Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Apple unveils its next iPhone(s). The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are expected to have minor upgrades from existing models, but the real star will be a $1,000 special anniversary smartphone, called the iPhone Edition or iPhone X, featuring an edge-to-edge screen, wireless charging, no home button, and a powerful set of dual cameras. The event in California is scheduled for 10am local time.
Malaysia’s prime minister visits Washington. Donald Trump will host Najib Razak in the hopes of cultivating an Asian ally to help put pressure on North Korea (paywall). But it may be a tense visit: US prosecutors are investigating the alleged transfer of over $1 billion from a state investment fund into Najib’s bank account.
France goes on strike. The massive CGT union announced 180 protests and 4,000 strikes across the country to protest president Emmanuel Macron’s proposed labor reforms. Macron, who is facing plunging approval ratings, will be on the Dutch-French island of Saint Martin surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Irma.
While you were sleeping
The UN Security Council voted unanimously for new sanctions on North Korea. Though the US ambassador Nikki Haley heralded the new sanctions (paywall) as a show of unity, they were significantly watered down from the original version of the resolution as Russia and China opposed an oil embargo on North Korea. The revised draft puts a cap on oil exports to North Korea, but doesn’t block them altogether.
Norway’s center-right government claimed a narrow victory. Prime minister Erna Solberg’s ruling party is on track to win 89 seats in the 169-seat parliament, according to official projections. That would make her the first Conservative Party leader to be re-elected in Norway since 1985.
Australia’s same-sex marriage referendum began. Ballots for the postal vote were sent out to households around the country, and Australians will have until Nov. 7 to mail their votes in. Many supporters of marriage equality, however, are opposed to the use of a referendum to decide on the matter as they argue it has resulted in an ugly and divisive debate.
Hurricane Irma weakened to a tropical storm. Relief efforts are underway, although the threat of dangerous storm surges and flash floods remains. Most of Florida is still without power as the remainder of the storm heads up to Georgia and South Carolina.
Quartz obsession interlude
John Detrixhe on the banker who is taking care of America’s business, all by himself. “JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon is not happy with the way things are going in America. This summer he used the bank’s earnings conference call to complain about ‘the stupid shit we have to deal with in this country,’ and said he was going to be like a ‘broken record’ until some key issues like infrastructure investment, corporate tax reform, improved education, and litigation get fixed.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Suburbs are the new cities. Refugees from sky-high urban rents may end up creating new and improved urban centers.
Don’t break up the tech giants—regulate them. Authorities need to create a level playing field for Facebook, Google, and their older rivals.
Tagging stories on Facebook as fake news makes no real difference. It’s still much easier to produce fake news than it is to actually track down what’s fake or not.
Surprising discoveries
Kangaroos are breeding like crazy in Australia. The population has nearly doubled in the past seven years.
North Korea is getting into cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is useful for a regime that’s trying to skirt international sanctions and launder money.
Scientists have discovered a new form of water. The theoretical gel-like ice would look like cotton candy.
Britain’s National Health Service has 10% of the world’s remaining pagers. It could save an estimated $3.6 million a year by replacing them.
California is preemptively outlawing weed deliveries by drone. It’s also banning shipments by aircraft, watercraft, railroads, and human-powered vehicles.
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