Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The EU votes to curb the use of palm oil. The proposed legislation, part of an attempt to discourage deforestation in southeast Asia, was protested by hundreds of Malaysian farmers on Tuesday. Palm oil is produced primarily by Indonesia and Malaysia and is largely used to make biofuel.
Eight countries are removed from the EU tax haven blacklist. Panama, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Barbados, Grenada, Macao, Mongolia, and Tunisia will be delisted after making requested changes to their tax policies. Nine other countries will remain.
Indonesian Christians try to block their deportation from the US. Attorneys for 51 immigrants who say they fled religious persecution will appear in court in an attempt to counteract an expulsion order from US officials. Some have been in the United States for as long as 20 years.
While you were sleeping
US lawmakers urged AT&T to cut ties with Huawei. Reuters reports that congressional staffers have been warning the mobile carrier not to carry smartphones made by the Chinese tech giant due to national security concerns. An AT&T deal to sell Huawei devices was scrapped in the final hours before a major product showcase at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show.
General Electric considered a break-up. After suffering a $11 billion hit from its long-term care insurance portfolio and new US tax laws, CEO John Flannery said he was once again considering splitting up the storied industrial conglomerate. Shares tumbled 3.6% on the news.
Steve Bannon was grilled over Trump-Russia ties. The former presidential advisor testified in a closed-door congressional session about the firing of FBI director James Comey. He was also compelled to testify before a grand jury next week—one of the first subpoenas of anyone in president Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles accused a team doctor of molestation. She’s the fourth athlete from the 2012 “Fierce Five” US Olympic team to come forward. Larry Nassar, a USA Gymnastics doctor, is being sentenced after pleaded guilty to molesting more than half a dozen teenage gymnasts.
Quartz obsession interlude
Joo Ian Wong on the rise and fall of a Korean crypto exchange: “Bithumb’s struggles to scale its operations mirror the problems facing exchanges around the world. Often set up by founders without a background in developing serious financial platforms, cryptocurrency exchanges are struggling to build systems that can withstand the rapidly growing demand for access to the crypto markets.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Hawaii’s nuclear missile false alarm was a failure of design. A lack of failsafes and a confusing user interface led almost inevitably to disaster.
TV advertising and retail are headed for a perfect storm of failure. The combination of e-commerce and cord-cutting could spell disaster for two interdependent industries.
Social causes can reduce employee turnover. Fulfilling a desire to volunteer helps job satisfaction, especially when it draws on expertise and competition.
Surprising discoveries
Fanta was created specifically for Nazi Germany. With American imports drying up, a German bottler improvised with a new soda recipe based on apple shavings and whey.
The hunt is on for deadly blowfish sold accidentally in Japan. A city sent out emergency alerts, but has only found three of the five packets of fugu sold by a supermarket.
NASA engineers thought female astronauts would want makeup in space. The cosmetic kit prototype they designed was never used.
Hong Kong’s Cantopop owes a debt to Dolores O’Riordan. The late Cranberries singer inspired Faye Wong to cover “Dreams” in 1994, which sparked a movement of its own.
A man who held in a sneeze ruptured the back of his throat. The patient proved generations of mothers right and was hospitalized for seven days.
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