Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Japan braces for Typhoon Lan. The country’s third major storm of the season is forecast to rapidly intensify into a Category 4 tempest. Lan may pass Okinawa and reach the Tokyo-Yokohama area with weakened, Category 2 equivalent winds.
Spain calls an emergency meeting on Catalonia. After announcing that it will revoke the secessionist region’s autonomy and impose direct rule, the Spanish cabinet will meet to decide on specific measures to impose tighter control. The move deepens one of the country’s worst political crises (paywall) in decades.
Czech Republic elects a prime minister. The expected victory by billionaire Andrej Babiš would represent shift the country toward anti-establishment populism. The country’s second-richest man has been charged with fraud accused of communist-era secret police links.
While you were sleeping
Apple dragged Wall Street down from record highs. On the 30th anniversary of the 1987 stock market crash, shares of the world’s most valuable public company slumped to its lowest levels in more than two months, due to reports of apathetic demand for the iPhone 8.
Alphabet led a $1 billion investment in Lyft. The new funds, which brings the ride-sharing startup to an $11 billion valuation, will help it double down on the US market as Uber struggles. Alphabet, once Uber’s partner, is embroiled in legal battle over autonomous vehicle technology.
North Korea made another nuclear threat. In response to ongoing joint US and South Korean offshore military exercises, Pyongyang warned the US that it should expect an “unimaginable strike” in retaliation for “attempting to ignite a war.”
The FBI opened a probe into a Chinese businessman linked to a North Korean trade network. Sun Sidong was connected to a ship smuggling North Korean rocket-propelled grenades last year. The investigation (paywall) is part of wide-ranging US efforts to cut off business networks supplying goods and currency to the regime.
Goldman Sach’s CEO trolled London with his love of Frankfurt. Lloyd Blankfein’s tweet—”Great meetings, great weather, really enjoyed it. Good, because I’ll be spending a lot more time there. #Brexit”—comes as the bank plans to move its European operations when the UK leaves the EU. JPMorgan, Citi, and Morgan Stanley have made similar plans.
Quartz obsession interlude
Leah Fessler on the men paralyzed by #MeToo: “The risk that men perceive about potential backlash for writing or saying something insensitive—women experience that risk, too. We risk vicious online harassment every time we post a potentially controversial thought online, as well as the possibility that we’ll make a mistake, or that others will rightfully point out our blind spots. But it’s necessary to take that risk in order to learn and improve. Staying silent for fear of messing up only bolsters a culture of silence around sexism and abuse.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Apple iPhone 8 / sales are looking terrible / bye $19 billion!
Matters of debate
Psychopaths aren’t the best hedge-fund managers. New research suggests that manipulative narcissists make fewer overall profits than their friendlier peers.
Climate change is making cities more dangerous. We underestimate the effect that floods and heatwaves have on the 3 billion people living in dense urban areas.
Robots are real enough for human love. Androids are more lifelike than ever, and feeling genuine emotions for them won’t be so unusual in the near future.
Surprising discoveries
Psychedelics make people less likely to commit crimes. Researchers think treating violent criminals with magic mushrooms and the like could lead to less theft and fewer repeat assaults.
Japan discovered a moon cave big enough for a lunar base. The massive chasm could provide a natural shield from harsh conditions for future Lunarians.
Millennials are behind the Airbnb surge in Africa. Young people are exchanging luxury comforts for the more authentic experience in cities like Cape Town and Casablanca.
Scotland established the first floating wind farm. Seabound turbine power is a game-changer for renewable energy that’s already lighting up Scottish households.
Men who harass women in France may get fined. A potential law would ban catcalls, pick-up lines, and other public street abuse, and establish new regulations for consent.
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