Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Black Friday kicks off. Quartz has a guide to some of the big sales you should watch, from phones to wearables to TVs.
Amazon workers are going on strike in Europe. Unions in Italy and Germany are holding out for better bonuses (paywall), with hundreds preparing to walk out on one of the retailer’s busiest days of the year.
The EU will look into Uber’s data breach fiasco. The bloc’s privacy regulators will discuss the ride-hailing app’s actions after CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the firm covered up a huge data breach in 2016, which exposed personal data from around 57 million accounts.
Hondurans go to the polls on Nov. 26. The Central American country is set to re-elect US-friendly leader Juan Orlando Hernandez. His crackdown on gangs has slowed killings and he has brought the country back from the economic brink, overseeing the world’s biggest sovereign bond rally in the process.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump talked ISIL and tax cuts in his Thanksgiving address. The president hailed troops in Afghanistan as “brave, incredible fighters” who were delivering “defeat after defeat” against ISIL. He also lauded stock market gains and promised “big, beautiful, fat tax cuts.”
Peter Thiel may try to buy Gawker. PayPal’s co-founder initially funded Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit which bankrupted the irreverent blog. Now he is appealing against being locked out of the sale of Gawker’s assets, which includes 14 years of content, its domain, and its social media accounts.
Angela Merkel is poised for a fourth term. After coalition talks collapsed in Germany, the country’s biggest opposition party, the Social Democrats, said they are ready for talks with Merkel’s Conservatives on supporting a minority government led by the long-serving chancellor.
Robert Mugabe escaped prosecution. Zimbabwe granted its former president immunity from prosecution, a “generous pension,” and told him his safety will be protected in his home country. Meanwhile, he’ll be on the search for a new home after being booted out his state house.
Bangladesh agreed to send Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmar. More than 600,000 Rohingya people could be deported back to the country that has been accused of “ethnic cleansing” by the US and UN. Bangladeshi officials said the displaced could be returned within two months.
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain on strategies to avoid the buying binge of holiday sales. “But let’s face it, a lot of the buying we do at this time of year is just because things are on sale, and much of it isn’t actually for others… So how do we avoid these impulse purchases that drain our bank accounts and pile up unused stuff in closets or cabinets? Here are some simple, common-sense tips to help.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Inherited wealth needs to be taxed fairly. A balance between no tax and a high tax will benefit the economy, and also help people who inherit money.
George Orwell is overrated. The canonical writer’s simplistic and moralizing outlook is ill equipped to tackle today’s complex problems.
OPEC is over. In the age of ocean drilling, electric cars, and corruption retribution against oppressive oil-rich governments, the once-dominant cartel is not long for this world.
Surprising discoveries
A Swiss village will pay you to live in it. Albinen is offering to fund new residents and families as long as they’re young and ready to commit for a decade.
Deep fat fryers help cool the environment. Tiny solid or liquid particles from fatty acid molecule clouds reflect about 25% of the sun’s energy back into space.
More American girls are turning to self-harm. Smartphone use, increasing academic demands, and economic stress on families might be contributing to a surge in 10-to-14-year-old girls arriving in ERs with self-inflicted injuries.
A New Zealand math exam was too tough for teachers. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority is facing complaints for issuing an assessment exam that many students—and some adults—simply can’t pass.
Making simple changes to job ads can get more women in tech. Axing sports analogies and phrases like “work hard, play hard” will get more women into the industry.
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