Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Shinzo Abe visits India. The Japanese prime minister meets his counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Gujarat for a two-day summit that will mark the launch of a $17 billion Indian bullet train project.
The UN security council discusses the Myanmar refugee crisis. Sweden and Britain requested a private meeting to address the “deteriorating situation” for the country’s persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority group. A top UN official called the crackdown “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
Super typhoon Talim hits Taiwan. The storm is expected to intensify as it heads toward southern Japan, Taiwan, and eastern China. What may prove to be the year’s largest typhoon will bring strong winds, dangerous rainfall, and powerful storm surges.
While you were sleeping
Apple unveiled its latest iPhones. The tech giant debuted the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, as well as a higher-priced new phone, the iPhone X (pronounced “ten”), with an “edge-to-edge” screen and 3D face-scanning security. The company will need to convince consumers to pay more than $1,000 for its most important product.
The US economy showed signs of strength. The Census Bureau reported a 5% boost the median US income: Female heads of household with no husbands saw the biggest rise with 7%, and single males the lowest at 1.1%. Separately, the number of job openings reached a record high.
Washington threatened Beijing over North Korea. The Trump administration vowed to impose further sanctions if Chinese companies and banks did not stop aiding Pyongyang (paywall). The demands followed a fresh wave of UN sanctions that stopped short of an oil embargo initially sought by the US.
Tesla’s self-driving technology was partially blamed for a fatal crash. US regulators said a 2016 collision was caused by driver error and over-reliance on the car’s autopilot. They added that Tesla’s lack of “safeguards” that allowed the driver “to use the system outside of the environment for which it was designed.”
A Russian politician claimed the Kremlin stole the US presidential election. Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov said on live TV that US “slept while Russia elected a new US president.”
Quartz obsession interlude
Ingrid Burrington on what happens if the next global crisis threatens the internet. “During Hurricane Harvey, cell service and 4G/LTE were crucial to rescue efforts, which were in part facilitated on social-media platforms like Facebook and a walkie-talkie emulating app called Zello. … While it’s inspiring to see individuals with smartphones step in as first responders, in the absence of a functional network and electricity, those smartphones aren’t much more than a neat assembly of toxic rocks.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Apple shares tumble / with boring phones. Does that have / an Animoji?
Matters of debate
Russia and China hold all the cards over North Korea. The two nations are exercising their veto power and making their priorities known.
Helicopter parenting is bad for college kids. But a little light hovering is just right.
“Bitcoin is a fraud.” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says the cryptocurrency is the 21st century version of tulip mania.
Surprising discoveries
Low-level criminals make around $900 a week. It’s painfully easy to see why some people risk working on the wrong side of the law.
A photographer settled with a monkey over copyright to a selfie. Naruto the crested macaque will receive 25% of future royalties.
Steve Jobs allegedly cheated on the first iPhone presentation. A former Apple engineer says he secretly used two phones and faked a strong cell signal.
A monstrous fatberg is blocking a London sewer. At 130 tonnes (143 tons), the mass of congealed fat, oil, wipes, and other debris is as heavy as a blue whale.
Nordstrom is opening stores that don’t stock clothes. Retailers are desperate for a way to make brick-and-mortar outlets viable when everyone buys clothes online.
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