Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Talks on Greece’s latest austerity measures. Euro-zone finance ministers meet to discuss whether to grant Greece more bailout money, after Greek lawmakers passed a new package of tax hikes and pension cuts on Sunday. Thousands of Greeks protested ahead of the vote but there was little violence.
A federal face-off in North Carolina. The US state’s Republican legislators have until today to revoke or revise a controversial “bathroom bill” that prevents transgender people from using restrooms corresponding to their gender identity. The Republicans say they don’t intend (paywall) to meet the deadline, set by the US Justice Department.
Filipinos elect a president. And 71-year-old Rodrigo Duterte is expected to win. The populist front-runner has garnered comparisons to Donald Trump with his incendiary rhetoric and incipient dictatorial tendencies. He has promised to eliminate congress and set up a “revolutionary government” if he can’t make quick progress within the current system.
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Over the weekend
Alberta’s wildfires hit oil prices. The halt in oil production has reduced daily output by a fifth in the world’s third-largest oil production hub, causing a jump (paywall) in oil prices in early Monday trading. Brent crude rose as much as 2.5% to top $46 a barrel. It looks set to become Canada’s most expensive natural disaster ever.
Saudi Arabia shook up its government. King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued more than 50 decrees in accordance with his plan to reduce Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil. Long-serving oil minister Ali al-Naimi is out and 30-year-old deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has cemented his grip on oil policy, which could mean more volatility in world oil prices.
Kim Jong-un said North Korea will play nice with nukes. He promised not to use nuclear weapons in a first strike, in a speech to the Workers’ Party congress, despite a series of nuclear missile “tests” by North Korea since the start of this year.
Uber and Lyft suspended their services in Texas. Voters in Austin came out in favor of upholding regulations that constrain how the ride-hailing services can operate. The two companies had spent nearly $9 million lobbying citizens to overturn the rules, passed by the city in December. It’s a big defeat for Uber and Lyft after consistently getting their way across dozens of US cities.
New Zealand was revealed as a prime place to hide money. The Panama Papers leak alleges that wealthy Latin Americans use the country’s secretive shelf companies to channel funds around the world, putting pressure on prime minister John Key to speed up a review of foreign trust laws.
Quartz obsession interlude
Steve LeVine on the doubts about a Cambridge professor’s battery breakthrough. “No one appears to have previously combined all three compounds, at least for the purpose of a lithium-air battery. The result, Grey’s group reported, was a battery that charged and recharged 2,000 times—a remarkable achievement, if true. A decade more of work would be required to resolve other problems with lithium-air, but one big obstacle was lifted.” Read more.
Matters of debate
Europe should take a lesson from the fall of the Roman Empire. It was caused by a mishandled migrant crisis.
Robots won’t eliminate all human jobs. Rich robot owners will want lots more artisanal things and we’ll need to retrain humans to produce them.
Parents’ smartphone addiction is affecting kids. A UK survey found primary school children lacked conversational skills thanks to lack of parental interaction.
Surprising discoveries
Mercury passes across the Sun on Monday. The smallest planet in our solar system transits the Sun 13 or 14 times each century and can only be watched through filtered telescopes.
Indians are paying for dangerous leg-lengthening surgery. Many young people believe being taller will increase their career and marriage prospects.
The art of skywriting is almost dead. One family business in the US is the final torchbearer for the airborne messages.
A “cyborg artist” can sense every earthquake around the world. A magnet implanted in her arm picks up the tremors, which she expresses as dance.
A video game can help detect Alzheimer’s. Just two minutes of playing “Sea Hero Quest” provides the equivalent of 70 years of lab data on spatial memory and navigation.
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