Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Theresa May visits China. The British prime minister arrived in Wuhan and is expected to discuss trade with Chinese officials over the next few days, although she warned that the two countries will not always “see eye-to-eye.” She is also under pressure to raise the issue of Hong Kong’s democratic freedoms with Beijing.
Janet Yellen’s final Fed meeting. The result of the US central bank’s two-day rate-setting confab is unlikely to result in any interest rate changes, but markets will be looking for signals about the likelihood of more than three planned hikes this year.
There’s a blood moon rising. For the first time in 152 years, a total lunar eclipse will coincide with a supermoon, blood moon, and blue moon, when Luna appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter. From eastern Asia to western North America, the moon will take on a reddish hue.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address. The US president declared that (paywall) “this is our new American moment” and that “there has never been a better time to start living the American dream.” He also extolled the virtues of “beautiful clean coal,” lauded the African-American unemployment rate, and ordered Guantanamo Bay to be kept open.
Australian state secrets were exposed in a second-hand filing cabinet. National broadcaster ABC found thousands of secret documents, spanning five governments, that were left inside locked cabinets sold at a used-furniture shop in Canberra. The files included military and counter-terrorism plans; the prime minister has launched an urgent investigation.
Nintendo recorded its best third quarter in eight years. The Japanese video-game giant benefited from robust sales of its hybrid Switch games console, which debuted early last year. The company raised its annual sales forecast for the hit console to 15 million units, from a previous expectation of 14 million.
South Korea said it has no plans to ban cryptocurrency exchanges. Amid conflicting reports, finance minister Kim Dong-yeon’s allayed fears in a nation where trading bitcoin and its ilk has caught on with college students and grandmothers alike. The government will continue to tighten regulations, it said.
Fujifilm bought Xerox. The deal will fold the once-mighty American printing group—which traces its roots back to 1906—into the 50-year-old joint venture that it currently operates with Japan’s Fujifilm. Both companies have been trying to refocus and cut costs as demand for their services declines.
Quartz obsession interlude
Aamna Mohdin on how the alt-right target disgruntled white male lefties to join their movement. “The shift in language isn’t just a recruitment tactic, however, it’s also a calculated move to rebrand. To do so, the alt-right is following an already-established playbook by the European far right, which in the 1960s, also started to adopt the left’s language.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Does the US “do more than any other country” to help the poor? Trump’s assertion is correct in absolute terms, but not on a per-capita basis.
The UK could transition away from natural gas faster than expected. Thanks to a quirk in its auction system, the country is importing lots of low-carbon electricity.
“Begpackers” are an ethical problem. Intentionally touching down in a country with no financial means to support yourself effectively guarantees you will be a drain on the local economy.
Surprising discoveries
Trump’s list of Putin cronies was cribbed from Forbes magazine. Russia’s elite think the “oligarchs list” is hilarious.
An Australian politician overrode a public vote to make a boat joke. After a A$100,000 ($80,000) contest to name a ferry, transport minister Andrew Constance falsely claimed that “Ferry McFerryface” had won.
Tinder discriminates against older people. A California court ruled that the Tinder Plus feature, which is cheaper for people under 30, made an “arbitrary, class-based generalization” about the incomes of older users.
Mardi Gras beads are clogging New Orleans. The city has been working hard to fix its drainage problem, but all those plastic beads aren’t helping.
A Grammy-nominated Burkina Faso band didn’t even know they had been recorded. Musicians say an American producer made the album without their consent.
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