Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for
Theresa May talks Brexit with Donald Tusk. The UK prime minister will convene with the EU president ahead of a meeting with the bloc’s 27 other leaders later this week. Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron lays out his vision for the EU’s future.
Donald Trump hosts Spain’s prime minister. Mariano Rajoy is due in Washington for the first bilateral meeting between the leaders. The meeting comes amidst tension in Spain, as Catalonia’s separatist leaders try to hold an independence referendum.
Jim Mattis visits India. The US defense secretary begins a two-day diplomatic visit to discuss India’s role in stabilizing Afghanistan. Mattis will meet his counterpart, defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as well as prime minister Narendra Modi.
While you were sleeping
China blocked WhatsApp. The encrypted messaging service, one of Facebook’s only products to work on the mainland, was shut down by the government (paywall). The blackout is part of a larger communications crackdown in the weeks before the ruling Communist Party gathers for its twice-a-decade conference.
North Korea said the US has already “declared war.” Foreign minister Ri Yong Ho told the UN that recent remarks from president Donald Trump have already created the conditions for North Korea to shoot down US bombers in self defense, even if they’re in international airspace.
Target announced a novel strategy to attract new workers: higher wages. The retailer is bumping its minimum rate from $10 to $11 an hour starting in October, with plans to offer $15 by 2020. US wages have barely risen in almost a decade, and retailers in particular are finding it difficult to hire new workers.
Deloitte was hit by a cyberattack. The Big Four accounting firm (which also provides cybersecurity services) was storing about 5 million private emails on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service, secured by a single password without any other safeguards. The emails contained potentially sensitive communications with corporate and government clients.
The Supreme Court cancelled a hearing on Trump’s travel ban. The court was scheduled to hear oral arguments for the infamous “Muslim ban” on October 10th, but asked lawyers to file new arguments for a revision to the order, which imposes new restrictions on citizens from North Korea, Venezuela, and Chad. The original case may never be heard, as more lawsuits are on the way.
Quartz obsession interlude
Katherine Foley on the scientists who have finally figured out how to build a better microwave: “Even though you can control the the amount of electromagnetic microwaves produced for a period of time, once they’re released into the metal cavity they bounce around uncontrollably, hitting some spots more than others. There’s no way to control them. The turntable was supposed to correct for that by exposing food to these waves from multiple angles, but it’s a shoddy fix.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Markets kicking their / tech-stock addiction. Result? / Wall Street gets deFANGed
Matters of debate
Did the Fed’s asset purchase program work? We’ll never know. But with no hyperinflation in sight, it wasn’t as risky as some once believed.
Positive thinking could end India’s sanitation woes. Building toilets isn’t enough—campaigners must make the toilet a symbol of dignity and virtue (paywall).
Trump’s presidency demonstrates unprecedented recklessness. Faced with nuclear tensions and athlete protests, previous presidents made the difficult choice to do nothing.
Surprising discoveries
Earth’s last snowstorm may be red. Winter-packed algae rises to the surface of snow, adding a red tint and causing it to melt faster.
A Saudi Arabian history book ran a photo of Yoda next to a former king. The Department of Education is trying to find the culprits. Do or not do… there is no try.
Walmart wants to put your groceries in the fridge for you. The company is testing a service that would give delivery workers temporary access to customers’ kitchens (paywall).
You can now pay $350 to control your phone with a jean jacket. We wanted flying cars, instead we got a wearable technology product from Google and Levis.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, musical jackets, and red snow to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.