Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Carlos the Jackal goes on trial in Paris for a 1974 mall attack. Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the infamous political terrorist, is already serving a life sentence in France for murders and attacks committed for the Palestinian cause or communist revolution. He was 24 at the time of the mall attack, which killed two and injured dozens.
NATO releases its annual report. The alliance’s report will show how far member countries remain behind their defense spending target of 2% of GDP, a source of repeated criticism by the Trump administration. The US spent 3.6% of GDP on military spending in 2016, according to NATO.
Berlin airport workers strike over pay. Ground staff at the city’s two airports will stage a 25-hour walk out as they demand a wage increase to 12 euros an hour from about 11. A strike on Friday forced the cancellation of about 700 flights, stranding tens of thousands of passengers.
Over the weekend
South Korea’s impeached president finally left office. Park Geun-hye departed the Blue House on Sunday, her motorcade flanked by supporters as she headed home, where she may not be for long. She could face prosecution and jail time for the corruption scandal that led to her ouster.
Turkey’s president calls the Dutch “Nazi remnants.” Citing safety concerns, officials in the Netherlands banned a rally in Rotterdam in support of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is eager for the votes of expatriate Turks in an upcoming referendum. Erdogan lashed out, calling the Dutch “cowardly,” “fascists,” and Nazis.
Trump tells high-profile US attorney, “You’re fired.” Preet Bharara, who targeted political corruption and insider trading, had been assured by the US president in November that he could stay on. On March 9, however, Trump asked Bharara and 45 other Obama-appointed attorneys to resign. Bharara refused, and on Saturday tweeted he had been fired.
The SEC rejects bid to create a bitcoin ETF. The US securities regulator denied an application from the Winkelvoss twins of Facebook infamy to create an exchange traded fund tied to the price of bitcoin. The decision sent the price of the cryptocurrency plummeting more than 15% within minutes.
Iceland is back, baby! The country announced it’s leaving much of its capital controls behind, effective Tuesday. Iceland has been struggling to clean up its economy since a 2008 banking collapse triggered its worst recession in over six decades. Business is now booming thanks to a rapidly growing tourism industry.
Quartz obsession interlude
Heather Timmons on why Trump’s health-care bill will be his first real test as salesman-in-chief. “[O]pposition is unrelenting. Retirees, doctors, hospitals, right-wing talking heads, conservatives Republicans, Tea Party Republicans, and even Trump campaign booster Breitbart have come out against the bill. They all want changes, but sometimes diametrically opposed ones.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
North Korea isn’t just testing missiles, it’s preparing for war. Kim Jong-un’s missile strategy depends on using nuclear weapons before the US can kill him or special forces can find his weaponry.
It’s time to end daylight savings time. The practice of springing forward and falling back does little to decrease energy use or boost the economy, but does heighten risks of car accidents and strokes.
Trump wasn’t elected because of Obama’s economy, but it will help re-elect him. Obama’s slow growth policies have culminated in more rapid wage increases that the current US president can capitalize on in 2020.
Surprising discoveries
An Australian surgeon farted into a petri dish—for science. Karl Kruszelnicki set out to find whether farts can contaminate an operating room, only to discover that pants provide a formidable barrier.
The Titanic is disappearing before our very eyes thanks to hungry microbes. Bacteria eating away at the rusted ship prevent its iron from corroding but could turn the Titanic into nothing more than a rust stain at the bottom of the Atlantic.
Humpback whales used to be loners but now hang out in posses. Researchers found pods of up to 200 whales sharing a feast off the coast of South Africa, whereas they typically dine alone in the polar Arctic.
Panasonic’s Indian washing machines will now come with a “curry” button for stains. The machine factors in what goes into household curries, and is one of five region-specific settings, which include hair oil and sauces.
Cardboard boxes are reducing sudden infant deaths in the US. Baby box programs give babies a safe, decluttered place to sleep, and arm parents with knowledge on safe sleeping habits.
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