<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="netflix" source="Orion">Netflix</keyword> has announced the movies and shows that will be coming to and leaving the site in December.</li><li>New seasons of "<keyword id="7496509" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="emily-in-paris" source="Orion">Emily in Paris</keyword>" and "The Witcher" will premiere this month. </li></ul><p>Netflix just revealed the movies and <keyword id="11898468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tv" source="Orion">TV</keyword> shows that will be coming to — and leaving — the streaming service over the next month.</p><p>In December, viewers can expect new seasons of "Emily in Paris," "The Witcher," "Cobra Kai," and "Queer Eye," as well as festive titles like "The Great British Baking Show: Holidays." </p><p>But some movies and shows will be removed from Netflix this month, too, including "Titanic," "Spy Kids," and "Do the Right Thing." </p><p>Here's everything coming to — and leaving — Netflix in December. </p><div type="image" title="Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia on &quot;The Witcher.&quot;" height="1200" width="1599" msid="88029480" hostid="261"></div><h2>Arriving in December</h2><h2>Available 12/1/21</h2><p>"Are You The One: Season 3"</p><p>"Blood and Bone"</p><p>"Body of Lies"</p><p>"Bordertown: Mural Murders"</p><p>"Chloe"</p><p>"Chocolat"</p><p>"Closer"</p><p>"Death at a Funeral"</p><p>"Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat"</p><p>"The Final Destination"</p><p>"Final Destination 3"</p><p>"Final Destination 5"</p><p>"Fool's Gold"</p><p>"The Fourth Kind"</p><p>"Ink Master: Season 3"</p><p>"Ink Master: Season 4"</p><p>"JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean" — Netflix Anime</p><p>"Kayko and Kokosh" — Netflix Family</p><p>"Knight Rider 2000"</p><p>"Knight Rider: Seasons 1-4"</p><p>"Law Abiding Citizen"</p><p>"The Legend of Zorro"</p><p>"Life"</p><p>"Looper"</p><p>"Lost In Space: Season 3" — Netflix Series</p><p>"The Mask of Zorro"</p><p>"Minority Report"</p><p>"Pet Sematary" (1989)</p><p>"The Power of the Dog" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Premonition"</p><p>"Sabrina" (1995)</p><p>"Soul Surfer"</p><p>"Stepmom"</p><p>"Stuart Little 2"</p><p>"Sucker Punch"</p><p>"Think Like a Man"</p><p>"Tremors"</p><p>"We Were Soldiers"</p><p>"Wild Things"</p><p>"Wyatt Earp"</p><h2>Available 12/2/21</h2><p>"The Alpinist"</p><p>"Coyotes​​" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Escalona: Season 1"</p><p>"Single All the Way" — Netflix Film</p><p>"The Whole Truth" — Netflix Film</p><h2>Available 12/3/21</h2><p>"Cobalt Blue" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Coming Out Colton" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Season 4" — Netflix Family</p><p>"Money Heist: Part 5 Vol 2" — Netflix Series</p><p>"The Great British Baking Show: Holidays: Season 4" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Mixtape" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Money Heist: From Tokyo to Berlin: Volume 2" — Netflix Documentary</p><p>"Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas"  — Netflix Family</p><h2>Available 12/5/21</h2><p>"JAPAN SINKS: People of Hope: Season 1 (episode 8)"</p><h2>Available 12/6/21</h2><p>"David and the Elves" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Voir" — Netflix Documentary</p><h2>Available 12/7/21</h2><p>"Centaurworld: Season 2" — Netflix Family</p><p>"Go Dog Go: Season 2" — Netflix Family</p><p>"Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)" — Netflix Comedy</p><h2>Available 12/8/21</h2><p>"Carolin Kebekus: The Last Christmas Special" — Netflix Comedy</p><h2>Available 12/9/21</h2><p>"Asakusa Kid" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Bathtubs Over Broadway"</p><p>"Bonus Family: Season 4"  — Netflix Series</p><p>"The Family That Sings Together: The Camargos" — Netflix Documentary</p><div type="image" title="Prue Leith, Paul Hollywood, and Noel Fielding on &quot;The Great British Baking Show&quot;" height="2656" width="3541" msid="88029484" hostid="261"></div><h2>Available 12/10/21</h2><p>"Anonymously Yours" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Aranyak" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Back to the Outback" — Netflix Film</p><p>"How To Ruin Christmas: The Funeral" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Twentysomethings: Austin (formerly Roaring Twenties)" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Saturday Morning All Star Hits!" — Netflix Series</p><p>"The Shack"</p><p>"Still Out of My League" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Two" — Netflix Film</p><p>"The Unforgivable" — Netflix Film</p><h2>Available 12/11/21</h2><p>"Fast Color"</p><p>"The Hungry and the Hairy" — Netflix Series</p><h2>Available 12/12/21</h2><p>"JAPAN SINKS: People of Hope: Season 1 (episode 9)"</p><h2>Available 12/13/21</h2><p>"Eye in the Sky"</p><h2>Available 12/14/21</h2><p>"The Future Diary" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Russell Howard: Lubricant" — Netflix Comedy</p><p>"StarBeam: Beaming in the New Year" — Netflix Family</p><h2>Available 12/15/21</h2><p>"Black Ink Crew New York: Seasons 3-4"</p><p>"The Challenge: Season 12"</p><p>"The Challenge: Season 25"</p><p>"Elite Short Stories: Phillipe Caye Felipe" — Netflix Series</p><p>"The Giver"</p><p>"The Hand of God" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Masha and the Bear: Nursery Rhymes: Season 1 Part 2"</p><p>"Masha and the Bear: Season 5"</p><p>"Selling Tampa" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Teen Mom 2: Seasons 3-4"</p><h2>Available 12/16/21</h2><p>"A California Christmas: City Lights" — Netflix Film</p><p>"A Naija Christmas"  — Netflix Film</p><p>"Aggretsuko: Season 4" — Netflix Anime</p><p>"Darkest Hour"</p><p>"Puff: Wonders of the Reef" — Netflix Documentary</p><h2>Available 12/17/21</h2><p>"Fast &amp; Furious Spy Racers: Season 6: Homecoming" — Netflix Family</p><p>"The Witcher: Season 2" — Netflix Series</p><h2>Available 12/18/21</h2><p>"Bulgasal: Immortal Souls" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Oldboy"</p><h2>Available 12/19/21</h2><p>"What Happened in Oslo" — Netflix Series</p><h2>Available 12/20/21</h2><p>"Elite Short Stories: Samuel Omar" — Netflix Series</p><h2>Available 12/21/21</h2><p>"Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster" — Netflix Comedy</p><p>"Grumpy Christmas" — Netflix Film</p><h2>Available 12/22/21</h2><p>"Emily in Paris: Season 2" — Netflix Series</p><h2>Available 12/23/21</h2><p>"Elite Short Stories: Patrick"  — Netflix Series</p><h2>Available 12/24/21</h2><p>"1000 Miles from Christmas" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Don't Look Up" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Minnal Murali" — Netflix Film</p><p>"The Silent Sea" — Netflix Series</p><p>"STAND BY ME Doraemon 2"  — Netflix Film</p><p>"Vicky and Her Mystery"  — Netflix Film</p><p>"Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous"</p><h2>Available 12/25/21</h2><p>"Single's Inferno" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material" — Netflix Comedy</p><p>"Stories of a Generation - with Pope Francis" — Netflix Documentary</p><h2>Available 12/26/21</h2><p>"Lulli" — Netflix Film</p><h2>Available 12/28/21</h2><p>"Word Party Presents: Math!" — Netflix Family</p><h2>Available 12/29/21</h2><p>"Anxious People" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer" — Netflix Documentary</p><h2>Available 12/30/21</h2><p>"Kitz"  — Netflix Series</p><p>"Hilda and the Mountain King"  — Netflix Film</p><h2>Available 12/31/21</h2><p>"Cobra Kai: Season 4" — Netflix Series</p><p>"The Lost Daughter" — Netflix Film</p><p>"Queer Eye: Season 6" — Netflix Series</p><p>"Stay Close"  — Netflix Series</p><p>"Seal Team" — Netflix Film</p><div type="image" title="it comes at night" height="1050" width="1400" msid="88029486" hostid="261"></div><h2>Leaving in December</h2><h2>Leaving 12/3/21</h2><p>"The Last O.G.: Seasons 1-2"</p><h2>Leaving 12/4/21</h2><p>"The Guest"</p><h2>Leaving 12/7/21</h2><p>"Before I Fall"</p><h2>Leaving 12/8/21</h2><p>"It Comes at Night"</p><p>"Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas"</p><h2>Leaving 12/13/21</h2><p>"Halt and Catch Fire: Seasons 1-4"</p><h2>Leaving 12/13/21</h2><p>"Fifty: The Series: Seasons 1-2"</p><p>"Saint Seiya: Seasons 1-6"</p><h2>Leaving 12/15/21</h2><p>"Lee Daniels' The Butler"</p><p>"Maps to the Stars"</p><p>"The Theory of Everything"</p><h2>Leaving 12/21/21</h2><p>"Jacob's Ladder"</p><p>"Private Practice: Seasons 1-6"</p><h2>Leaving 12/25/21</h2><p>"Captain Fantastic"</p><h2>Leaving 12/30/21</h2><p>"Winchester"</p><div type="image" title="Titanic" height="907" width="1210" msid="88029489" hostid="261"></div><h2>Leaving 12/31/21</h2><p>"A Cinderella Story"</p><p>"American Gangster"</p><p>"Beethoven"</p><p>"Beethoven's 2nd"</p><p>"Charlie's Angels"</p><p>"Cold Mountain"</p><p>"Defiance"</p><p>"The Devil Inside"</p><p>"Do the Right Thing"</p><p>"Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood"</p><p>"Double Jeopardy"</p><p>"Forensic Files: Collections 1-9"</p><p>"Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: Parts 1-5"</p><p>"Fullmetal Alchemist: Season 1"</p><p>"Ghost"</p><p>"Gladiator"</p><p>"The Great British Baking Show: The Beginnings: Season 1"</p><p>"House Party"</p><p>"House Party 2"</p><p>"House Party 3"</p><p>"Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life"</p><p>"The Last Airbender"</p><p>"Like Crazy"</p><p>"Love Don't Cost a Thing"</p><p>"Love Jones"</p><p>"The Lovely Bones"</p><p>"The Machinist"</p><p>"Magnolia"</p><p>"Memoirs of a Geisha"</p><p>"My Fair Lady"</p><p>"Mystic Pizza"</p><p>"Pan's Labyrinth"</p><p>"Puss in Boots"</p><p>"Rumor Has It..."</p><p>"Serendipity"</p><p>"Spy Kids"</p><p>"Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams"</p><p>"Spy Kids 3: Game Over"</p><p>"Stuart Little"</p><p>"The Strangers"</p><p>"Titanic"</p><p>"Tommy Boy"</p><p>"Underworld"</p><p>"Underworld: Awakening"</p><p>"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans"</p><p>"What a Girl Wants"</p><p>"What's Eating Gilbert Grape"</p><p>"Zodiac"</p>

Everything coming to — and leaving — Netflix in December

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d5bf76ecd978474404d6e52-2222/chicken%20sandwich-3.jpg" alt="Popeyes chicken sandwich" /><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/popeyes">Popeyes'</a> chicken sandwich is the fast-food menu item that defined 2019. </li><li>The sandwich drove incredible sales at Popeyes and highlighted the power of social media. </li><li>The chicken sandwich also highlighted less positive aspects of the fast-food industry, with Popeyes employees saying they faced chaos and abusive customers. </li><li><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/drivethru">Sign up for Business Insider's retail newsletter, The Drive-Thru, to get more stories like this in your inbox</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The fast-food menu item of the year is the Popeyes chicken sandwich. </p><p>Let's be honest - it wasn't much of a contest. The chicken sandwich and the battles it sparked defined fast food in 2019. </p><p>Even before Popeyes' chicken sandwich rolled out nationally in August, chicken was already a hot topic in the fast-food industry. Chick-fil-A has seen <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-fast-food-domination-explained-charts-2019-8">massive growth in recent years,</a> due in large part to its iconic chicken sandwich, becoming the third largest restaurant chain in the US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-fast-food-domination-explained-charts-2019-8">at the end of 2018.</a></p><p>José Cil, the CEO of Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Popeyes, Burger King, and Tim Hortons, told Business Insider earlier this year that Popeyes' sales of tenders were up and Burger King's chicken sandwich sales had also increased. So, Popeyes began developing a chicken sandwich of its own. </p><p>Popeyes' chicken sandwich hit menus across the US in early August. Even before the national launch the hype was building. Business Insider's Irene Jiang tried the sandwich prior to the national roll out and declared it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-mcdonalds-wendys-kfc-popeyes-best-chicken-sandwich-2019-8">the best chicken sandwich available in fast food. </a></p><p>A simple taste test isn't enough to make something the fast-food menu item of the year. The Popeyes chicken sandwich is an icon because it kicked off the Chicken Sandwich Wars. </p><h2>The rise of the Chicken Sandwich Wars</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5df150f2fd9db21ea63c4277-2222/chicken%20sandwich-22.jpg" alt="Popeyes Chick fil a bags" /><p>Chick-fil-A helped kick off this national battle. A week after Popeye's launched it chicken sandwich nationally, Chick-fil-A tweeted: "Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the ❤️for the original."</p><p>Popeyes lovers, who had already been rallying around the new sandwich online, quickly labeled the tweet a subtweet. Popeyes responded, quote-tweeting Chick-fil-A's tweet and adding, "y'all good?"</p><p>Hype around the sandwich and the social media debate on which chicken sandwich reign supreme helped drive customers to Popeyes across the US. </p><p>Foot-traffic tracker Placer.ai reported that visits to Popeyes skyrocketed above the summer baseline average by 67.6% the Tuesday after Chick-fil-A's subtweet. They were up 103.3% the next day. </p><p>Soon, Popeyes locations began to run out of the sandwich. On August 27, just two weeks after Popeyes introduced the menu item, the chain announced that the chicken sandwich was officially off the menu. It did not return for more than two months, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-social-media-reactions-2019-11">hitting menus nationally once again in early November. </a></p><h2>The dark side of Popeyes' chicken sandwich </h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e05087b855cc253237ac167-2223/chicken%20sandwich-9.jpg" alt="Popeyes chicken sandwich" /><p>The menu item also highlighted<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-started-civil-war-customers-2019-11"> many of the less positive aspects of the fast-food industry.</a> Workers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-workers-describe-chicken-sandwich-demand-chaos-2019-8">told Business Insider in late August</a> that they were forced to work extra hours in chaotic stores, facing off against sometimes abusive customers. </p><p>"I was working like a slave in the back prepping the buns with pickles and the spicy mayo," said an 18-year-old Popeyes crew member in Orange County, California.</p><p>Popeyes executives told Business Insider that they spent the months between the original launch and the sandwich's return making sure that the relaunch went smoothly. </p><p>"We had very aggressive expectations before the national launch, but then what came next surprised all of us," Felipe Athayde, Popeyes' president for the Americas,<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-workers-ready-chicken-sandwich-return-2019-10"> told Business Insider in late October. </a></p><p>"We had to readapt our system to this new reality of being able to serve so [many] of our fans," Athayde said. "I guess this was the biggest challenge - to guarantee that the supply chain was prepared and that we were ready to come back, this time for good."</p><p>However, even with these efforts, both workers and customers faced violence in Popeyes locations, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-violence-workers-2019-11">a widespread problem in the restaurant industry.</a> Soon after the sandwich returned to menus in early November, there was a fatal stabbing outside a Oxon Hill, Maryland Popeyes location, which police<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-violence-workers-2019-11"> linked to the chicken sandwich.</a></p><h2>The chicken sandwich wars will continue in 2020</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d5bfa76cd978452b0185155-2222/chicken%20sandwich-49.jpg" alt="Popeyes chicken sandwich" /><p>Popeyes' foot traffic soared with the return of the chicken sandwich, with <a href="https://placer.ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Placer.ai</a> finding that customer visits soared <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-more-popular-second-time-2019-11">299.3% above the baseline on the day of the relaunch.</a></p><p>Even during the chicken sandwich's original two-week run, it had a significant impact on Popeyes sales, with same-stores sales growing 9.7% globally the quarter of the launch. </p><p>"We had one of the best quarters for the brand in nearly two decades," Athayde said.</p><p>"The sandwich was obviously a very important driver of sales and of interest towards Popeyes," Athayde added. "But, what it drove aside from sales of the sandwich itself was that refreshed interest in all of our menu."</p><p>The chicken sandwich's impact is set to continue in 2020. </p><p>Chicken is a hot topic in fast food, with<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taco-bell-chicken-tenders-review-2019-12"> Taco Bell testing chicken tenders</a> and McDonald's rolling out <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-to-debut-mcchicken-biscuit-and-chicken-mcgriddle-in-2020-2019-12">McChicken Biscuits and Chicken McGriddles nationally in late January.</a> McDonald's is also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-new-chicken-sandwiches-test-2019-12">testing a new chicken sandwich of its own,</a> as the chain works to develop a menu item that can compete with Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. </p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-to-debut-mcchicken-biscuit-and-chicken-mcgriddle-in-2020-2019-12">Leaked documents reveal McDonald's is rolling out the McChicken Biscuit and Chicken McGriddle nationally in January, as fast-food's breakfast wars heat up</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-sales-boost-even-when-off-menu-2019-10">Popeyes' chicken sandwich was such a massive success it helped the chain crush the competition even after it sold out</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-rise-and-fall-story-2019-8">Social-media battles, massive crowds, and overworked employees: Inside the rise and fall of Popeyes' chicken sandwich</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-started-civil-war-customers-2019-11">How the battle between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A turned sandwich fans against each other in a tense civil war</a></li><li> </li></ul><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>... y'all good? <a href="https://t.co/lPaTFXfnyP">https://t.co/lPaTFXfnyP</a></p>- Popeyes Chicken  (@PopeyesChicken) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1163510538959069184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2019</a></blockquote>

The fast-food menu item of the year is the Popeyes chicken sandwich

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59d4b93fc68d7b701c8b7078-1779/rts1exj9.jpg" alt="Catalonia protests" data-mce-source="Reuters/Susana Vera" data-mce-caption="People shout during a protest outside National Police main police station, in Barcelona." /><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Susana Vera</span></p><p class="caption">People shout during a protest outside National Police main police station, in Barcelona.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Here is what you need to know. </p><p><strong><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-04/trump-aides-are-said-to-deliver-shortlist-of-fed-candidates">Trump has a short list of Fed candidates</a>. </strong>Fed Chair Janet Yellen, National Economic Council Director Gary <span>Cohn, former Fed board governor Kevin Warsh and current governor Jerome Powell are on Trump's short list, according to Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs and Saleha Moshin, citing two senior administration officials. </span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spanish-king-on-catalonia-referendum-in-rare-tv-address-2017-10?r=UK&amp;IR=T">Spain's king weighs in on Catalonia's independence referendum</a>. </strong><span>King Felipe VI criticized Catalan authorities in a rare TV appearance on Tuesday, saying they "have placed themselves outside the law and democracy, they have tried to break the unity of Spain and national sovereignty," according to a translation of the speech by the Financial Times. </span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-lloyd-blankfein-still-thinking-about-bitcoin-2017-10?r=UK&amp;IR=T">Lloyd Blankfein isn't sure what to think about bitcoin</a>. </strong>On Tuesday, Blankfein became the latest Wall Street CEO to chime in about the cryptocurrency, tweeting, "Still thinking about #Bitcoin. No conclusion - not endorsing/rejecting. Know that folks also were skeptical when paper money displaced gold."</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-chase-takes-the-lead-as-the-largest-us-bank-by-deposits-2017-10?r=UK&amp;IR=T">JPMorgan is the largest US bank by assets and market cap</a>. </strong>The bank's deposits <span>grew by $96 billion, or 7.9%, over the past year to $1.31 trillion as of June 30, according to data released this week by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fined-back-taxes-eu-2017-10?r=UK&amp;IR=T">The European Union hits Amazon with a huge fine</a>. </strong>The European Commission has ordered Amazon to pay <span>€250 million (about $295 million) of unpaid back taxes after discovering an illegal "sweetheart" tax deal in Luxembourg. </span> </p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-3-billion-accounts-were-compromised-in-its-hacking-attack-2017-10">Every single Yahoo account was compromised by hackers</a>. </strong>All 3 billion user accounts that were active in  2013 were impacted by the security breach, the company, which Verizon acquired in June, said on Tuesday. The company had previously estimated that 1 billion accounts were hacked.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-board-says-it-approved-equality-among-shareholders-and-to-move-forward-with-softbank-deal-2017-10">Softbank is taking a big stake in Uber</a>. </strong>The Japanese conglomerate will take a stake of up to 17% in Uber, which will IPO by 2019, a person familiar with the matter told Business Insider. </p><p><strong><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/indices">Stock markets around the world are mixed</a>. </strong>Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+0.73%) led the gains in Asia and France's CAC (-0.37%) trails in Europe. The S&amp;P 500 is set to open unchanged near 2,534.</p><p><strong><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">Earnings reporting is light</a>. </strong>Monsanto and Pepsi release their quarterly results ahead of the opening bell. </p><p><strong><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/economic-calendar#date=10/04/2017&amp;name=&amp;countries=us&amp;eventtypes=&amp;tab=1,2,3">US economic data flows</a>. </strong>ADP Employment Change will be released at 8:15 a.m. ET before Markit PMI and ISM non-manufacturing are announced 9:45 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. ET, respectively. The US 10-year yield is down 1 basis point at 2.31%. </p> 

10 things you need to know before the opening bell

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5ba2c8b0dcee3019008b6278-1999/sahara.jpg" border="0" alt="Sahara" data-mce-source="Joe Penney/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Migrants crossing the Sahara desert into Libya ride on the back of a pickup truck outside Agadez, Niger, May 9, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>Joe Penney/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Migrants crossing the Sahara desert into Libya ride on the back of a pickup truck outside Agadez, Niger, May 9, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>President Donald Trump recently suggested to the Spanish government it should build a wall in the Sahara desert to address the migration crisis, according to Spain's foreign minister <span>Josep Borrell</span>. </li><li><span>When Spanish diplomats told Trump building a wall across the Sahara desert would be no easy feat the president said, "The Sahara border can't be bigger than our border with Mexico,"</span></li><li><span>Spain has seen <a href="https://www.iom.int/news/mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-reach-77555-deaths-reach-1723">over 30,000 migrants and refugees</a> arrive by sea so far in 2018, making it the top destination for migrants arriving via the Mediterranean. </span></li></ul><p>President Donald Trump's obsession with building walls has apparently gone global. </p><p>Trump recently suggested to the Spanish government it should build a wall in the Sahara desert to address the migration crisis, according to Spain's foreign minister <span>Josep Borrell</span>. </p><p><span>Spain has experienced a surge in migration, particularly over the past year as thousands of people attempt to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean in search of a better life in Europe. </span></p><p><span>The European country has seen <a href="https://www.iom.int/news/mediterranean-migrant-arrivals-reach-77555-deaths-reach-1723">over 30,000 migrants and refugees</a> arrive by sea so far in 2018, making Spain the top destination for migrants arriving via the Mediterranean. Moroccans represent <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/pedro-sanchez-migration-spain-surge-tests-fragile-tolerance/">the largest single nationality arriving in Spain</a>, but people are coming from other countries in Africa as well.</span></p><p><span>Nearly 2,000 people have died attempting to make the journey across the sea to Europe in 2018 so far. </span></p><p><span>Trump famously called for a wall to be built along the US-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration to the US during his 2016 presidential campaign, and now apparently feels it can help Europe as well. </span></p><p>When Spanish diplomats told Trump building a wall across the Sahara desert would be no easy feat the president said, "<span>The Sahara border can't be bigger than our border with Mexico," according to Borrell. </span></p><p><span>The Sahara desert is roughly 3,000 miles long. Comparatively, the US-Mexico border spans roughly 2,000 miles. </span></p><p><span>Beyond the sheer size of the Sahara, the other challenge to building such a wall is the fact Spain would need permission to do so from the African countries the massive desert stretches across. </span></p><p>Borrell spoke of Trump's Sahara wall suggestion at a lunch in Madrid this week, but did not clarify when the president made these remarks. But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/19/donald-trump-urged-spain-to-build-the-wall-across-the-sahara">The Guardian reports</a> it could've been when the Spanish foreign minister accompanied King Felipe and Queen Letizia to the White House in June<span>.</span></p><p><span>It seems Trump struggles to avoid discussing his desired border wall in almost any context, and on Tuesday said a recent visit to a 9/11 memorial in Pennsylvania <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-says-flight-93-memorial-inspired-border-wall-2018-9?r=UK&amp;IR=T">gave him more inspiration for his vision</a>. </span></p><p><span>"They built this gorgeous wall where the plane went down in Pennsylvania. Shanksville. And I was there. I made the speech. And it's sort of beautiful, what they did is incredible," Trump told <a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/407440-read-president-trumps-exclusive-interview-with-hilltv">Hill.TV in an interview on Tuesday</a>. "They have a series of walls, I'm saying, 'It's like perfect.' So, so, we are pushing very hard."</span></p><p><span>Trump's plan for a border wall along the US-Mexico border has encountered many obstacles in Congress. The president has repeatedly claimed that construction on the wall is underway, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-check-trump-say-his-border-wall-under-construction-it-n888371?icid=today_hp_NBCtopheadlines">but this is inaccurate</a>. </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-trump-maga-hat-factory-california-make-america-great-again-2018-8">Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/4DgmmjFK-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Trump wants Spain to build a wall across the Sahara desert, which is in Africa, to address the European migration crisis

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/538de6e2ecad04ba4272a1ec-1200-600/queen-letizia-spain.jpg" border="0" alt="queen letizia spain" style="line-height: 1.5em;" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo</span></p><p class="caption">Princess Letizia of Spain, a former TV broadcaster, is set to become Spain's next queen.</p></div><p></p></div></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Everyone adores a royal romance.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">And those love stories are even more captivating when a member of the <span>monarchy weds a commoner <span>-</span> just think of the media circus that surrounded the wedding of </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Kate Middleton and </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Prince William.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">After the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/king-of-spain-abdicates-2014-6">King of Spain unexpectedly abdicated his throne yesterday</a>, a former television presenter and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-granddaughter-of-a-taxi-driver-will-become-spains-next-queen-2014-6">the granddaughter of a taxi driver is set to become Spain's next queen</a>. Letizia Ortiz married Spain's Crown Prince <span>Felipe de Bourbon in 2004, and the public has been fascinated by their relationship ever since.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We rounded up 26 commoners who have married into monarchies from all around the globe. </span></p>

26 Regular People Who Married Into Royalty

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59ce47e2c68d7b26008b5ae4-2400/rtx3hbqn.jpg" alt="spain catalonia independence vote" data-mce-source="Susana Vera/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Protesters shout slogans and wave Esteladas (Catalan separatist flags) as they gather outside the High Court of Justice of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, September 21, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>Susana Vera/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Protesters shout slogans and wave Esteladas (Catalan separatist flags) as they gather outside the High Court of Justice of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, September 21, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Catalonia says that it has won the right to be independent, but proposes suspending the consequences of the vote "for dialogue."</p><p>Carlos Puigdemont, the Catalonian president, told the regional parliament in Barcelona<span> </span><span data-term="goog_919127021">on Tuesday</span><span> </span>evening local time (CEST) that "we propose to suspend the effect of the independence declaration ... in order to work towards putting into practice the result of the referendum."</p><p>"Today, we are making a gesture of responsibility in favor of dialogue," he added.</p><p><span>Puigdemont's</span> statement was not a unilateral declaration of independence. Some were expecting the region to declare independence on Tuesday.</p><p><span>S</span><span>pain's Constitutional Court ruled that the independence referendum was illegal ahead of the October 1 vote, and </span>Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy previously vowed to keep his country together regardless of the outcome.</p><p>Spain's King Felipe VI, in a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/spanish-king-on-catalonia-referendum-in-rare-tv-address-2017-10">rare televised address</a> to the country two days after the vote, criticized the Catalan government, saying they "<span>have placed themselves outside the law and democracy, they have tried to break the unity of Spain and national sovereignty."</span></p><p>A declaration of independence theoretically would not only lead to immediate political uncertainty in the region, but would also increase the risk of economic uncertainty for both Catalonia and Spain. </p><p>An independent Catalonia would not not be part of the European Union, the European Commission said <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-17-3626_en.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-17-3626_en.htm&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1507740523185000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGNSoeU2uqUxZ9eymUGqJ7um04l_Q">last week</a>.</p><h2><span>What happened during the referendum vote?</span></h2><p>Earlier this month, 2.2 million Catalans, or 43% of the region's eligible electorate, voted for independence on a day marred with violence as Spanish riot police used <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/spain-riot-police-stop-catalan-independence-referendum-vote-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://uk.businessinsider.com/spain-riot-police-stop-catalan-independence-referendum-vote-2017-10&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1507740523184000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGwoU8-WxuLTk_Fk1El5LgeRtXreQ">batons and fired rubber bullets</a> on protesters. Around 900 people were injured that day. <span>Protests broke out over the crackdown </span><span>the following</span><span> Tuesday in Catalonia.</span></p><p>The number of people voting for secession has been "broadly stable" since 2014, and a "clear majority" did not endorse such an action on Sunday, according to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/9ee01aae-a8da-11e7-ab55-27219df83c97?mhq5j=e5">The Financial Times</a>.</p><p>S<span>pain's Constitutional Court ruled ahead of the vote that the referendum violated the country's constitution because it "does not recognize the right to self-determination and establishes that sovereignty resides with Spanish citizens collectively," </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/30/spains-trying-to-block-catalonias-independence-referendum-tomorrow-whats-going-on/?utm_term=.58de63ec8ffb">according to the Washington Post</a><span>.</span></p><p><span>The Spanish government has taken a strong stance against the referendum ahead of the vote by raiding offices, shutting down pro-independence websites, and arresting officials. Some analysts have argued that the recent crackdown has only helped to further unite the pro-independence groups in Catalonia.</span></p><h2><span></span><span>Tensions go back decades</span></h2><p><span>Tensions between Catalonia and Spain go back decades. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-28/catalan-independence-drive-to-haunt-madrid-whatever-happens-next?cmpid=BBD092917_MKT&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_term=170929&amp;utm_campaign=markets">According to Bloomberg</a>, the region's push for autonomy was a factor in the Spanish Civil War. Afterwards, the Franco regime cracked down on the language, on Catalan institutions, and on the people themselves. </span></p><p><span>Following Franco's death, the Spanish constitution of 1978, which says the nation is "<a href="http://www.parliament.am/library/sahmanadrutyunner/ispania.pdf">indivisible</a>," gave Catalonia language rights and control over its healthcare and education.</span></p><p>Recently, nationalists in Catalonia <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/europe/catalonia-spain-independence/index.html">have pointed</a> to the region's language and culture, and have argued that the region subsidizes the rest of Spain, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/28/europe/catalonia-spain-independence/index.html">according to CNN</a>. Catalonia pays about €10 billion ($11.8 billion) more in taxes than it gets back, according to data from the Spanish Treasury,<span> as</span> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics-catalonia-tax/from-new-tax-office-catalonia-hopes-to-grab-billions-from-madrid-idUSKCN1BW10A">cited by Reuters</a>. By comparison, Andalusia, the poorest region, gets almost €8 billion ($9.4 billion) more than it pays.</p><h2><span>On the economic front<br /></span></h2><p><span></span><span>Catalonia, which has its own language and culture, is one of Spain's </span><a href="https://www.ft.com/content/62118282-a35a-11e7-b797-b61809486fe2">economic powerhouses</a><span>. It contributes nearly one-fifth of the country's total GDP and has an economy </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics-catalonia-tax/from-new-tax-office-catalonia-hopes-to-grab-billions-from-madrid-idUSKCN1BW10A">larger</a><span> than that of Portugal.</span></p><p>Maurice Obstfeld, the International Monetary Fund's chief economist, told reporters that a Catalonian split would cause "a lot of uncertainty for both the Catalan and Spanish economies," <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-41567394" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-41567394&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1507740523184000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGxibkoV0ZNkKPNxiPMHjr8G7u4pw">the BBC reported<span> </span><span data-term="goog_919127022">on Tuesday</span></a>. Several major banks based in the region, including Banco Sabadell and Caixabank, are also reportedly moving, or considering moving, their headquarters out of Catalonia if the region declares independence.</p><p> The euro was up by 0.6% at 1.1805 against the US dolalr at 2:03 p.m. ET (8:03 p.m. <span>CEST).</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ray-dalio-bridgewater-everyone-should-have-gold-principles-2017-9">RAY DALIO: There's one asset every portfolio must have</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/cwZsVehi-xjRU7l6Z.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Catalonia proposes to suspend its independence referendum result

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57ff64afda177d20008b48a4-1778/ap_16286459646825.jpg" alt="King Felipe" data-mce-source="AP/Francisco Seco" data-mce-caption="Spain's King Felipe, right, salutes as he reviews an honor guard at a military parade during a national holiday known as &amp;quotDia de la Hispanidad&quot; or Hispanic Day, in Madrid." /><p class="source"><span>AP/Francisco Seco</span></p><p class="caption">Spain's King Felipe, right, salutes as he reviews an honor guard at a military parade during a national holiday known as "Dia de la Hispanidad" or Hispanic Day, in Madrid.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Here is what you need to know.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wells-fargo-ceo-john-stumpf-out-2016-10">Wells Fargo's CEO is out</a>.</strong> John Stumpf, the chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo, which has recently come under fire for<span> a scandal in which employees opened 2 million credit and debit card accounts </span>without customers' knowledge, is retiring effective immediately<span>. Stumpf will be replaced by COO Tim Sloan, who has been at the bank for more than 25 years.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deutsche-bank-hiring-freeze-2016-10?r=UK&amp;IR=T">Deutsche Bank is reportedly freezing hiring</a>. </strong>That is according to a Reuters report, which says the bank sent a memo to managers explaining that the freeze will take place in every department except for compliance.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/chinas-trade-data-has-delivered-some-unwanted-news-2016-10">China's exports tumbled</a>. </strong>Exports tumbled 10% in September, causing China's trade surplus to narrow to $<span>41.99 billion, the smallest since March, data from <span>China's Customs Bureau showed</span>. </span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-brexit-battle-reaches-uks-high-court-in-challenge-to-pm-2016-10?IR=T">The UK's decision to leave the European Union is going to court</a>. </strong>Brexit goes to the highest court on Thursday as <span>Gina Miller, co-founder of investment fund SCM Private, challenges the right of prime minister Theresa May to trigger Article 50, the mechanism that give the United Kingdom two years to leave the EU. "<span>This is not about whether we should stay or leave -- this is actually about how we leave," Miller told AFP. The British pound is little changed at 1.2196 versus the dollar. </span></span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bok.or.kr/contents/total/eng/boardView.action?menuNaviId=634&amp;boardBean.brdid=19403&amp;boardBean.menuid=634&amp;boardBean.rnum=2">South Korea's central bank kept policy on hold</a>.</strong> The Bank of Korea held its benchmark interest rate at 1.25%, as expected, and said it sees "uncertainties surrounding the growth path to be high." The Korean won ended weaker by 1.1% at 1135.85 per dollar.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-italy-rules-out-state-aid-or-nationalisation-of-monte-paschi---minister-2016-10">Italy says it won't help the world's oldest bank</a>.</strong> According to Reuters, <span>Italian Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan says there won't be any state intervention or "bail-in" for <span>Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena.</span></span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-trade-crude-idUSKCN12D0A9">The US is no longer the largest importer of crude oil</a>.</strong> That title now belongs to China, who saw <span>crude imports climb 18% versus a year ago to 8.04 million barrels per day (bpd), topping the <span>7.98 million bpd for the US, Reuters reports.</span></span></p><p><strong>Earnings reporting remains slow.</strong> Delta Air Lines and Progressive will report ahead of the opening bell.</p><p><strong>Stock markets around the world are lower. </strong>Hong Kong's Hang Seng (-1.6%) trailed in Asia and France's CAC (-1.4%) lags in Europe. S&amp;P 500 futures are lower by 12.75 points at 2,118.75.</p><p><strong>US economic data is light.</strong> Initial jobless claims will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET and Department of Energy oil inventories will be announced at 11 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 3 basis points at 1.74%.</p>

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571f0110dd0895cb618b467f-3197-2398/rtx2bih7.jpg" alt="Sleeping China" data-mce-source="Reuters/Damir Sagolj" data-mce-caption="Security personnel take a nap behind one of the halls of Auto China 2016 auto show in Beijing" /><p class="source"><span>Reuters/Damir Sagolj</span></p><p class="caption">Security personnel take a nap behind one of the halls of Auto China 2016 auto show in Beijing</p></div><p></p></div></div>Good morning! Here's what you need to know in markets on Tuesday.</p><p><strong><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-reveals-new-vision-2030-plan-2016-4">Saudi Arabia has unveiled its plans to end the nation's dependence on oil.</a></strong> <span>In an </span><a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/04/25/Saudi-Arabia-to-announce-Vision-2030-today.html">interview with Al Arabiya news</a><span>, </span><span>Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled the</span><span> Vision 2030 plan, which aims to curtail the kingdom's "<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-economy-idUSKCN0XM1CD">addiction</a>" to oil.</span></p><p><span><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/monday-scouting-report-april-25-2016-4"><strong>It's a busy day for US economic data.</strong> </a>On Tuesday, we'll get a flash PMI reading for the USA's services sector, as well as the latest numbers on consumer confidence, and manufacturing data from the Richmond Fed.</span></p><p><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-exclusive-swift-bank-network-says-aware-of-multiple-cyber-fraud-incidents--2016-4">There have been numerous "cyber incidents" involving bank transfer network SWIFT.</a> </strong>SWIFT, the global financial network that banks use to transfer billions of dollars every day, warned its customers on Monday that it was aware of "a number of recent cyber incidents" where attackers had sent fraudulent messages over its system, Reuters reports.</span></span></p><p><span><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-oil-futures-rise-on-weaker-dollar-new-cash-inflows-2016-4">Oil is gaining.</a> </strong>Crude oil futures rose early on Tuesday, pushed up by a weaker dollar and a flood of new cash into the market, but analysts warned that fundamentals remain weak as a producer race for customers heats up in the Middle East. At just after 6:30 a.m. BST (1:30 a.m. ET) Brent crude is trading up by 0.68%, while WTI is 0.8% higher.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-markets-right-now-asian-stocks-fall-on-central-banks-watch-2016-4">Asian stocks are slipping.</a> </strong>Asian stock markets are falling Tuesday ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan policy meetings, as commodity prices run out of steam, dragging on big miners. Just after 6:45 a.m. BST (1:45 a.m. ET) Japan's Nikkei is off 0.4%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng has slipped 0.67%.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/62749460-06f0-11e6-a70d-4e39ac32c284.html#axzz46mQDueFX">British banks are struggling to keep with their European counterparts.</a></strong> P<span>rofits at the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword>'s five biggest banks are still running at roughly 63% below their 2007 high, while profits at their European competitors were just 34% lower in 2015 than in 2007, according to an analysis by the Financial Times.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-france-wins-bid-to-build-australias-new-fleet-of-submarines-2016-4">France has won a huge contract to build Australia's new fleet of submarines.</a></strong> <span>French naval contractor DCNS won a $39 billion contract to build Australia's next generation of submarines on Tuesday, beating competition from Germany and Japan, for the country's biggest ever defence procurement programme.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-25/brexit-could-mean-big-business-for-london-bankers-and-lawyers">Brexit could provide a short term boost to the City of London's lawyers.</a> </strong>If Britain votes to leave the EU, it will need huge numbers of lawyers and negotiators to negotiate the UK's exit. Most of these will be found in the capital. <span>"London probably possesses the largest global concentration of such ability in its legal and financial-services firms" according to a report from parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, cited by Bloomberg.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/monday-scouting-report-april-25-2016-4"></a><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-spain-on-cusp-of-new-election-pending-last-ditch-political-talks-2016-4"><strong>Spain is set for a new general election.</strong> </a> Spanish political leaders meet King Felipe on Tuesday for a final round of talks to resolve a four-month-old political stalemate, but with a successful outcome unlikely, the stage could be set for a new election.</span></p><p><span><span><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-report-n-korea-puts-mid-range-missile-on-standby-2016-4">North Korea is preparing to launch a new missile.</a></strong> North Korea is believed to have placed a new, powerful mid-range missile on standby for an impending launch, according to a news report in the country, cited by the Associated Press.</span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/most-interesting-men-world-watches-rolex-breitling-jorg-gray-2015-8">These are the watches worn by the smartest and most powerful men in the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N3NGJ0djpb_DdQzkXVopAvbq5AmmiuOx" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'N3NGJ0djpb_DdQzkXVopAvbq5AmmiuOx',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

10 things you need to know in markets today

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/538c5d506bb3f75d7121f675-1200-924/spain-crown-prince-felipe-princess-letizia.jpg" border="0" alt="Spain Crown Prince Felipe Princess Letizia" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Robin Utrecht</span></p><p class="caption">Spanish Crown Prince Felipe (R) and his wife Princess Letizia arrive at a gala dinner organised on the eve of the abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and the inauguration of her successor King Willem-Alexander at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam April 29, 2013. </p></div><p></p></div></div>Good morning! Here's what you need to know:</p>
<p><strong>Things Are Looking Up In China</strong>: China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-factory-activity-hits-five-month-high-in-may-confirming-stabilization-2014-01">climbed to 50.8 in May</a> from 50.4 in April. This was better than the 50.7 expected by economists. The new orders sub-index increased to 52.3 from 51.2, the biggest increase in nine months. "The below-51 PMI is still weak, and there are still strong headwinds due to the downturn of the property sector and the anti-corruption campaign," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Ting Lu. "We expect Beijing to step up targeted measures, but we believe Beijing will resist calls for universal measures such as cutting benchmark rates and cutting RRR for all banks."</p>
<p><strong>Korea's Exports Drop</strong>: South Korea's <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-02/south-korea-won-halts-five-day-gain-on-surprise-drop-in-exports.html">exports unexpectedly fell by 0.9% in May</a>. Economists were looking for a 3.4% gain. Korean exports are often referred to as the global economic "canary in the coalmine" since it's the first major May economic report to be released, and it's very sensitive to activity in Asia.</p>
<p><strong>Europe's Manufacturing Stats Disappoint</strong>: Economies across the eurozone released their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/european-manufacturing-pmi-2014-6">May manufacturing PMIs</a>, and the numbers weren't great. Italy's PMI fell to a 2-month low of 53.2, France's PMI fell to a 4-month low of 49.6, Austria's PMI fell to a 10-month low of 50.9, and Greece's PMI fell to a 2-month low of 51.0. Spain's PMI climbed to a 49-month high of 52.9, but it missed expectations for 53.0 print. "The May drop in the manufacturing PMI will inevitably add to the clamour for policymakers to provide a renewed, substantial boost to the region?s economy and ward off the threat of deflation," said <a href="http://www.markiteconomics.com/Survey/PressRelease.mvc/6a52f60530914812bb4fa9fdb053994c">Markit's Chris Williamson</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Germany Is The Big Red Flag</strong>: Germany's PMI fell to a 7-month low of 52.3. "In Germany, the pace of expansion eased, possibly linked to some concerns over the situation in Ukraine, or perhaps simply due to the timing of Easter," noted Williamson. "Without any clear cause, the slowdown in the region?s largest economy will perhaps be the biggest concern for the eurozone?s growth trajectory if a rebound is not forthcoming in June." The country also saw <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/german-inflation-2014-6">month-over-month price declines</a>.</p>
<p><strong>What Would Apple Do</strong>: Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off. "<span>At 10 a.m. local time, it will have a keynote to preview new software for the Mac and the iPhone," says <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-wwdc-preview-2014-6">BI's Jay Yarow</a>. "It's also going to have some sort of new hardware, but don't expect something like the iWatch. </span>"</p>
<p><strong>Markets Are Up</strong>: Everythings in the green. In Europe, Britain's FTSE is up 0.3%, Germany's DAX is up 0.3%, Spain's IBEX is up 0.6%, and Italy's FTSE MIB is up 0.5%. Japan's Nikkei closed up 2.0% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended up 0.3%.</p>
<p><strong>Spain Of Thrones</strong>: The King of Spain Juan Carlos unexpectedly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/king-of-spain-abdicates-2014-6">abdicated the throne</a>. His son Crown Prince Felipe will take over.</p>
<p><strong>Carl Icahn, Phil Mickelson, And Some Other Guy</strong>: According to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/carl-icahn-gambler-and-famed-golfer-at-center-of-insider-trading-probe-2014-5">the WSJ and then later Reuters</a>, the FBI and the SEC are investigating activist investor Carl Icahn, pro golfer Phil Mickelson, and gambler William Walters for possible insider trading involving private information provided by Icahn. Icahn <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/icahn-responds-to-insider-trading-report-2014-5">vehemently denies </a>any involvement, saying he's never met Mickelson and he's never heard of Walters. "<span>I have done absolutely nothing wrong," <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/101719867">Mickelson said, according to Reuters</a>. "I have cooperated with the government in this investigation and will continue to do so. I wish I could fully discuss this matter, but under the current circumstances it's just not possible.</span>"</p>
<p><strong>U.S. Manufacturing Update</strong>: We'll get the Markit (9:45 a.m. ET) and ISM (10:00 a.m. ET) monthly manufacturing reports shortly after the opening bell. Economists estimate the Markit PMI climbed to 56.2 in May from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/markit-pmi-manufacturing-april-2014-5">55.4 in April</a>. Economists estimate the ISM index climbed to 55.5 in May from 54.9 in April. "Regional manufacturing surveys all remained in expansion territory in May and manufacturing capacity utilization has also been trending upward," said Wells Fargo's John Silvia. "We expect ISM manufacturing to continue to improve in May and gradually edge higher in the coming months."<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>
<p><strong>Construction Spending</strong>: Economists estimate construction spending (10:00 a.m. ET) climbed by 0.6% in April. "The residential category probably picked up modestly, mirroring the rise in housing starts," said Citi's Peter D'Antonio. "However, public projects probably continued to hold down the total."</p>

10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52cbd8c26bb3f7b217c42827-1200-800/rtx9gwt.jpg" border="0" alt="spain king family" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Juan Medina</span></p><p class="caption">(L to R) Spain's King Juan Carlos, Princess Letizia, Crown Prince Felipe, Queen Sofia, Infanta Elena (2nd R) and Infanta Cristina (R) watch a military parade during Spain's National Day in Madrid October 12, 2008. </p></div><p></p></div></div></span>MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish judge charged Princess Cristina - younger daughter of King Juan Carlos - with tax fraud and money laundering, possibly paving the way to an unprecedented trial of a member of the royal family, the Superior Justice Tribunal of the Balearic Islands said on Tuesday.</p>
<p>After a lengthy investigation, Palma de Mallorca Examining Magistrate Jose Castro said in a 200-page ruling there was evidence that Cristina, 48, had committed crimes and summoned her to appear in court on March 8.</p>
<p>The princess's husband, former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, has been charged with fraud, tax evasion, falsifying documents and embezzlement of 6 million euros ($8 million) in public funds through his charitable foundation which put on sports business conferences in Mallorca and elsewhere in Spain.</p>
<p>The princess and Urdangarin both deny wrongdoing.</p>
<p>The case is one of many high-level corruption scandals in Spain that have undermined Spanish faith in public institutions at a time of severe economic crisis marked by deep cuts in public spending.</p>
<p>Opinion of the royal family in particular has sunk to its lowest level ever. A Sigma Dos poll published on January 5 showed more than 83 percent of Spaniards think the royal family has mishandled the Urdangarin case and an unprecedented 62 percent want the once-popular King Juan Carlos to abdicate.</p>
<p>Judge Castro, who opened his investigation into the royal couple three years ago, has struggled to make charges stick against Princess Cristina.</p>
<p>In April last year he ruled there was evidence that she had aided and abetted Urdangarin. A higher court threw out those charges in May, saying the evidence was not sufficient, but gave Castro more time to investigate an accusation of tax fraud.</p>
<p>In bringing the new charges, Castro went against the recommendations of the anti-corruption prosecutor on the case who in December argued there was no evidence she committed crimes.</p>
<p>In Spain the prosecutor and the judge on a case carry out separate investigations and may disagree on proceedings. The princess is expected to appeal the charges and they could be thrown out again, or the judge may be given a period of several months to build his case ahead of trial.</p>
<p>While they have been under investigation, the princess and her husband have ceased to participate in public appearances. She and the couple's four children moved last year to Geneva where she works for a Spanish bank's charity. Urdangarin remains in Spain.</p>
<p>The case is centered on Urdangarin's non-profit Noos Foundation. He is accused of using his powerful connections to win public contracts to put on events in Mallorca and elsewhere in Spain. The judge has said there is evidence that the foundation overcharged for organizing conferences and then hid the proceeds abroad.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Fiona Ortiz)</p>

Spain's Princess Cristina Charged With Tax Fraud And Money-Laundering

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571f4dce52bcd026008beec9-2980-2235/rtx2bhnd.jpg" alt="yoga" data-mce-source="Reuters/China Stringer Network" data-mce-caption="People perform yoga at a tea culture park to promote the tea there, in Enshi, Hubei province, China." data-link="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0BF1F6XXNN1#/SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0BF1F6XXNN1&amp;VBID=2C0BX46IMPZR&amp;POPUPPN=4&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1F6T7U0A" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0BF1F6XXNN1#/SearchResult&amp;ALID=2C0BF1F6XXNN1&amp;VBID=2C0BX46IMPZR&amp;POPUPPN=4&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1F6T7U0A">Reuters/China Stringer Network</a></span></p><p class="caption">People perform yoga at a tea culture park to promote the tea there, in Enshi, Hubei province, China.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Here is what you need to know.</p><p><strong>It's primary day. </strong>Frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton look to extend their leads in their respective races as five states go to the polls. Trump is still 392 delegates shy of locking up the nomination ahead of the Republican National Convention, while Clinton needs 439 to wrap up the race on the Democratic side. Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are Tuesday's battlegrounds.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-25/korea-growth-slows-in-first-quarter-on-investment-consumption">South Korea's GDP slows</a>.</strong> The South Korean economy expanded at a 0.4% quarter-over-quarter rate, in line with the Bloomberg consensus. The reading was below the 0.7% gain from the previous quarter and came amid sluggish exports and a slowdown in consumer spending. The Korean won ended weaker by 0.3% at 1,151.01.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-spain-on-cusp-of-new-election-pending-last-ditch-political-talks-2016-4">Spain is readying for another election</a>. </strong>Spain's four-month-old political stalemate may finally be coming to an end. A final round of talks is set for Tuesday, and if the parties cannot reach an agreement, King Felipe will call for a new election. According to Reuters, however, a new election might not resolve the matter, and the inability to form a government for several more months would most likely take a toll on Spain's economy. Spain's 10-year yield is up 1 basis point at 1.38%.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/regulators-to-call-for-banks-to-have-years-worth-of-liquidity-1461624503">Banks might need to hold a year's worth of cash</a>. </strong>The Wall Street Journal reports that <span>the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency want to make it so banks must hold enough cash to withstand severe market turmoil of up to a year. The new rule would "e<span>ncourage banks to rely more on sources such as core deposits and longer-term funding from small businesses, and less on short-term wholesale funding - which includes instruments such as repurchase agreements - that help to provide another way for large banks to get cash," The Journal says. The banks are pushing back against the proposal, saying it will hurt liquidity. </span></span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bp-first-quarter-results-bob-dudley-oil-market-balance-end-year-2016-4?r=UK&amp;IR=T">BP's CEO thinks oil is returning to balance</a>.</strong> The oil giant announced earnings of $0.17 a share, easily beating analyst estimates of a $0.02 loss. Revenue tumbled 28.9% to $38.51 billion, a bit shy of analyst expectations. <span>"Market fundamentals continue to suggest that the combination of robust demand and weak supply growth will move global oil markets closer into balance by the end of the year," CEO Bob Dudley said in the earnings release.</span></p><p><strong><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-26/vw-passes-toyota-sales-as-stoppages-put-four-year-reign-at-risk">Volkswagen tops global auto sales</a>. </strong>Volkswagen deliveries rose 0.8% to 2.5 million, pushing it ahead of Toyota Motor Corp. for the top spot, Bloomberg reports. Toyota deliveries fell 2.3% to 2.46 million during the January-to-March period, and that number is likely to slip a bit more in the current period as a result of the recent earthquakes in Japan. General Motors took the No. 3 spot.</p><p><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-exclusive-swift-bank-network-says-aware-of-multiple-cyber-fraud-incidents--2016-4">There have been "a number of recent cyber incidents" involving Swift transfers</a>. </strong>Reuters reports that Swift, the financial network used to transfer billions of dollars each day, has seen numerous "cyber incidents" in which attackers sent fraudulent messages over its system. The admission comes as authorities continue to investigate the $81 million that went missing from Bangladesh's account at the New York Fed. Swift says users need to install its new security platform by May 12.</p><p><strong>Stock markets around the world are mixed. </strong>China's Shanghai Composite (+0.6%) led in Asia, and France's CAC (-0.2%) lags in Europe. S&amp;P 500 futures are up 2.25 points at 2,085.50.</p><p><span><strong>Earnings reporting is heavy. </strong>3M, BP, Coach, Eli Lilly, Fiat Chrysler, Freeport McMoRan, Hershey Foods, JetBlue Airways, Simon Properties, and T-Mobile US are among the names reporting ahead of the opening bell. AT&amp;T, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle Mexican Grill, eBay, and Twitter highlight the names releasing their quarterly results after markets close.</span></p><p><span><strong>US economic data picks up. </strong>Durable orders will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, and the Case-Shiller 20-city Index will cross the wires at 9 a.m. ET. Data concludes for the day with the 10 a.m. ET release of consumer confidence. The Treasury will auction $34 billion five-year notes at 1 p.m. ET. The US five-year yield is higher by 1 basis point at 1.38%.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-have-to-lift-airplane-window-shades-2016-4">Here's why airlines ask you to raise the window shades for takeoffs and landings</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N5N3VsMjE6pesk0sA-a83WVtGZAI0fEa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'N5N3VsMjE6pesk0sA-a83WVtGZAI0fEa',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551191acdd0895ea048b4601-1200-924/cockpit-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Cockpit"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-482065p1.html">Shutterstock/Pablo Hidalgo</a></span></p><p class="caption">There's a lot pilots need to keep track of during flight.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>It's still unclear what caused a Germanwings&#xa0;</span>Airbus 320 flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/plane-flying-from-barcelona-to-dusseldorf-crashes-in-france-2015-3">to crash in a remote region of southern France Tuesday</a>.</p><p><span>The plane, carrying 144 passengers and six crew members, did not send an distress signal, according to&#xa0;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">an aviation official cited by AFP.</span></p><p>Experts have pointed out that this type of aircraft is prolific in the skies and a crash of this kind is shocking because it is deemed as a safe type of aircraft. <a href="http://www.airbus.com/company/market/orders-deliveries/">More than 6,000 A320 planes are currently in operation</a>.</p><div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Single-aisle Airbus A320s are the workhorses of the global fleet &amp; proliferate across European skies <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4U9525?src=hash">#4U9525</a> <a href="http://t.co/pe6OCMiy0q">pic.twitter.com/pe6OCMiy0q</a></p>- Jon Ostrower  (@jonostrower) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/580339510883561472">March 24, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">So how could a structurally-sound aircraft crash even in </span><a href="http://www.airlive.net/2015/03/alert-weather-conditions-were-calm-at.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&amp;utm_medium=twitter">good weather conditions?</a></p><p>Business Insider spoke to a British private pilot (who wanted to remain nameless for publication) about the general misconceptions about flying an aircraft. Below is a lightly-edited Q&amp;A.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Business Insider: </strong>What are the common misconceptions about pilots flying planes?&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Pilot:</strong>&#xa0;Of course the principal thing to remember is that flying is very safe. Obviously there are statistics out there, but more often than not, the people who need convincing of this fact aren't going to be swayed by statistics!</p><p>There are many people who feel as though the "wings might fall off" or that if the engines fail, it's all over - but this simply isn't the case.</p><p>Even an airplane without power will glide for a very long time very easily. Perhaps one of the best known examples is an aeroplane whose fuel leaked out over the Atlantic Ocean, depriving it of both engine power and electricity. The captain - also a glider pilot in his spare time -&#xa0;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transat_Flight_236">landed the aircraft safely in the Azores with only his extremely basic backup instruments</a>.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>BI: </strong>So what do pilots do when they are in the air?</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551171a4ecad04d91c176cfe-1200-667/rtr4unk4.jpg" border="0" alt="Airbus plane operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier </span></p><p class="caption">Rescue helicopters from the French Securite Civile and the Air Force are seen in front of the French Alps during a rescue operation near to the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes, March 24, 2015. </p></img></div><p></p></div></div><strong>P:</strong> It's important to remember that there's a lot to do. Actually flying the aircraft is just a small part of what a pilot does.<p>In general terms, a pilot is also responsible for the navigation of the aircraft, the performance of the aircraft, the safe operation of the aircraft systems as well as liaising with air traffic controllers via radio.</p><p>Modern automation has taken a lot of the hard work out of these tasks and undoubtedly can do a much better and more accurate job of it than a human could but of course this necessitates a change in how a modern pilot does their job - it's often said that a Captain or First Officer is less a "pilot" and more a "systems manager" and that's probably true for the times when everything goes to plan.</p><p>A modern pilot truly earns their pay, though, when things don't go to plan and there's no automated substitute for experience and intuition and modern training reflects this.</p><p><strong>BI: So is automation / auto-pilot a bad thing?</strong></p><p><strong>P:</strong> Perhaps another misconception is that automation is inherently a bad thing - it's demonstrably not.</p><p>Without a doubt it's taken some of the romance and mysticism out of flying aeroplanes but in the modern day, the world needs safe and reliable transport solutions and delegating tough and complex tasks to dedicated machinery is a necessary part of that.</p><p>The danger comes when pilots allow their core, "hand flying" skills atrophy after many thousands of hours of uneventful automatic flying and these skills let them down when they're most needed - in the stress of a system failure.</p><p>Naturally, pilots are required to undergo modern, rigorous and continuous training throughout their careers to stymie this, but a few recent examples of air accidents [AF447, Asiana 214] illustrate that more can always be done.</p><p>Finally it's worth noting that aviation practice, procedure and law is always evolving to become safer and more efficient. We don't operate in the same environment as 1950s - or even 1980s - aviators.</p><p>Many refinements and improvements are a direct result of air disaster investigations (and it's comforting to know that some good usually comes from a disaster). For example, the specialist language that pilots and air traffic controllers use is constantly becoming less ambiguous and easier for aviators to interpret. Controllers and pilots never use the phrase "take off" until the exact moment they're required to actually start their takeoff sequence as a direct result of the world's worst aviation accident when two jumbo jets in thick fog believed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster">they could use the same runway at the same time, to name one example</a>.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>BI: What are the most common problems that aircrafts can incur if the weather is fine?</strong></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55116a33eab8ea9b715109c3-1200-800/rtr4un9u.jpg" border="0" alt="hollande spain king"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer </span></p><p class="caption">French President Francois Hollande (C), Spain's King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia leave the Elysee Palace in Paris, March 24, 2015. The three-day state visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain has been suspended following the crash of an Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline in a remote area of the French Alps on Tuesday. </p></img></div><p></p></div></div><strong>P:</strong>&#xa0;Commercial, passenger operations are required to operate under all weather conditions and, as such, operate principally using instruments and navigation techniques that do not require good weather.<p>Therefore, even in good weather, commercial pilots will be flying using their instruments (for example, their "artificial horizon"), on-board GPS-like navigation systems, ground-based navigational radio beacons and relying on air traffic control's radar and instructions to keep clear of other aircraft.</p><p>Naturally it's possible to become over-reliant on these systems and problems can ensue if an overly-reliant pilot has to do without a missing part of this puzzle, even when that part isn't required.</p><p>A recent example is that of a flight whose pilot was so dependant on a ground-based radio landing aid that, when the aid was offline for maintenance in perfect weather with an unhindered view of the runway, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiana_Airlines_Flight_214%20">they crashed a perfectly fully-functional modern aeroplane just short of the runway edge</a>.</p><p>One could argue that in such cases (and in other cases where a fully functional aeroplane is mishandled [AirFrance 447], the airline's training regime should focus less on automation and more on basic "hand-flying."</p><p><strong>BI: How much is auto-pilot used when flying?</strong></p><p><strong>P:</strong> For commercial operations, it varies depending on the operator's standard operating procedures and culture, the individual pilot's particular tastes, the weather, and how much automation is available.</p><p>At one end of the scale, some operators insist that their flight crews use automation from the earliest possible moment (seconds after takeoff) until the latest possible moment, late into the landing sequence and occasionally right down to the runway surface.</p><p>At the other end, a flight might be hand-flown for the entire duration (not uncommon if the flight isn't too long and if the pilot feels like it) or hand-flown during takeoff, climb, and well into the cruise phase as well as the descent and landing phase, with the automated systems handling the majority of the cruise (obviously most common during long-haul flights).</p><p>For example, this was posted by a pilot this morning on Reddit with the caption: "<a href="http://imgur.com/wSFR8Ae">Want to know how it feels to fly an airliner? Stare at this picture for about two hours while slowly consuming three cups of coffee</a>":</p><div><div><a href="http://imgur.com/wSFR8Ae"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/wSFR8Ae.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p><span>&#xa0;</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Hand-flying, especially during the descent and landing phases (when flight crew workload is already at its highest) is especially taxing during bad weather and it's likely that automation will be used to the maximum possible extent at this stage.</span></p><p>It's a sure bet, though, that any flight travelling in a straight line while high up is using its auto-pilot.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For private operations in small aircraft, very little. Most light aircraft aren't equipped with automation and must be flown literally hands-on at all time in a constant balancing act. The larger, newer or more expensive light aircraft are as fully-equipped as a modern jetliner, though, which has obvious appeal if you wish to fly for a long distance and/or in bad weather.</span></p><p><strong>BI: How does this have an impact during a crisis?</strong></p><p><strong>P:</strong> It depends on the nature of the crisis. Sometimes it's a boon because it allows a pilot to devote more attention to troubleshooting and in other occasions it gets in the way.</p><p>In most cases, however, the autopilot is designed to disconnect itself if any non-standard situations develop and require the flight crew to hand-fly the aircraft.</p><p>Here's a question raised by aviation experts.</p><div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>German-operated A320s do not crash in the cruise. Not these days. This one is weird. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Germanwings?src=hash">#Germanwings</a></p>- David Learmount  (@DavidLearmount) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/580344944134635521">March 24, 2015</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"><strong><br>BI:&#xa0;When a plane sends a distress call, what can ground staff do to help an aircraft safely land?</br></strong></p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>P:</strong> Not a great deal. Any pilot will tell you that they have a mantra drummed into them: "aviate, navigate, communicate" and this reflects the priorities of any pilot's tasks. The absolutely most critical task for any pilot is to "fly the aircraft."</p><p class="embed-spacer">This is why it's not unusual for emergencies to happen without any distress call being received. The flight crews are likely too busy flying and/or troubleshooting and it's recognised that a radio distress call will achieve very little besides perhaps giving navigational assistance to a suitable nearby landing spot.</p><p class="embed-spacer">Obviously it helps to have emergency crews on standby for when you DO land. But first you have to land (or fix the aircraft) and absolutely nobody on the ground can help you with that.</p><p class="embed-spacer">Typically, upon an aircraft declaring itself in a distress, an air traffic controller will:</p><p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(a) Assist the flight crew with finding a landing site.</p><p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(b) Clear any other traffic out of the way of the aircraft in distress.</p><p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(c) Notify the emergency services. It's not unheard of for an air traffic control unit to also dispatch or divert a nearby, available aircraft to the location of any aircraft in distress (or, at worse, a suspected crash site).</p><p class="embed-spacer"><strong>BI: What are the common misconceptions about the black box?</strong></p><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/551175dd6bb3f7c74fcb70b1-1200-800/rtr4unof.jpg" border="0" alt="An Airbus plane operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier</span></p><p class="caption">French Police and Gendarmerie Alpine rescue units gather on a field as they prepare to reach the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes, in the French Alps, March 24, 2015. </p></img></div><p></p></div></div><strong>P:</strong> The (usually orange) flight data and cockpit voice recorders are:<p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(a) not indestructible - they're designed to withstand significant hardships, violence and temperatures but a prolonged fuel fire can and will render any data on them unreadable.</p><p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(b) not infinite - some recorders only capture the last few hours of a flight, some the last few minutes - which may not help if any accident sequence is prolonged (like if, for example, whatever doomed MH370 happened early but it flew on for hours).</p><p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(c) not infallible - on very rare occasions, following an accident, it's been found that the accident flight has not been recorded at all due to an undetected failure on a much earlier flight.</p><p class="embed-spacer" style="padding-left: 30px;">(d) occasionally not easy to find if, for example, an accident aircraft breaks up in mid-air and distributes wreckage over a very large area and of course, as many people know, their automatically-activated underwater sonar "pingers" expire after a month or so.</p><p class="embed-spacer">It is, however, the single best tool in an accident investigator's box and even the cockpit voice recorder can yield a wealth of data on, for example, engine performance and flight conditions beyond simply recording the pilot's voices based on the noise in the cockpit.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obama-doppelganger-indonesia-2015-2">This 40-year-old Indonesian is Obama's doppelgänger</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="d1Y21iczpy9ODsMGFD3MgBIFRpYAWhOw" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'd1Y21iczpy9ODsMGFD3MgBIFRpYAWhOw',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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