Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
New Jersey takes a bet on online gambling. New Jersey becomes the third US state, following Nevada and Delaware, to legalize internet betting. The market could be worth up to $1.2 billion—but it could also lead to increased addiction and financial struggles.
South Africa grows sluggishly. South Africa’s GDP is set to grow around 1% for the third quarter, down from 3% in the same period last year, on the back of strikes in the auto and mining sectors, two of the country’s key industries.
Barnes and Noble’s losses widen. The bookseller is set to report a loss of six cents a share, on revenues of $1.38 billion, compared to a loss of four cents a share on revenues of $1.89 billion last year. Its e-reader, the Nook, has been especially hard hit.
The world’s most valuable book goes on sale. The Bay Psalm Book, a 17th-century collection of Puritan-translated psalms, is thought to be the first book printed in what would later become the US. It goes up for auction at Sotheby’s and could sell for as much as $30 million.
While you were sleeping
China will target banks evading lending limits. Beijing is planning regulations that would prevent institutions from skirting loan-to-deposit ratios by using resale or repurchase agreements.
The FAA will caution carriers on 747-8s and Dreamliners. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it will warn airlines flying those jets with General Electric engines that they shouldn’t fly too close to thunderstorms due to a risk of ice building up.
Hamid Karzi won’t sign a US security deal. The Afghan president told US envoy Susan Rice he wanted to hold off on okaying the pact—which would permit US troops to stay in Afghanistan—until after elections next year.
YuanShengTai fell in pre-market trading. The major Chinese milk producer, set to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange today after raising $425 million, declined 2.2% (paywall) below its IPO price before the market opened.
China detained seven Sinopec personnel following the the pipeline explosion that killed at least 55 last week in the eastern city of Qingdao, another sign Beijing is changing the way it responds to industrial accidents.
Pressure mounted on the Thai prime minister. Yingluck Shinawatra continues her face-off with huge crowds of anti-government protesters now occupying two government ministries; opposition leaders have encouraged demonstrators to take over even more state facilities, and Yingluck has invoked new security measures.
Confusion after Honduras vote. With Juan Orlando Hernández and Xiomara Castro both declaring themselves the new president, election officials and the parties themselves initially went silent. But government authorities now say Hernández has an irreversible lead.
Quartz obsession interlude
John McDuling on why buyers are interested in the US’s least liked cable company, Time Warner Cable. “It’s being circled by rival cable companies including Charter Communications and Comcast. There’s even speculation that, to avoid antitrust concerns, it could be broken up into parts for the rest of the industry to feast on. Why so much interest in a poorly performing business that isn’t very popular with its own customers? The reason is simple: the fragmented nature of America’s cable industry is basically unsustainable, and Time Warner Cable has considerable strategic value.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Don’t assume all indigenous peoples are dying out. The Māori, for example, continue to thrive.
The period has a new meaning in punctuation. It’s become a symbol of passive aggression.
Goldman Sachs has got a sweet deal out of Venezuela. It’s lending the country money for its gold on terms that look a lot better for the bank than for the country.
The Iran nuclear deal is bad for the US’s oil boom. It could eventually lower oil prices enough to make a lot of the recent shale oil finds uneconomic.
Surprising discoveries
Buddhism may date from the sixth century B.C. Excavations at a temple in Nepal indicate the religion may have been founded three hundred years earlier than assumed.
Dry cleaning isn’t actually dry. Your delicate garments are immersed in a chemical solution—though it is not water—and then dried.
Long live the Nineties. Tamagotchis are coming back, and swankier than ever.
Only 25% of Yahoo employees use Yahoo email. Read the desperate corporate memo asking them to make the switch.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, passive aggressive punctuation, and revamped Tamagotchis to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates during the day.