Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A dangerous new label for red meat. The World Health Organization is expected to announce that red meat will join its list of carcinogenic substances. The decision follows consultations with scientists from ten nations, and could lead to new dietary guidelines.
A new conservative government in Poland. The Eurosceptic conservative party, Law and Justice, is ahead in the polls and expected to win the national election, despite the fact that leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski was criticized for suggesting that refugees could bring disease to Poland.
FIFA presidential candidates throw their hat in the ring. Anyone seeking to replace Sepp Blatter as the head of soccer’s corruption-challenged global governing body must submit their candidacy today. Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein has already declared his interest.
Barack Obama welcomes Indonesian president Joko Widodo. The two leaders will meet at the White House to talk about partnership between the two countries during Widodo’s first US visit since his election in 2014.
Over the weekend
Hurricane Patricia appeared to cause no deaths. At sea, it measured as the strongest hurricane on record, heading toward Mexico with winds up to 200 miles an hour. On land, Patricia slowed and weakened into a manageable tropical storm that appeared to cause no major damage and no deaths.
Argentina is looking for a non-Kirchner president. Argentinians voted for a new president on Sunday after 13 years of rule by husband-and-wife Kirchners, most recently Cristina. Exit polls suggest that voters are supporting more of the same—Daniel Scioli, from the ruling Front for Victory party, appeared to have a 10-point lead.
Maldives’ vice president was charged in an assassination attempt. Police in the Maldives arrested vice president Ahmed Ahdeeb for alleged involvement in an attempt to kill president Abdulla Yameen by blowing up his speedboat.
VW suspended more engineers after scandal. At the advice of lawyers, Volkswagen has suspended more engineers than previously thought—reportedly, every engineer having to do with the equipment created to fool emissions regulators, from high-level executives to ordinary engineers.
The Catholic Church stands pat on divorce. Catholic bishops ended a three-week summit in Rome to consider the church’s stand on marriage, divorce and homosexuality, with no major doctrinal changes. Pope Francis lectured the bishops on the need for more flexibility after they declined to embrace divorced and remarried church members.
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain on how little has changed in Bangladesh’s factories since the Rana Plaza tragedy. “More than two years later, however, many of the factories that produce clothing for Western retail stores remain deathtraps and tragedies waiting to happen, according to the organization tasked with overseeing those commitments.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The Crusades launched Medieval fashion trends. Eastern fashion brought back by religious zealots kicked off a textile craze—and class panic—in 12th century Europe.
Parents should limit kids’ screen time. If pediatricians can’t recommend screen time limits, then who will?
Negative interest rates can protect currencies. They insulate Scandinavia from the Euro’s problems, but can subzero rates create inflation for the Federal Reserve?
American love is consumerist. Russians have a different approach to affairs of the heart.
Surprising discoveries
Light can be “squeezed.” The discovery by Harvard physicists is a step towards making phones and computers that are powered by light and work far faster than today’s electronics.
Silly String’s recipe is top secret. The company will not name the two crucial ingredients, though several minor ingredients are known. As the original patent says, they work together to create “substantial play and decorative utility.”
We’re looking for happiness in the wrong places. It’s natural to chase things that give us a short-term pleasure boost, like promotions or compliments, but these won’t necessarily make us happy in the long run. In fact, most of us regress to a baseline level of happiness.
Sausages aren’t always what they claim to be. In the US, sausage meat does not match the label 14% of the time, according to recent DNA tests. The startup behind the study, Clear Labs, is launching a Kickstarter campaign to report on a different food category every month.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, squeezed light, and sausage DNA tests to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.