the fashion industry. Poor photography and a reputation for being utilitarian may quash its style ambitions.
Hollywood is relying more and more on blockbuster reboots. Sequels that mark the major anniversaries of films to pump up the nostalgia factor are particularly reliable box-office boosters.
Surprising discoveries
A California clinic is offering young blood to cure aging. A start-up is selling plasma (paywall) from young blood donors at $8,000 a transfusion, in a trial for people who want to turn back the clock.
Merlot is bouncing back. Sales have spiked for the first time since Sideways ruined its reputation.
A delivery startup is helping Nigerians have safe sex. Slide Safe discreetly delivers on-demand STD kits, condoms, and lubricants.
Pride and Prejudice is getting the virtual-reality treatment. A game inspired by Jane Austen novels takes players back to the Regency era, where gossip is the weapon of choice.
South Korea calls North Korea twice a day, everyday. But no one has picked up for 18 months.
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