Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Toyota’s first-quarter earnings. The carmaker is expected to report a 15% decline in operating profit due to a surge in R&D costs. Japan’s most profitable company will announce as early as today it’s taking a roughly 5% stake in Mazda to jointly establish a US factory and develop electric vehicle technology.
Rwanda goes to the polls. President Paul Kagame, seeking his third term, is expected to receive more than 90% of the vote after a change to the country’s constitution waived a two-term limit. Amnesty International has warned of a “climate of fear” in Rwanda under Kagame’s authoritarian rule.
The US releases economic data. Economists expect July’s employment report to add 183,000 jobs, with unemployment ticking down to 4.3%.
While you were sleeping
Uber leased defective vehicles to drivers in Singapore. The ride-sharing giant was aware that the Honda SUVs had been recalled, according to internal emails obtained by the Wall Street Journal. One caught fire with a 61-year-old driver inside (paywall).
Rodrigo Duterte signed a law to provide free tuition in state universities and colleges. The Philippines president made the move despite objections from his economic advisors, who said the costs could reach $2 billion a year. Duterte argued the long-term benefits of education outweighed the “very heavy budgetary implications.”
The US impaneled a grand jury in the Russia investigation. Special counselor Robert Mueller will be able to subpoena documents, call witnesses, and seek indictments (paywall) in his probe of Moscow’s interference in the US presidential election. Congress is also considering a bill that would make it harder for Donald Trump to end Mueller’s investigation, which he has called a “witch hunt.”
Air France expanded the no-fly zone around North Korea. Last week a North Korean missile fell just 100 km (62 miles) from the path of an Air France flight carrying more than 320 people. Flights heading to Tokyo or Osaka will take up to 30 minutes longer.
A fire erupted on a residential skyscraper in Dubai. Fast-moving flames consumed dozens of floors on one side of the Torch Tower. No injuries were reported. The fire resembled a 2015 one at the same structure involving flammable panels. Such cladding contributed to a deadly tragedy in June when a fire engulfed London’s Grenfell Tower.
Quartz obsession interlude
Isabella Steger and Soo Kyung Jung on the South Koreans gingerly embracing the “YOLO” lifestyle: “Korean youth experience the same bleak feelings about their futures as people in other countries… But pressure from families and society at large to succeed is particularly grueling in Korea, and young people are starting to push back against these strict conventions in a serious way—by staying single and seeking more ‘me’ time.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Why do women bully each other at work? “Queen bee” behavior is more common when the deck is stacked against women.
Trump-Russia collusion is not off the table. Two former CIA agents say the evidence thus far is highly suspicious (paywall).
Swapping beef for beans could save the planet. It could get the US a long way toward meeting ambitious emissions targets.
Surprising discoveries
Cyberheist proceeds are being laundered at the baccarat table. A Chinese duo that stole a cool $81 million from Bangladesh’s central bank took their loot to a casino.
A potato cartel jacked up the price of US french fries. A collective of growers used drones and satellites to create “an OPEC of potatoes.”
Apple owns more T-bills than Mexico or the Netherlands. The company’s US Treasury holdings are worth $52.6 billion.
Researchers are using vibrators to determine the sex of turtles. The devices quickly create a visible reaction in males.
A cannabis startup wants to buy an entire California town. American Green, a self-described “seed-to-sale innovator,” thinks it can turn Nipton into a stoner’s paradise.
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