Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Carrie Lam receives Beijing’s blessing. Hong Kong’s next chief executive will meet with Chinese premier Li Keqiang for her formal appointment during a four-day trip to Beijing. She was elected in March.
Narendra Modi hosts Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Trade and energy exports in particular are on the table for Turnbull. A number of agreements are expected to be signed with India’s prime minister on Monday.
Duterte heads to the Middle East. The Philippine president visits Saudi Arabia on Monday, then Bahrain and Qatar later in the week. On the agenda: greater protections for overseas Filipino workers and investment in the Philippines.
Over the weekend
Churches in Egypt were hit by deadly blasts. At least 45 people were killed in two separate attacks on Christians worshippers gathered for Palm Sunday. ISIL claimed responsibility for the blasts.
The US sent an aircraft carrier toward the Korean Peninsula. The USS Carl Vinson’s presence is a message to North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong-un recently ramped up nuclear testing and sharply criticized last week’s US airstrike in Syria.
China’s insurance regulator chief came under scrutiny. Xiang Junbo is being investigated by the country’s anti-graft commission. A member of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, Xiang would be one of the highest-ranking financial regulators to be caught in Beijing’s massive anti-corruption campaign.
Donald Trump’s cabinet lost another piece. After strategist Steve Bannon’s departure, the White House reportedly removed deputy advisor KT McFarland from the National Security Council after just three months. McFarland was offered an ambassadorship in Singapore instead.
A Chinese firm offered $1 billion for Singapore’s biggest homegrown logistics provider. Singapore-listed logistics and warehousing firm CWT might take China’s HNA Holdings up on the $1.66-per-share offer, for a premium of 13% above its last traded price.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jill Petzinger on why eco-conscious Germans don’t want electric cars: “Germany, the land of diligent recyclers, is often lauded for its eco-credentials, and its ambitious “Energiewende,” the government’s plan to wean the country off coal and nuclear power. However, as far as mobility goes, it’s a country still stubbornly attached to its gas-guzzling autos. Last year, the nation’s petrol-heads were partially responsible for sabotaging its overall greenhouse gas emissions.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Our obsession with visionary entrepreneurs has gone too far. Unquestioning faith in founders created the conditions for some of Silicon Valley’s biggest scandals.
Job interviews are utterly pointless. Unwarranted first impressions end up influencing hiring more than candidates’ credentials.
Classical music can exercise our atrophied attention spans. Sitting still for a live performance can force you to rediscover focused listening.
Surprising discoveries
The UK is considering paying wind farms to stop working. Excess energy flowing into the national grid could cause damage or outages.
Foreigners make up more than half of participants in Pyongyang’s marathon. And they’re estimated to make up nearly one fifth of North Korea’s tourists, annually.
There’s an electric version of Steve McQueen’s iconic “Le Mans” hotrod. The retrofitted Porsche 910 is twice as fast as the original and costs a cool $1.1 million.
The intoxicating scent of old books has been decrypted. After chemical analysis, researchers created a Historic Book Odor Wheel, similar to fragrance guides for wine and coffee.
US politicians proposed legalizing duels. If the proposition passes, Oregon state residents will vote on scrapping the 172-year-old ban on lawmakers drawing pistols at dawn.
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