Obama tearful over guns, iPhone order slowdown, speedy chameleon tongues
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Taiwan and Japan discuss comfort women. After Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe formally apologized to South Korean women forced to work in wartime brothels and agreed to pay victims 1 billion yen ($8.3 million), Taiwanese and Japanese officials will hold negotiations on behalf of Taiwanese victims.
Denmark, Sweden, and Germany discuss boundaries. The three neighboring countries have tightened their formerly open borders to stop the flow of migrants through northern Europe. Representatives will meet in Brussels to coordinate their efforts, which are making travel more complicated for many commuters.
Charlie Hebdo marks a painful anniversary. One year after extremists attacked the Paris office of the satirical magazine and killed 12 people, it will print 1 million copies of a special issue. The cover features a murderous God along with the words, “One year on: The assassin still at large.”
While you were sleeping
A tearful Obama took action on gun control. Surrounded by victims of mass shootings and their loved ones, the US president evoked a “fierce urgency” as he laid out a plan to close regulatory loopholes and increase funding for mental health care. Gun stocks soared during the speech, and US gun sales broke an all-time record last month.
Apple slowed down. The Japanese business daily Nikkei reported that the tech giant is cutting back on production of its flagship iPhone 6s and 6s Plus due to slow sales and a growing backlog of inventory. Apple shares fell by 2.8% on the news.
Malaysia Airlines struggled with headwinds. The troubled carrier barred Europe-bound passengers from checking luggage, saying it needed to cut weight to ensure that planes have enough fuel to reach their destinations due to unexpectedly strong winds. Any checked luggage will arrive “later,” the airline said, as it apologized for any inconvenience.
A massive pharmaceutical IPO in Asia. China’s Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical, which makes medications for cancer and diabetes along with antibiotics and other drugs, wants to raise up to $3 billion in its Hong Kong IPO later this year, the Wall Street Journal reported (paywall). Investors are eager to tap into the Chinese pharmaceutical market, where drug spending is growing quickly.
The latest ISIL executioner is a British bouncy castle salesman. Media outlets reported that the masked man in ISIL’s new propaganda video is Siddhartha Dhar, a Londoner who used to sell inflatable platforms for children’s birthday parties. Dhar was arrested in 2014 on terrorism charges, but fled the country for Syria while out on bail.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jake Flanagin on why we can’t get enough of true crime shows. “Instead of fetishizing the criminal and the crime, Serial and Making a Murderer take a long, hard look at the contexts in which such atrocities arise, how we as a society deal with them, and whether our methods of delivering justice are as sound as they are purported to be.” Read more.
Matters of debate
The US should back Iran over Saudi Arabia in the al-Nimr affair. US-Iranian interests increasingly overlap, and the US-Saudi friendship is fraying.
A major global recession will begin in 2016. The United States will be largely insulated.
Drinking tea is the the key to your heart. It probably prevents stiff arteries, according to new research.
Surprising discoveries
Facebook sabotaged its Android app. It was an experiment to test users’ loyalty.
Chameleons have the fastest tongues on Earth. The smallest species have the highest acceleration.
Google Translate is in trouble in Russia. It translated the country’s name to “Mordor” in Ukrainian.
The UK parliament will debate banning Donald Trump. Half a million Brits signed an online petition urging his exclusion.
The oldest and coldest mammals may fare the best under climate change. Bowhead whales are used to surviving in tough conditions.
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