Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Egypt braces for protests. Riot police are turning out in force to pre-empt possible demonstrations today from the “Ghalaba Movement” (or “Marginalized Movement”) to protest the state of the economy and shortages of basic goods. Some accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of financing and sponsoring the movement. Authorities have been arresting militants suspected of inciting the protests.
EU foreign ministers talk Trump. They’ve been invited to an informal dinner in Brussels (paywall) on Sunday to discuss what Donald Trump’s election victory means for European and US foreign policy goals. A key question will be the upcoming renewal of EU sanctions against Russia, and whether Trump will ask Europe to end or ease them.
Armistice Day remembrance services. In the UK, Prince Harry will lead a service to commemorate those killed in the first and second world wars.
The University of Michigan releases a key reading of US consumer sentiment. Its preliminary November survey report is an important gauge of shoppers’ mood heading into the holiday season (paywall).
While you were sleeping
Protests against Donald Trump turned violent. A second night of demonstrations against the US election result took place across the country, though fewer people turned out. Things took a violent turn in Portland, with people smashing shop and car windows—police called it a “riot.” Trump took to Twitter to blame the media for inciting people to protest, saying it was “very unfair!”
Russia’s Rosneft suffered a big dive in profit. The Moscow-based oil company—Russia’s largest— reported a 77% decline in third-quarter profit. Despite its oil output rising in the quarter, low oil prices bruised its bottom line. The Russian government said this week it would sell a 20% stake in Rosneft; it currently owns about three quarters of it.
Europe’s biggest insurer released healthy results. Allianz’s third-quarter net profit rose 37% from the same time a year earlier to $2.03 billion, boosted by higher earnings at the life and health insurance unit. The Munich-based company said it saw the first positive performance from Pimco, its US fund management business, since 2013 in this quarter.
Indians scrambled to dump their soon-to-be obsolete cash. After prime minister Narendra Modi suddenly abolished 500 and 1,000 rupee notes this week, thousands of people queued anxiously outside banks to exchange their notes on Friday, and ATMs in Delhi and Mumbai ran out of cash.
Alibaba notched $7 billion in transactions during the first two hours of its Singles’ Day sales blitz. That was about half the total for the entire day of last year’s spree. The 24-hour online shopping event—the world’s largest—encourages consumers without a partner to treat themselves.
Quartz obsession interlude
Heather Timmons on a rash of racist attacks that have broken out in the US. “In his acceptance speech on Nov. 9, US president-elect Donald J. Trump made a pledge of unity, promising to be a leader for ‘all Americans.’ But some of his supporters have not heard that message.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Housewives are collateral damage in India’s fight against money hoarding. Stashes of cash, hidden from their husbands, are their key to financial independence.
Africans no longer aspire to the American Dream. Trump’s victory is sending the message that they are no longer welcome.
Western civilization is a modern myth. Values such as freedom and liberty cannot be confined to one culture.
Surprising discoveries
Rats love to be tickled—but only when they’re in the right mood. They also do something delightful called joy jumps.
Chinese fans are blaming Hillary Clinton for a canceled Katy Perry gig. They think the pop star is heartbroken over the election.
Obamacare sign-ups had a record day after US election night. On Nov. 9, more than 100,000 people signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which Trump has pledged to repeal.
A heart on a chip could replace animal testing. A small 3D-printable device contains heart tissue and measures its reactions to cardiac drugs.
Finland wants an emoji for sitting in a sauna. It’s also lobbying for icons for fuzzy socks, a heavy metal headbanger, and a girl flexing her muscles (paywall).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, joy jumps, and sauna emoji designs to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.