Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The Environmental Protection Agency abandons emissions rules. “The war on coal is over,” EPA head Scott Pruitt said yesterday. Pruitt, will formally sign a proposal to withdraw the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan, which would have pushed states away from coal and toward cleaner ways to generate power.
The IMF releases its World Economic Outlook. The monetary fund is expected to raise its global growth forecast after its annual meeting with the World Bank on Tuesday. Germany is hopeful the IMF will continue to back its G20 initiatives, including the Compact with Africa, which bolsters investments in the continent.
Catalonia declares independence—or not. Tensions are high as Catalan president Carles Puigdemont prepares to either declare independence or work with Spain to keep Catalonia part of the country. On Monday, France said it wouldn’t recognize Catalonia if Puigdemont presses ahead with secession.
While you were sleeping
Shinzo Abe put his Trump bromance at the core of his campaign. More than 1,000 candidates started campaigning ahead of Japan’s general election—but the fight is mainly between the prime minister and Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. Abe’s manifesto focuses on his close relationship with the US in the face of the North Korean threat.
Tujia raised millions to come after Airbnb. China’s biggest short-term and vacation-let company raised $300 million from investors, valuing it at more than $1.5 billion. While still small compared to Airbnb, Tujia is planning aggressive expansion abroad to tap growing demand for accommodation from Chinese tourists.
Online orders spiced up Domino’s sales. The pizza giant posted a 21% jump in third quarter sales, thanks to a surge in digital ordering. It now has more than 1,000 outlets in the UK, and also reported robust sales growth in Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland.
Iceland became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. Its team beat Kosovo Monday night and won its qualifying group. Previously, no country with a population of less than 1 million had made it into the competition—Iceland has a population of about 335,000.
HelloFresh is taking a second run at an IPO. The German meal-kit company is hoping to do better than rival Blue Apron’s underwhelming public listing in June. HelloFresh is still posting losses, although sales almost doubled to €435 million ($512 million) in the six months to end of June from the same period a year ago. It aims to raise around €300 million through its listing.
Quartz obsession interlude
Eshe Nelson on the flaws a Nobel Prize-winning economist wants you to know about yourself. “Most people are likely to stick with the status quo even if there are big gains to be made from a change that involves just a small cost. In particular, this is one of the implications of loss aversion. That’s why a nudge, such as changing the default option on a contract, can be so effective. Thaler’s research on pension programs shows that while employees can choose to opt-out of a plan, the status quo bias means once they are in it, they are actually more likely to stay put.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis has nothing to do with language. The French-English divide reflects rampant socio-economic disparities.
Confidentiality agreements can protect harassers. If Harvey Weinstein hadn’t been able to use nondisclosure agreements and confidential settlements, future sexual harassment victims may have been spared.
It’s democratic-socialist countries vs. authoritarian state-capitalists. Communism may have failed, but there are still ways to combine an authoritarian government with a market economy or pair democracies with safety nets for poorer citizens.
Surprising discoveries
A newly discovered Martian lake could help us understand life on Earth. It once held 10 times as much water as all of the Great Lakes combined and might have hosted life.
US high school students are missing out on billions in aid. The class of 2017 collectively left $2.3 billion in free federal grant money for college on the table.
Richard Thaler cameoed in an Oscar-winning film. The Economics Nobel winner made an appearance in The Big Short alongside pop star Selena Gomez.
The “nocebo” is the placebo’s counterpart. Patients can suffer negative side effects from sugar pills—particularly if the medication cost them a lot of money.
Ikea’s bringing Scandinavian style to your pets. The Lurvig (“hairy”) collection caters to cats and dogs with minimalist beds, toys, and tiny couches.
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