Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China reshuffles its central committee. The ruling communist party is expected to expel eight full members and three alternates who have run afoul of president Xi Jinping’s corruption crackdown. The party’s 200-member ruling committee is holding its final meeting before next week’s twice-a-decade congress.
SpaceX’s second launch of the week. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry a Luxembourg communications satellite into orbit at 6:53 pm EDT (6:53 am HK time) from the US east coast. Its SpaceX’s 15th launch of 2017 and comes less than three days after a separate launch from the west coast.
GIC goes public. India’s largest reinsurer will kick off the country’s third-biggest IPO, which is expected to raise around 11,370 crore ($1.7 billion.)
While you were sleeping
Catalonia put independence on hold. President Carles Puigdemont said the suspension is an effort to “de-escalate the situation” while he seeks talks with the Spanish government.
Procter & Gamble won the biggest proxy battle ever. Shareholders rejected a bid by Nelson Peltz for a board seat, but only by a slim margin. The activist investor, founding partner of Trian Fund Management, won a seat on GE’s board just a day before (paywall).
Walmart’s bullish outlook sent shares up 4.7%. The retail behemoth’s stock hit a two-year high after it projected a 40% online sales increase in the next fiscal year. To pay for its online expansion, Walmart will build fewer physical stores, instead opening 1,000 online grocery pickup locations.
Kenya’s opposition leader quit before an election re-run. Raila Odinga pulled out of October’s upcoming contest, saying it would allow Kenya’s electoral commission to introduce reforms to ensure a credible election. The original vote in August, which re-elected incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta, was annulled due to ballot irregularities.
More women accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and sexual harassment. A New Yorker report includes interviews with 13 women, at least three of whom alleged they were raped by the producer. The New York Times followed up with accusations by Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie (paywall) that Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances. Hillary Clinton also publicly condemned Weinstein, a longtime donor.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jayashri Kulkarni on the shortcomings of borderline personality disorder. “As a diagnostic term, borderline personality disorder not only fails to capture any of the underlying issues and mechanisms involved in producing its symptoms, it also denigrates them. In contrast, major depressive disorder describes a serious condition with the key feature of depressed mood explicit in the diagnostic term.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Just chugging along / Stocks hit another record / 401k whee!
Matters of debate
It’s time to assume that all of our data will be stolen. A determined hacker can almost always succeed, so the tech industry needs to focus on limiting the damage.
Nobel Prize-winner Richard Thaler’s “nudge” theory is great for conservatives. Choice architecture is a powerful force in the regulation of marriage, immigration, and abortion.
The next financial crisis is probably around the corner. Whether it’s budget deficits, higher debts, unstable markets, or loosened bank regulations, it’s just a matter of time.
Surprising discoveries
Your office’s CO2 levels could be making you dumber. Hermetically sealed workspaces protect from external air pollution, but at a heavy cost (paywall).
A defiant Indian McDonald’s franchise has gone rogue. The fast food giant says its partner is in breach of contract (paywall), but Connaught Plaza Restaurants has vowed to keep selling burgers and fries.
Swedish boars are radioactive from eating Chernobyl mushrooms. Fallout from the 1986 nuclear disaster was carried a thousand miles (1,600 km) west and began moving up the food chain.
A man in a shark costume was fined for violating Austria’s burqa ban. The law may also ensnare people in costumes or motorcycle gear.
Scientists found half of the universe’s missing matter. It was hiding in particles called baryons that connect galaxies via “filaments of hot, diffuse gas.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, missing matter, and legally compliant shark masks to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.