Good morning, Quartz readers!
Today, we’re releasing What Happens Next—our video guide to the future. To make five documentaries, each under 15 minutes long, our team traveled from tiny Pacific islands and South Dakota farms to Oregon forests, Canadian cities, and Central American backlands. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of human life poised to see large changes in the years to come—money, work, food, fact, and home.
What to watch for today
Crunch time in Catalonia. Catalan lawmakers meet in Barcelona to formulate a response to Madrid’s intention to impose direct rule on the region. Meanwhile in Madrid, Spain’s central government meets to make a plan on how to take over Catalonia’s police and finances if it declares independence. The complex situation has a variety of potential outcomes.
The ECB starts turning off the easy-money tap. At a meeting in Frankfurt, European Central Bank president Mario Draghi is expected to announce plans to scale back its bond-buying stimulus and start to unwind years of loose monetary policy.
US-bound airlines roll out new security rules. The measures could include “short security interviews” at departure airports. About 325,000 passengers on some 2,000 commercial flights will be affected every day.
While you were sleeping
Thousands gathered for the Thai king’s funeral. Thais dressed in black wept as the body of their beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last year, was carried by chariot to Bangkok’s Grand Palace for cremation. The country’s top architects spent nearly a year creating the golden crematorium for the $90 million, five-day ceremony to bid farewell to world’s longest-reigning monarch.
Hurricanes hurt AB InBev’s beer sales. The Belgium-based brewer said hurricane season dented beer volumes in the US (its largest market) in the third quarter. Still, profit surged from $557 million this time a year ago, to just over $2.06 billion, and the company said the 2016 merger with SAB Miller helped cut costs.
Deutsche Bank trading slumped. The German lender suffered a 30% dip (paywall) in third quarter revenue in its corporate and investment banking arm—which is responsible for over half the bank’s business. It’s still trying to win back clients in the wake of misconduct cases and shaky finances, but the lender’s quarterly profit increased strongly, topping expectations.
Kenyans headed to the polls, again. The previous presidential election was nullified due to hacking claims by the opposition party, whose candidate, Raila Odinga, has since withdrawn. Odinga called for a boycott of the vote, which was allowed to proceed after not enough justices showed up to rule on a potential challenge.
McDonald’s changed its name to “Golden Arches” in China. That will be its registered business name, and comes after the fast-food chain agreed to sell most of its China business to CITIC and Carlyle Group earlier this year. The stores themselves will still be branded “McDonald’s” in China.
Brazil’s president survived a second corruption vote in three months. Michel Temer just won enough votes in the lower house of congress to avoid facing trial on corruption charges in a case involving meatpacking giant JBS. Temer is safe from further investigation until he steps down at the end of 2018, but he may have lost the clout to pass reforms before next year’s election.
Quartz obsession interlude
Molly Rubin on the true cost of the iPhone X. “Are the new bells and whistles and bigger screen worth, for example, 50% of your monthly salary? That’s a decision consumers in Spain will have to reckon with when the iPhone X goes on sale next month. In India and China, smartphone markets poised for massive growth and where Apple is trying to expand, the iPhone X costs far more than the typical monthly income in each country; in India, the new model will cost almost as much as the average citizen makes in a year.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Hurricane victims are getting too much stuff and not enough money. Aid experts say that donations rarely match up with needs on the ground.
Facebook thinks very little of us. Its new Explore feed uses an algorithm to predict what we’ll like, but it’s actually a distillation of the worst of the internet.
Corporate insistence on four-year degrees is a costly mistake. It’s one reason US employers can’t fill 6.1 million openings.
Surprising discoveries
Dairy cows are increasingly “connected.” Software startups are helping farmers attach sensors to their cows to monitor their health (paywall), fertility, and how much exercise they’re getting.
A Japanese company is tackling “noodle harassment.” Food maker Nissin is selling an electric fork that emits noises to mask nearby noodle slurpers.
The island where Bangladesh wants to put Rohingya refugees can barely even be called an island. Thengar Char appeared only recently as Himalayan sediments settled in the sea, forming a flimsy land mass.
A German photographer is giving voice to sad office plants. German Business Plants is an attempt to document the lonely cacti and neglected succulents.
The 74-year-old “Ninja of Heisei” has been unmasked. Police were surprised at the age of the nimble Japanese thief.
Singapore now has the world’s most powerful passport. Holders can now access 159 countries, narrowly edging out Germany.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, neglected office plants, and nimble ninjas to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android.