Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Rodrigo Duterte tours Bahrain. The Philippines president will meet with businessmen about possible investment deals, a day after meeting Saudi Arabia’s King Salman. Duterte has promised to bring back some overseas Filipino workers who are on death row in the Middle East.
Rex Tillerson begins a fraught trip to Moscow. The US secretary of state arrives several hours after warning his hosts to abandon support for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. In the wake of US airstrikes last week, Tillerson said Assad’s reign was “coming to an end.”
The EU debates Hungary’s controversial education law. The new legislation could force the closure of Central European University, set up by Hungarian-born financier George Soros, who is at odds with Hungary’s authoritarian government.
While you were sleeping
United Airlines shares plunged as its passenger-dragging scandal deepened. The company lost more than a billion dollars in market capitalization for its decision to forcibly remove a passenger from an overbooked flight. CEO Oscar Munoz, mocked for his ham-fisted handling of the crisis, issued a stronger apology.
The US accused Russia of covering up Syria’s poison gas attack. The Trump administration released information backing its accusation that the Assad regime bombed its own people with sarin nerve gas. It said the Syrian regime and Russian government are trying to confuse the international community with “false narratives.”
The UN said migrants are being traded in Libyan slave markets. The International Organization for Migration said West African refugees are sold for $250-500 in the city of Sabha, a prominent migrant smuggling hub.
Three bombs hit a German football team bus. The team was on its way to a Champions League quarterfinal match against Monaco when several explosions shook the vehicle, breaking windows and injuring one player’s hand. The match was postponed.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on the search for the next “space unicorn”: “Space businesses have traditionally been predicated on heavily regulated government contracts, with deeply entrenched industry giants taking the biggest share of the work. But in the last decade, a number of trends have made extra-terrestrial business plans more attractive to nimble entrepreneurs seeking quick returns.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
China is playing a dangerous game with $9 trillion worth of investments. Some popular wealth management products need to fail lest the bubble keep inflating.
United has exposed the moral dilemma behind rewarding customer loyalty. Many elite flyers are sympathetic to the airline’s point of view.
You should consider donating your kidney to a stranger. Transplant patients are badly in need, and the process for donation is not that bad.
Surprising discoveries
A former U2 producer is selling music at Indonesia’s Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets. Steve Lillywhite’s company is moving more than 500,000 CDs a month.
A hit Norwegian teen drama is broadcast in real time. If a “Skam” scene takes place on a Saturday evening at 2am, that’s when it airs.
The US Supreme Court hazes its new justices. Incoming justice Neil Gorsuch’s rookie responsibilities include organizing meals with the cafeteria staff.
Australian scientists discovered 50 new spiders in 10 days. They include a peacock spider with a “wonderful courtship behavior” akin to dancing.
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