Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Dilma Rousseff testifies. The suspended Brazilian president will defend herself before the Senate against charges of mishandling the budget. In a 30-minute address at 9am local time, Rousseff is expected to present evidence for her claim that the impeachment process has no legal basis as it has been led by rivals wanting to stop corruption investigations into themselves.
Angela Merkel campaigns ahead of an important regional election. The German chancellor will take the stage at the Christian Democratic Union party rally in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where polls show the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party could win up to 20% of the vote.
An extended tea break in the UK. Financial markets in London are closed for the August bank holiday.
Over the weekend
Bad omens for the US-EU trade deal. German vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview that the US-EU talks on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership had “failed,” because Europe didn’t want to “subject ourselves to American demands.” The news comes at a bad time for global trade deals—ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership has already been rejected by both US presidential candidates.
After 52 years, there was peace in Colombia. Following four years of negotiations to end the longrunning civil war, Farc leader Rodrigo Londono—known as Timochenko—gave the order for the leftist insurgents to stop firing. It marks the first time both sides have committed to a definitive end to the conflict, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and driven millions from their homes.
The Turkish military pushed deeper into Syria. Syrian monitoring groups said at least 70 people, mostly civilians (paywall), were killed as Turkey enters the fifth day of a campaign to seize territory held by Kurdish rebels in Syria. The US has yet to comment on the fighting between the Kurdish rebels and the Turkish army—they’re both US allies.
The Calais refugee camp was back in the spotlight. Former president Niçolas Sarkozy, who is running for office again next year, said the camp should be shut down and Britain should process asylum seekers on their own soil, while the president of the region wants asylum-seekers to be allowed to apply in France, rather than waiting in limbo.
Singapore fell prey to Zika. Authorities confirmed 41 locally transmitted cases (paywall) of the virus, mainly among foreign construction workers, none of whom had recently traveled to Zika-affected countries. The health authorities warned that more cases were to be expected in the tropical island state.
Quartz obsession interlude
Caitlin Hu on ancient Egyptians’ workplace strategies. “Patience is a virtue. Don’t bug your partner about their weight. Try not to vex your boss. As a new translation of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs reveals, the fundamental rules of human behavior have changed little in the last 4,000 years—and wisdom from the times of the pharaohs still rings wry and insightful today.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Fearing your boss is bad motivation. Truly great leaders command respect, not terror.
Stop judging parents for leaving their kids alone. There’s nothing immoral about letting kids learn to problem-solve on their own.
Pope Francis is being naive in his pursuit of a thaw with Beijing. Some Catholics are deeply disturbed that the Vatican is cozying up to China’s repressive regime.
Surprising discoveries
There’s a potential new test that could spot Parkinson’s disease earlier than ever. It’s based on how sticky a particular protein molecule is.
Fruits and vegetables are getting sweeter—and less healthy. Food producers are using technology to make fruits and vegetables taste less bitter.
The munchkins in “The Wizard of Oz” were paid less than Dorothy’s dog. The actors received $50 a week, compared with the $125 paid out to Toto’s owner and trainer.
A crew completed a year on Mars. A NASA-funded, year-long experiment in Hawaii to mimic life on Mars has come to an end.
A 4,000-year-old idea could disrupt refrigeration. ”Evaporative cooling” could solve the problem of keeping food fresh in areas without electricity.
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