Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
France attempts to persuade the EU to hike Google’s taxes. French finance minister Bruno Le Maire will try to convince his counterparts to tax tech firms based on revenue, not profit, in a meeting Saturday in Estonia.
Donald Trump speaks with Jewish leaders. The traditional US presidential phone call before the High Holy Days is fraught this year. Several rabbinical groups said they’ll boycott the call to protest Trump’s statements on white supremacists.
Cassini’s grand finale. After a 20-year journey, the space probe will send a few last snippets of scientific data as it hurtles into Saturn—an act of altruistic suicide to avoid contaminating moons that may contain life. You can follow its final moments here.
While you were sleeping
A small explosion on a train in West London is being treated as a terrorist incident. Early reports suggest some burn injuries and others related to the crush of people running out of Parsons Green station following a blast in a carriage shortly after 8am local time. Bomb disposal and counter-terrorism teams are at the scene.
Harvard rescinded its visiting fellowship invitation to Chelsea Manning. The university withdrew its offer after former CIA director Mike Pompeo, who called Manning an “American traitor,” canceled an appearance at Harvard in protest. The dean of the Kennedy School at Harvard, Douglas Elmendorf said the invitation was a “mistake” and he accepts responsibility for the decision.
Rex Tillerson called on China and Russia to take stronger action against North Korea. The US secretary of state’s comments came after Pyongyang launched yet another missile over Japan. China has been ratcheting up pressure against North Korea, but its efforts still fall far short of what the US wants.
The maker of “Angry Birds” set its IPO price. Finnish gaming company Rovio said it would sell shares (paywall) within a range of €10.25 to €11.50 ($12.25 to $13.75), giving it a market capitalization of around $1 billion. The company expects to begin trading on the Nasdaq Helsinki around Oct. 3.
Quartz obsession interlude
Alison Griswold on the reason people aren’t buying groceries online. ”Getting people to feel comfortable with having their groceries selected for them is an uphill battle, especially with produce. People can have very particular preferences when buying their fruits and vegetables. For example, maybe they like their bananas a little green, but their avocados ripe and ready to eat.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Buying hipster coffee is helping Africa. The continent’s once-vibrant export industry is being revived thanks to $6-a-cup java.
Russia’s war games are really just messing with the West. The annual exercise serves as propaganda and a warning to potential NATO members like Sweden and Finland.
No one can tell whether North Korea really exploded a hydrogen bomb. The only way to prove whether Pyongyang tested an atomic or a hydrogen bomb is to chemically test the site of the explosion, which isn’t possible.
Surprising discoveries
Every last kakapo’s genome has been sequenced. That’s a first for any species—but there are only 153 of the endangered giant parrots left.
A robot conducted a live orchestra for the first time. ABB’s YuMi bot worked alongside tenor Andrea Bocelli at a robotics showcase in Italy.
Japan’s toilets are getting an upgrade ahead of the Olympics. Bathrooms at Narita Airport in Tokyo will include double-wide stalls for travelers with service animals, and voice-guidance systems for blind users.
The concept of zero is older than we thought. The Bakhshali manuscript, an ancient Indian text in which the number first appeared, was carbon-dated back an additional 500 years.
Canada imports a lot of US sperm. A law prohibiting compensation of donors has created a “tremendous shortage” in the “precious bodily fluid.”
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