Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Malaysia’s general election. Prime minister Najib Razak has a tiny lead over Mahathir Mohamad, a former PM who was once his mentor. Because of extensive gerrymandering, the ruling party could lose the popular vote and still maintain control.
Tech companies battle to test out US drones. Companies including Amazon, Apple, Intel and Airbus have partnered with state and local governments to test unmanned aerial vehicles at night, over populated areas, and beyond the operator’s line of sight. The federal government will choose ten winners from nearly 200 applicants.
A trilateral summit between Japan, South Korea, and China. The meeting between Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and Chinese premier Li Keqiang comes ahead of US president Donald Trump’s visit to North Korea next month.
While you were sleeping
Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal. As expected, the US president said he would introduce new sanctions on Iran despite pleas from major US allies, with multinational companies facing a Nov. 4 deadline to withdraw from the country. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said he would seek to keep the nuclear arrangement in place by negotiating with the other signatories.
Google’s next version of Android encourages people not to use their phones too much. The smartphone operating system features a “Wind down” mode that will gray out your screen after a pre-set hour, and show how many hours a day you use various apps. Google also demonstrated an AI system called “Duo” that can speak with humans to make reservations and confirm appointments.
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an Ebola outbreak. Health authorities said they have confirmed at least two incidents out of 21 suspected cases of the viral hemorrhagic fever, including 17 fatalities. The World Health Organization is mobilizing healthcare providers, including Medicin sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), who helped to contain a similar outbreak last year.
The US and China brawled before the World Trade Organization. Amid a worsening trade war, US ambassador Dennis Shea said China’s claims that it champions free trade were like something from Alice in Wonderland. Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xiangchen said the US was taking the WTO hostage by vetoing the appointment of world trade judges.
Quartz obsession interlude
Sarah Todd on the under-appreciation of dinosaurs: “It’s true that dinosaurs went extinct some 66 million years ago, doomed by a stray comet or asteroid—scientists aren’t sure which. But before that, dinosaurs reigned supreme for 150 million years, thanks in large part to their cleverness and adaptability. Homo sapiens, by contrast, have only been around for an estimated 300,000 years. Compared to dinosaurs, we kind of suck.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Google’s latest ad ban is deeply misguided. A prohibition on ads for bail bonds will only result in more poor people rotting in jail.
Wednesday is the best day to work from home. Having two days of collaboration on either end of the week leaves the middle for uninterrupted productivity.
The US can eliminate its trade deficit or run the world’s dominant currency—but not both. America provides the rest of the world with liquidity and a safe place to store assets.
Surprising discoveries
A Chinese music-video network has the world’s most downloaded iPhone app. Douyin has a huge following thanks to lip-syncing internet celebrities.
Female Afghan coders are creating games about opium and inequality. Developing software gives women a rare chance to join the professional workforce.
An obscure Australian study is the star citation on Wikipedia. The climate change research has been referenced 2.8 million times.
Researchers put a crocodile in an MRI and played it classical music. The results showed that reptiles process stimuli much like birds and mammals.
The gender pay gap starts with babysitting. Girls who are emotionally attached to the children they care for receive the lowest raises.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, opium video games, and music for crocodiles to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Adam Pasick and Susan Howson.