Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The Catalan crisis comes to a head. Today Spanish lawmakers are expected to pass legislation allowing prime minister Mariano Rajoy to seize control of the insurgent region’s budget, police force, and state-run media. Last night Catalonia’s president, Carles Puigdemont, said he would let the Catalan parliament vote on independence, which it could do today (paywall).
Venezuela might default on its debt. The state-run oil company PDVSA owes $985 million on its 2020 bond today and investors fear the country’s cash-strapped government doesn’t have enough money. The radio silence out of Caracas isn’t helping, and neither is the fact that another bond payment, for $1.2 billion, comes due next week.
Voting resumes in Kenya’s repeat presidential election. In various areas yesterday it was prevented by protestors and postponed until Saturday. Police used tear gas, three deaths were reported in the city of Kisumu, and opposition supporters—who contend the vote isn’t credible—barricaded polling stations in the Kibera slum of Nairobi.
Apple starts taking iPhone X pre-orders. Customers and media are bracing for a mad retail rush as everyone basically ignores the iPhone 8 (paywall) in favor of its more expensive face-scanning successor, which is expected to be initially in short supply.
While you were sleeping
Australia’s deputy prime minister was ruled ineligible to remain in parliament. Barnaby Joyce’s status, along with that of six other lawmakers, had been cast into doubt when it was found they were dual citizens, which makes them ineligible for national parliament. Joyce’s departure is no small thing, as prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government will lose its one-seat majority.
James Mattis visited the Korean DMZ. The US defense secretary stopped at the heavily fortified border on the Korean Peninsula ahead of talks today in Seoul. South Korea is pushing for operational control (paywall) of its own forces in the event of a conflict with the North, whereas under existing arrangements the US would command both forces. The trip paves the way for a visit by Donald Trump, who begins a tour of Asia early next month.
CVS is considering a blockbuster bid for Aetna. The $66 billion deal (paywall) would combine a major drugstore chain with one of the largest US health insurers, and give the merged company more leverage against pharmaceutical companies. CVS also faces an expected push by Amazon into the pharmacy business.
Alphabet and Amazon posted stellar results. Google’s parent company generated $7.8 billion in quarterly profit on $27.8 billion in revenue, almost entirely from advertising, proving that being a one-trick pony can be a very lucrative business. Amazon’s $256 million profit on $43.7 billion in revenue easily outpaced analyst expectations.
Quartz obsession interlude
Aamna Mohdin and Jenny Anderson on lessons from a multi-ethnic UK school that could heal a divided nation. “Barking Abbey is a microcosm of Barking itself, which has transformed since the 1990s from a predominately white community to a far more racially diverse one. Over the same period, this one-time bastion of working class Britain has become poorer, and life has become harder for its residents.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Remote meetings are still the worst. Ill-designed tools and short attention spans contribute to an environment ripe for failure.
Facebook owes a debt to the cities it gentrified. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is handing out grants to cities where it has helped to drive up real estate prices.
It’s OK for your kid to dress up as Moana, regardless of race. A knee-jerk response does a disservice to the cause of cultural acceptance.
Surprising discoveries
Front-facing cameras were never intended for selfies. Sony, which introduced the feature, thought it would enhance business meetings.
Neanderthals with disabilities got social services to survive. Scientists’ reanalysis of a 50,000-year-old skull showed that a visually impaired and deaf male lived well into his 40s.
Abandoned land in Japan will be the size of Austria by 2040. Unclaimed land and “ghost homes” can be found all over Japan, thanks to the country’s dwindling population.
Daydreaming may be a sign of greater intelligence. People who reported higher mental walkabouts also scored higher on creativity tests.
Scientists made robotic aquabees to study the ocean. The 175 mg device has wings that both flap and paddle, allowing it to transition from air to water.
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