Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
A blood moon rises, planets align, and a storm arrives. On Friday, much of the world will see a blood moon during the longest lunar eclipse of the century (here’s some moon music to set the scene), while the naked eye will be able to see five planets put on a planet parade. In Japan, Typhoon Jongdari will bring rainfall and harsh winds, but also end the nation’s fatal heat wave.
North Korea will begin shipping US soldiers’ remains. North Korean officials have reportedly accepted wooden caskets to move the remains of US soldiers killed during the Korean War, starting Friday—the 65th anniversary of the armistice that ended the conflict. The process was previously stalled when North Korea skipped a meeting, and there are still reports that the plans are unconfirmed.
Forty countries will monitor Cambodia’s general election. Cambodia’s National Election Committee said 306 international observers, along with along with 90,000 local observers and about 80,000 others from national bodies, will keep an eye on Sunday’s voting. Almost 9 million people are expected to cast their ballots.
GDP data, Twitter earnings, and Merck’s quarterly figures. Many economists expect US second-quarter GDP growth to exceed 4%, a figure not seen since 2014. Wall Street analysts think Twitter will have a surge in revenue and its third consecutive profitable quarter, while pharmaceutical company Merck will likely exceed earnings forecasts.
While you were sleeping
Amazon both did and didn’t deliver. The e-commerce giant fell short on revenue, reporting $52.9 billion instead of the expected $53.41 billion, but profits soared at $5.07 per share instead of the predicted $2.50. Amazon stock price jumped 2% on the news, but it wasn’t enough to make Amazon the world’s first trillion-dollar company.
Pakistan’s cricket legend Imran Khan declared general election victory. Khan’s political opponents have accused him of vote rigging by kicking out their monitors from ballot centers and orchestrating handwritten, unverifiable tallies. The Election Commission of Pakistan said there was no conspiracy, and Khan has offered to investigate the claims.
Donald Trump threatened to punish Turkey. Detained pastor Andrew Brunson was accused of espionage and collusion in a failed coup against Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2016—US officials say moving Brunson to house arrest is not good enough, and Trump has promised “large sanctions” (paywall) if no further action is taken.
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s shares took a turn. European regulators think the company’s immunotherapy treatment for kidney cancer should not be approved, and the announcement sent Bristol-Myers’ shares down 3.2%, reversing previous gains from higher earnings and an improved full-year forecast.
Facebook’s freefall makes Wall Street history. The $100 billion drop in stock value (paywall) marks the largest ever, as privacy concerns, GDPR, and a multi-agency investigation by US officials catch up with the social media platform, and investors worry about the cost of a privacy revamp.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Ephrat Livni on the terrifying history of lunar eclipses: “Though we may find it amazing to observe, we mostly aren’t afraid that a lunar eclipse is a bad omen—except for those who believe a blood-moon prophecy in the Bible predicts the end of days.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Facebook isn’t a monopoly. Plenty of its competitors do certain things better, and the US government doesn’t need to break it up (paywall).
This new dark timeline is great for BRICS. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa form an imperfect coalition perfectly positioned to benefit from our crumbling world order.
Genetic engineering is the key to our survival. In a future of 3D-printed guns, bioterrorism, and accelerated climate change, artificially improving our genes isn’t a bad idea.
Surprising discoveries
A cat-poop parasite actually boosts business smarts. However, toxoplasma gondii is also linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
South Yorkshire vandals keep abusing a shrubbery sculpture. A local artist says people keep “going through the motions of having sex” with his female-formed topiary.
Only 13% of our oceans are unpolluted. Just Earth’s poles and a small portion of the Pacific remain largely unaffected by fishing, shipping routes, and pollution.
The world’s oldest person has died. Japanese citizen Chiyo Miyako, born on May 2, 1901, held the official record, which now passes to another 117-year-old.
Someone hijacked Betsy DeVos’s yacht. The US education secretary’s $40 million luxury boat sustained up to $10,000 in scrapes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, longevity secrets, and wayward watercraft to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written by McKinley Noble and Aisha Hassan, and edited by Susan Howson.