Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Theresa May and Boris Johnson’s contentious trip to New York. The UK prime minister and foreign secretary will attend the UN general assembly, just days after Johnson made a thinly veiled bid to supplant May in the form of a lengthy essay about his “glorious” post-Brexit vision.
Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a speech on the Rohingya crisis. Myanmar’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning de facto leader will deliver a televised speech instead of joining other leaders at the UN. She has been heavily criticized for failing to stop the military’s ethnic cleansing of the repressed Muslim ethnic group.
Hurricane Maria hits islands already devastated by Irma. The category 3 storm is expected to be upgraded to a category 5 when it makes landfall later today. In its projected path are Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, and the US and British Virgin Islands.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump made his UN debut. The US president stayed on script during brief remarks at an event promoting changes to the UN’s governance, calling for “truly bold reforms.” Trump, who previously called the UN “a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time,” will speak to the general assembly on Tuesday.
Iran accused the US of undercutting a nuclear deal. Vice president Ali Akbar Salehi said the US violated “the letter and spirit” (paywall) of the pact, which required the US to relax sanctions in exchange for Tehran reducing its nuclear program. Trump has said he may not confirm Iran’s compliance with the treaty, which would allow Congress to reimpose sanctions.
Slack raised a quarter of a billion dollars that it didn’t even need. The messaging app’s latest round included funds from SoftBank Vision Fund, though it has yet to touch the $360 million (paywall) it previously raised. As with many other technology startups, Slack doesn’t see much need to have an IPO.
Northrop purchased Orbital ATK for $7.8 billion. The defense giant boosted its space and missile business by paying a 22% premium over Orbital’s closing price on Friday. The SpaceX competitor also has a history of working on ICBMs and could help Northrop expand its missile defense products, a major focus due to the increased threat from North Korea.
The feds opened a criminal probe into Equifax. The US justice department is looking into insider stock sales before the company announced a massive hack. Prosecutors will join a number of lawmakers, states, and regulators looking to see whether the company broke any laws.
Quartz obsession interlude
Annalisa Merelli and Max de Haldevang on the key issues at the 2017 United Nations Global Assembly: “With hundreds—possibly thousands!—of other official meetings, side conferences, panels, presentations, receptions, galas, and cocktail hours, and more organizations than you ever knew existed vying for a slice of attention from the world’s highest powers, it can be hard to know how to even begin … We’ve distilled a summary of the most important topics of discussion.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
500 euro / notes are plugging up commerce / Got a good plumber?
Matters of debate
Has Facebook become a tool for ethnic cleansing? Posts documenting violence against Myanmar’s Rohingya minority are mysteriously disappearing.
Drones and self-driving cars won’t automate delivery any time soon. Instead, night delivery, consolidation centers, lockers, and electric vehicles will ease e-commerce congestion.
India will replace China as the world’s growth engine. India’s young, female-driven workforce is the key.
Surprising discoveries
Climate change may be making food less nutritious. Warmer temperatures are replacing important minerals with carbohydrates and sugars.
An ocean-bound trash island is now the size of France. A foundation is petitioning the UN to recognize “The Trash Isles,” and Al Gore has signed up to be its first citizen.
A wanted militant is running for parliament in Pakistan. Islamist leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is running an illegal campaign while under house arrest (paywall).
“Grave-casual” is trending for burial outfits. Baby boomers prize self-expression for the last clothes they’ll ever wear.
The future of air-conditioning throws heat into space. High-tech mirrors could save up to 70% of the energy used by a standard air conditioner.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Trash Isles passports, and AC mirrors to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.