Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Spain calls an emergency meeting on Catalonia. After announcing that it will revoke the secessionist region’s autonomy and impose direct rule, the Spanish cabinet will meet on Saturday to decide on specific measures to impose tighter control. The move deepens one of the country’s worst political crises (paywall) in decades.
Japan goes to the polls on Sunday. Prime minister Shinzo Abe looks set for victory despite an initially strong challenge from Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. But polls suggest that Abe’s popularity is shaky ahead of his party’s leadership vote next year. Typhoon Lan could hinder voting in the country’s south.
The Czech Republic elects a prime minister. The expected victory by billionaire Andrej Babiš, who’s taken a hard line against immigration, would represent a shift toward anti-establishment populism. Dubbed the “Czech Trump,” the country’s second-richest man has been charged with fraud and accused of previous links to communist-era secret police.
While you were sleeping
The US Senate paved the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Lawmakers rejected an amendment that would have closed the vast coastal plain in northern Alaska to oil development. One of the most pristine areas of the US, the refuge is a stronghold of caribou and hundreds of other wildlife species.
The FBI is investigating a Chinese businessman linked to a North Korean trade network. Sun Sidong was connected to a ship smuggling North Korean rocket-propelled grenades last year, reported the Wall Street Journal (paywall). The investigation is part of US efforts to cut off networks supplying goods and currency to North Korea’s ruling regime.
PayPal had a stellar third quarter. The payments giant exceeded expectations across the board (paywall). Profit rose 18% from a year ago, revenue rose 21%, and the company added 8.2 million new accounts, the largest organic gain in at least three years. Total payment volume increased 30% to a record $114 billion, with about a third of that coming through a mobile device.
Singapore Airlines said it would finalize a $13.8 billion Boeing order. The deal involves nearly 40 aircraft and will be signed during a visit by Singaporean prime minister Lee Hsien Loong to Washington, DC next week. It’s seen as a major blow to rival Airbus.
Quartz obsession interlude
Leah Fessler on the men paralyzed by #MeToo. “The risk that men perceive about potential backlash for writing or saying something insensitive—women experience that risk, too. We risk vicious online harassment every time we post a potentially controversial thought online, as well as the possibility that we’ll make a mistake, or that others will rightfully point out our blind spots. But it’s necessary to take that risk in order to learn and improve. Staying silent for fear of messing up only bolsters a culture of silence around sexism and abuse.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Apple iPhone 8 / sales are looking terrible / bye $19 billion!
Matters of debate
Psychopaths aren’t the best hedge-fund managers. New research suggests that manipulative narcissists make fewer overall profits than their friendlier peers.
Climate change is making cities more dangerous. We underestimate the effect that floods and heatwaves have on the 3 billion people living in dense urban areas.
Robots are real enough for human love. Androids are more lifelike than ever, and feeling genuine emotions for them won’t be so unusual in the near future.
Surprising discoveries
Japan discovered a moon cave big enough for a lunar base. The massive chasm could provide a natural shield from harsh conditions for future Lunarians.
Millennials are behind the Airbnb surge in Africa. Young people are exchanging luxury comforts for the more authentic experience in cities like Cape Town and Casablanca.
Psychedelics make people less likely to commit crimes. Researchers think treating violent criminals with magic mushrooms and the like could lead to fewer thefts and assaults.
Scotland established the first floating wind farm. Seabound turbine power is a game changer for renewable energy that’s already lighting up Scottish households.
Men who harass women in France may get fined. A potential law would ban catcalls, pick-up lines, and other public street abuse, and establish new regulations for consent.
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