What to watch for today
Signs of Kim Jong-un. Will North Korea’s supreme leader show up to the gala celebrating the ruling party’s 69th anniversary? He hasn’t been seen in public in over a month, spurring rumors of a serious illness or a behind-the-scenes coup.
Hong Kong protests at a crossroad. Pro-democracy students’ scheduled talks with government officials today were canceled at the last minute. Will protestors be reinvigorated by the slight, or has the momentum has been lost?
The Nobel Peace Prize is announced. Who will win—if anyone—after a horrible year of bloodshed and war?
Apple’s new iPhones are on order in China. Consumers in the world’s largest smartphone market can now reserve an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, ahead of the official release on Oct. 17. For those too impatient to go through official channels, import prices have collapsed to reasonable levels.
Data, data, and more data. France, Italy, and the Netherlands will release industrial production figures, the UK will detail its trade balance, and Standard & Poor’s will issue an update on its credit rating for France—which earlier this month said it needs more time to reach European-mandated debt levels.
While you were sleeping
Microsoft’s chief executive put his foot in his mouth. Speaking at a conference on women in technology, Satya Nadella said underpaid women shouldn’t ask for raises and instead depend on “good karma.” He later apologized for his remark, calling it “completely wrong.”
Obama is trying to close Gitmo again. The US president is preparing to override a congressional ban on bringing prisoners to the United States from the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall). Obama tried and failed to close the facility during his first term.
Tesla’s “D” is a semi-autonomous all-wheel-drive car. Master showman Elon Musk unveiled a faster version of the Tesla Model S sedan powered by two separate electric motors. The company also introduced a “a suite of driver aid features” that uses sensors to read and adjust to speed limit signs, and can change lanes with the flick of a turn signal. (USA Today broke the embargo for the announcement, but its write-up was preserved in Google’s cache.)
Carl Icahn suggested Tim Cook raise Apple’s share price. The activist investor wants the company to accelerate its buyback program to double the value of its shares, of which Icahn owns 53 million.
Quartz obsession interlude
Matt Phillips on the fragility of Germany. “Germany is part of Europe, and the European economy is in a terrible mess. Exports account for about 38% of German GDP, according to Oxford Economics. And the biggest destination for its exports are European nations. (For instance, France is its largest export market, the destination of 9.2% of all exports in 2013.) About 57% of all German export goods are shipped to other European Union nations.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Asians aren’t appreciated in Silicon Valley. The largest minority in the tech hub gets the second-lowest salaries.
Fight it over there so we don’t have to fight it over here. Not terrorism—Ebola. Those new airport screenings are a waste of resources.
Mothers should be pressured into breastfeeding. Some might push back, but in the end, it’s worth it.
Surprising discoveries
China is on alert over a stray Siberian tiger. ”Kuzia” swam across the border after president Vladimir Putin released him into the wild.
It all goes down the same pipe. A UK school is telling its 15,000 students to pee in the shower to save water.
Cigarette adverts are back. Advertisements featuring e-cigs will soon appear on British TV.
Thailand is paying cops to refuse bribes. A mixed message in the fight against an “ingrained culture of corruption.”
Click here for more surprising discoveries on Quartz.
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