Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Pollution rules take effect in China. The Environmental Protection Bureau in China’s Hubei province has vowed to shut down any steelmakers who fail to comply with emission restrictions by Sept. 1. The move is part of China’s aggressive efforts to slash pollution by 15% year-over-year across 28 northern cities. (Six of its 10 most polluted cities last year were in heavily industrial Hubei.)
The 9th China Flower Expo kicks off. The quadrennial event runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 7 in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The expo features a 3.8 square-kilometer (1.5 square-mile) main flower display and is expected to stimulate local tourism, agriculture, and wine culture.
Force Friday strikes back. Star Wars fans can geek out over the franchise’s second-ever merchandising event, which features everything from ATAT Lego sets and Jedi AR experiences to R2D2 inventor kits and stormtrooper action figures.
While you were sleeping
The UK and Japan plan to increase the pace of sanctions against North Korea. During an official visit to Japan, British prime minister Theresa May attended a top security meeting to discuss retaliation against Pyongyang’s provocative missile launch over Japanese territory. In a press briefing afterwards, she also called on China to exercise its leverage.
Apple announced its next iPhone event. After days of speculation, the tech giant confirmed that it will unveil the much-anticipated iPhone 8 on Sept. 12. Unfortunately for the infamously secretive company, a series of major leaks have pretty much ruined the surprise, and accessory manufacturers have already been making products to work with the new design.
The Trump administration is shutting down three Russian diplomatic offices. The White House said the Kremlin must close its San Francisco consulate, as well as annexes in New York and Washington DC, by Saturday. The move is a response to Russia reducing the number of American diplomats on its own turf. According to the US State Department, relations between DC and Moscow are in a “downward spiral.”
Wells Fargo uncovered more fake accounts. In the latest episode of a yearlong scandal, the San Francisco-based bank said an independent investigation uncovered 1.4 million more accounts that may have been opened without customer permission, bringing the total to roughly 3.5 million. Wells Fargo said it would refund or credit an additional $2.8 million to customers.
Archaeologists found the tomb of China’s Shakespeare. Known for his defiance of nobles in the Ming dynasty, the renowned late 16th-century playwright Tang Xianzu specialized in exploring the triumph of humanity over hierarchy and authority. He died at age 66 in 1616, the same year as Shakespeare, and was buried in his hometown in Jiangxi province.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ashley Rodriguez on Amazon’s quiet ascendancy in digital advertising. “The e-commerce giant is positioning itself to become a strong potential ‘third force’ [with Google and Facebook] in the space, as Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, puts it. ‘Amazon is becoming a force in advertising,’ said Sorrell, on his company’s August earnings call. ‘Surrounding all of this for our clients is the question of who controls the data.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Silicon Valley isn’t special anymore. The biggest and most successful tech companies have lost the “pirate” culture that they used to champion.
Let’s keep the penny around! Pennies are beloved in the US, and the benefits of discontinuing them aren’t worth the consequences.
Stop trying to kill the headphone jack. Gadget-makers have yet to present a compelling reason for eliminating a perfectly solid standard.
Surprising discoveries
Frankfurt is evacuating 70,000 people so it can deal with an unexploded WWII bomb. Evacuations are a routine occurrence in Germany, where British and American bombers dropped 1.35 million tons of explosives between 1940 and 1945.
You can’t block Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook. Trying to keep Zuck off your feed entirely results in a unique error message: “This profile can’t be blocked for now.”
Cats falling between five and nine stories are most likely to be injured. Thanks to a combination of air resistance and weight, felines have better odds when dropping from greater heights.
South Korea is aging faster than any other developed country. Nearly 14% of South Korea’s population is over 65, and the country is moving from an “aging” society to an “aged” one faster than Japan, Germany, or France did.
The world’s most promising shark repellant is administered with an aerosol can inspired by Batman. The grenade-like device, which dispenses a chemical solution after being tossed in water, was inspired by the “oceanic repellant bat spray” used by Adam West in the 1960s TV show.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, beloved pennies, and oceanic repellant bat spray to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.