Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
US presidential candidates culminate their campaigns. It is the last day of campaigning for the May 3 primary in Indiana, which could prove the inflection point for both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. If Trump wins decisively—as seems likely, according to polls—he will effectively win the Republican nomination.
Shinzo Abe’s European tour. The Japanese prime minister will visit Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Britain this week ahead of the G7 summit on May 26-27 in Japan. Abe will meet with European Council president Donald Tusk to discuss the Japan-EU economic partnership negotiations before heading to Russia to meet with president Vladimir Putin.
Puerto Rico defaults. The US territory will miss a major debt payment due today to bondholders of the Government Development Bank, which acts as the island’s primary fiscal agent and lender of last resort.
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Over the weekend
Vodafone took steps toward an IPO for its Indian unit. The IPO is expected to happen early next year and raise between $2 billion and $2.5 billion. It will enable further expansion by the UK telecom operator in a market with over a billion mobile subscribers.
Halliburton and Baker Hughes called off their merger. The $28 billion deal between the world’s second- and third-largest oilfield services firms was scrapped after the parties failed to satisfy concerns from EU and US antitrust regulators. Halliburton must now pay Baker Hughes a $3.5 billion termination fee by May 4.
John Kerry flew to Geneva to try and save the Syrian ceasefire. The US secretary of state is holding urgent talks with the UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and the Saudi and Jordanian foreign ministers. The ceasefire is in jeopardy after weekend attacks by Syrian forces on the city of Aleppo, where hundreds of civilians have died in recent fighting.
Germany’s far-right party backed an anti-Islam manifesto. At their weekend party conference, Alternative for Germany leaders said Islam is not compatible with the German constitution, and called for a ban on minarets and burqas. The party has members in half of the country’s state assemblies, but none as yet in the federal parliament.
Colombia arrested Peru’s most-wanted man. Crime boss Gerson Galvez, also known as “the Snail,” was apprehended in Medellin on Saturday and deported to Peru. He is accused of operating a huge cocaine-trafficking gang in the Peruvian port of Callao.
Quartz obsession interlude
Thu-Huong Ha on how the US took a gamble on Vietnamese refugees 41 years ago. “It was March 1975, and my father had been in the US for 10 months… The war at home in Vietnam was getting worse, and his wife and 10-month-old daughter—my older sister—risked being stranded in Saigon. My father knew that, barring some miracle, he would be separated from them, maybe for years, possibly forever.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The White House Correspondents’ Association doesn’t practice the transparency it preaches. The charity behind the annual dinner fails to adhere to standard nonprofit practices, and its focus is clouded by glitz and glamor.
Saying “I feel like” is nothing more than linguistic hedging. It presents opinions as vague emotions and, in so doing, stops debate dead.
Marijuana does not count as medicine. Dispensary marijuana has no prescribing information, no exact dosage levels for specific medicines, and not enough safety studies or widely available scientific evidence.
Surprising discoveries
The creator of Bitcoin is an Australian entrepreneur. Craig Wright revealed himself as “Satoshi Nakamoto,” ending years of speculation.
A British soccer team flies in Buddhist monks from Thailand to bless the players. Leicester City players receive their blessing before each home game.
The ginger gene contains the key to youthful looks. People judged to look younger than they really are often have the MC1R gene.
The world free-dive champion beat his own record. William Trubridge from New Zealand plunged 122 m (400 ft) on one breath lasting 4 minutes and 42 seconds.
Physics can be used to explain human behavior. Humans face the same design problems that confront the natural world.
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