1. How China plans to avert an Evergrande financial crisis: Officials believe that controlling the banking system gives Beijing the tools to stop a broader collapse. At the same time, censorship and police powers can stifle protests. Censorship of the press and social media makes it hard for the general public to know about the extent of Evergrande’s troubles and for Evergrande home buyers and investors to organize.
2. Gas crisis shows why we must stop demonizing fossil fuels: The engineering challenges around renewables mean we need to be realistic while waiting for the green transition. Merryn Somerset Webb writes, in 2019, 33 percent of our new power generation needs were met by renewable energy. That’s a start. But 40 percent were met by natural gas.
3. Danish artist takes museum’s money and runs, calls it artwork: Bloomberg reports Jens Haaning has pocketed 534,000 kroner ($84,000) in cash that he received from a museum to incorporate into artwork and changed the name of the installation to “Take the Money And Run.”
“The work of art is that I took their money,” Jens Haaning told broadcaster DR.
4. Beatles on the brink: How Peter Jackson pieced together the Fab Four’s last days: The director’s new documentary weaves together hours of unseen footage to dispel many myths about the band’s final months.
5. Inside the lucrative world of falcon racing: The fastest birds can win millions at prestigious events in the Middle East. The birds are remarkable hunters, and some species can reach more than 200mph as they swoop on their prey. Bedouins are skilled at training the raptors to catch game such as smaller birds, reptiles, and hares in the harsh desert conditions.
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