Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
7-Eleven becomes a bike-sharing hub in Japan. The convenience store is partnering with SoftBank’s Hello Cycling. The company is rolling out services in nine outlets in Saitama, north of Tokyo, before expanding to larger metropolitan areas.
Foreign ministers discuss the Rohingya crisis. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will discuss a three-point solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis, which includes a cease-fire and the repatriation of refugees, in Myanmar’s capital with other diplomats.
Mervyn King interviews Janet Yellen. The former governor of the Bank of England will speak with the US Federal Reserve chair (paywall) about her policy outlook. It’ll be one of the last opportunities to chat with Yellen in this particular role—she will not be returning to the Fed board of governors once Jerome Powell takes over.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump ratcheted up his feud with North Korea. The US president designated Kim Jong-un’s regime a state sponsor of terrorism, which carries the threat of new US sanctions. North Korea was previously on the list from 1988 to 2008, but was removed by George W. Bush in an unsuccessful attempt to reach a nuclear deal.
General Electric is firing half of its board. CEO John Flannery will eliminate nine of 18 members and add three new directors, for a total of 12, in order to streamline decision making and bring in new perspectives. Investors such as Nelson Peltz, whose new board member will be safe from the purge, are pressuring the company to improve its financial performance.
Uber is buying 24,000 autonomous Volvos. The ride-hailing service will spend an estimated $1 billion to buy autonomous versions of Volvo’s flagship XC90 SUVs between 2019 and 2021. The purchase may complicate Uber’s efforts to placate its current workforce of more than 2 million drivers worldwide.
A star New York Times reporter was suspended after sexual harassment allegations. White House correspondent Glenn Thrush was accused of lewd conduct by several younger, female colleagues, including “unwanted groping and kissing.” The newspaper said Thrush’s suspension will stay in effect until it concludes internal investigation.
The US opioid epidemic is taking a $500 billion toll on the economy. New research from the White House Council of Economic Advisers says the cost of the crisis was about six times larger than previous estimates, and equal to about 3% of US GDP. Despite president Donald Trump’s declaration of a public health emergency, the administration has not allocated significant funding.
The US demanded that Apple provide access to the Texas gunman’s iCloud data. The FBI has complained that an iPhone belonging to Devin Patrick Kelley, who killed 26 people in a Texas church, was not accessible due to the device’s encryption.
Quartz obsession interlude
Thu-Huong Ha on how “silent reading” changed our interior lives: “This strange new trend of reading to oneself naturally had its detractors. Skeptics thought silent reading attracted day-dreamers and the “sin of idleness,” as Manguel writes. And worse: It let people learn and reflect without religious guidance or censure. Silent reading by the late 19th century was so popular that people worried that women in particular, reading alone in bed, were prone to sexy, dangerous thoughts.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Facebook can’t regulate itself. The company has an unprecedented wealth of personal data and a history of mishandling it (paywall).
China is winning the electric car arms race. As countries scramble to increase production, China is cornering the market for lithium.
Chile’s democracy is once again in peril. A billionaire businessman is harnessing populist anger.
Surprising discoveries
Some crucial elements are in very short supply. Silver, helium, zinc, and gallium are under a “serious threat in the next 100 years.”
The CIA took cat photos at the 1963 Moscow Fair. The images, classified until recently, show the anonymous photographer was distracted by an adorable tabby.
India is using drones to fight outdoor defecation. Authorities in Telangana say surveillance has dramatically cut down on the number of offenders.
There’s an app that gives blind people an “audio description of life.” A service called Aira describes the world for users wearing its smart glasses.
London’s double-decker buses are partly powered by coffee. A company called Bio-bean uses coffee grounds to make 6,000 liters (1,583 gallons) of biofuel.
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