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. US president Donald Trump will host Najib Razak (paywall) in the hopes of cultivating an Asian ally to help put pressure on North Korea. 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.
The US Labor Department shares data on job openings for July. In June, the number of openings jumped to a record high, yet hiring remained steady. That suggested employers were having trouble finding applicants with the right skills.
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 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. The sanctions instead cap crude oil exports to North Korea at current levels.
A major Brexit bill cleared its first hurdle in Britain. The UK parliament backed the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which ends the supremacy of EU law in Britain, by 326 votes to 290. But the hard work starts now as the bill will have to go through several more stages to become finalized.
France went on strike. The massive CGT union embarked on some 180 protests and 4,000 strikes across the country to protest the labor reforms proposed by president Emmanuel Macron, who faces plunging approval ratings. Among the disruptions, more than 20,000 Ryanair passengers had their flights canceled, with air-traffic controllers skipping work.
Norway reelected Erna Solberg. The prime minister became the first Conservative Party leader in over 30 years to be reelected. Her party has spent record amounts of oil wealth to support the economy, as Norwegians try to reconcile fighting climate change with being a major oil and gas producer.
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.
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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