Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
More executive orders from Donald Trump. The president will sign two orders aimed at tackling foreign trade abuses, which the administration says is partly to blame for the US’s half-trillion dollar trade deficit. Trump has repeatedly attacked China over unfair trading practices, and he can complain to Xi Jinping directly when the Chinese president visits the US next week.
Elections in Ecuador and Serbia. Ecuador will elect a new president on Sunday, to replace the departing Rafael Correa. The victor will inherit the thorny diplomatic issue of what to do about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London for the past five years. Serbia also has a presidential election on Sunday; prime minister Aleksandar Vučić, who has tried to soften his hardline nationalist reputation, is the favorite to win.
Japan officially recognizes bitcoin. New legislation that legitimizes digital currencies goes into effect on Saturday. The country’s accounting regulator hasn’t clarified how to account for bitcoin, though, leaving companies that use the cryptocurrency in limbo.
While you were sleeping
The EU made its first move in Brexit talks. The bloc issued draft guidelines on how it wants to negotiate Britain’s “orderly withdrawal” from the union, two days after the UK officially trigged the exit process. Brussels is not messing around: it insists that Britain respects the EU’s freedom of movement rules during the two-year talks and says the terms of divorce must be settled before any discussion of post-Brexit trade can begin.
Mike Flynn requested immunity in exchange for his testimony. Donald Trump’s former national security adviser “has a story to tell” investigators regarding possible Russian meddling in the US election, his lawyer said, but wants to guarantee legal protection in the current “witch-hunt environment.” Last month, Flynn resigned over misleading statements he made about contacts with a Russian official before Trump took office.
German shoppers tightened their belts. Retail sales in Europe’s largest economy slumped dramatically in February (paywall), as rising inflation increased the cost of everyday staples. Sales could rebound soon, though, as the country also reported its lowest jobless rate, 5.8% in March, since reunification.
Huawei’s battle with Apple bit into its bottom line. Profit growth slowed at China’s biggest telecoms company—its annual net profit inched up by less than 1% last year—as it spent more on R&D and marketing to try to compete with Apple and Samsung for smartphone market share.
Stranded Malaysians returned from North Korea. Nine Malaysians had been effectively held hostage in a diplomatic standoff between the countries, following the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s estranged half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur. In exchange for their release, Malaysia handed over the body of Kim Jong-nam to Pyongyang.
Quartz obsession interlude
Christopher Groskopf and Dan Kopf on the geography of US wages: “To a large degree, the story of American income growth over the past 25 years can be told by two states: Texas and New York. The decline of manufacturing, the march of globalization, the shale boom, the rise of finance and technology—the Empire and Lone Star states have seen it all.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Lyft might be more “woke” than Uber, but that’s a low bar. The smaller ride-hailing service has played a much savvier PR game.
Congress is about to learn that tax cuts are easy, but reform is hard. Reshaping the system requires bipartisanship, which is in short supply.
Ivanka Trump is more qualified than her husband. But she still got a lesser title in the White House.
Surprising discoveries
Humans are creating a new geological layer from trash. The mountains of non-organic waste we produce are forming a “technofossil” layer.
You can now short pigs in China. The country’s first official pork-price index is up and running.
The T-rex was a sensitive lover. Scientists claim the dinosaur used its tactile snout during foreplay.
Madeira has the world’s weirdest statue of Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s all “a matter of taste,” its creator says. “Neither did Jesus please everyone.”
Patients are going under the knife with their eyes open. Advancements in anesthetics make it possible for surgical patients to stay awake (paywall).
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