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What to watch for today
Benny Gantz tries to form an Israeli government. The centrist politician will formally get his chance to assemble a ruling coalition after longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he could not cobble together enough support in the divided knesset to stay in power.
Sochi hosts the first Russia-Africa summit. Russian president Vladimir Putin will meet with leaders of at least 47 African countries for an economic forum and political summit, marking his country’s expanding trade ties on the continent.
Earnings reports expect turbulence. Boeing is projected to announce a 23% drop in revenue as it struggles to contain a lingering drip of damaging headlines from its 737 Max scandal. Meanwhile, investors expect the death of Windows 7 to be a boon to Microsoft’s sales, but worry that Tesla may not deliver as many cars this year as expected.
While you were sleeping
China is creating a plan to replace Carrie Lam. If Xi Jinping gives the go-ahead, Lam’s replacement would be installed by March and serve out the rest of her term until 2022, according to the Financial Times. Beijing reportedly wants to wait to make the change until protests calm down to avoid any appearance of capitulating to protesters.
Brexit legislation entered limbo. The UK’s parliament voted in favor of prime minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, but rejected his proposal that they give it their final approval in three days. Johnson had threatened to withdraw his deal and call an election in retaliation, but said he would talk to EU leaders before making his next move.
Russia and Turkey teamed up against Syrian Kurds. Putin gave Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan his blessing to clear out the remaining Kurdish forces from northern Syria and promised that Russian and Syrian government troops loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad would help root out the last of the fighters.
A top US diplomat testified about a US-Ukraine quid pro quo. Bill Taylor said to lawmakers that he had been told in no uncertain terms that US president Donald Trump required Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to investigate former VP Joe Biden in exchange for a White House meeting.
Snapchat soared while McDonald’s moped. Snap reported that its userbase grew 13% year-over-year while its revenue rose 50%, far surpassing expectations. Meanwhile, McDonald’s fell short on US sales growth and only brought in a measly $5.43 billion in overall revenue, disappointing investors.
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India’s hard push on renewables isn’t about climate change—yet. After spending 25 years working in the financial markets, Tim Buckley, head of the Australasia bureau of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, has dedicated himself to understanding and accelerating the transition to clean energy. On a smoggy afternoon in Delhi, Buckley spoke to Quartz about India’s challenge to provide its people with increasing amounts of energy while lowering its dependence on fossil fuels.
Quartz Obsession
Data compression makes Netflix and chill possible. As we send more and more data through the internet, we constantly test the limits of mathematics, computing power, and perception to reduce communication to its essence. The Quartz Obsession leaves out only the unessentials.
Matters of debate
Hypocrisy was a better look. At least when world leaders pretended to be acting for the greater good, their bases may have been moved to do the same.
Spotify owes it all to Napster. The idea that music is a public resource changed the way we buy and sell it.
Hidden cameras miss the point. Obvious surveillance devices deter criminals on one hand, and lessen paranoia on the other.
Surprising discoveries
Aye-ayes are six-fingered. The already bizarre animal is the first primate to show evidence of a pseudothumb.
Organic farming is harmful farming. It may reduce carbon emissions, but it requires a lot more land.
The dinosaur-killing asteroid took a greater toll on marine life. Flash acidification threw a major wrench in the ocean’s food chain.
Massachusetts could outlaw the “b-word.” It’s demeaning to women and everyone else, really, says a proposed bill.
Gull poop pollutes islands, but it’s our fault. The birds scavenge among garbage, then carpet bomb their natural habitats with wrappers and chemicals.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Napster mixtapes, and guano deposits to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Nicolás Rivero and Susan Howson.