Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Central bankers hunker down in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A slowdown in Europe and Turkey’s currency crisis are likely topics at the annual conference of the world’s most powerful bankers (paywall). Fed chairman Jerome Powell will speak on Friday on “Monetary Policy in a Changing Economy.”
Irish protesters say “nope to the pope.” Pope Francis will deliver Sunday mass in Dublin, but he may face a lot of empty seats. In what organizers say is a “silent and peaceful protest” against the church, thousands have applied for free tickets and won’t attend the event.
Eid al-Adha and Hajj come to an end. Muslims around the world will mark the end of Eid Al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, on Saturday. Nearly 2 million Muslims who’ve made the pilgrimage to Mecca will return home when Hajj ends Friday night.
While you were sleeping
Australia got a new prime minister. Former treasurer Scott Morrison will replace Malcolm Turnbull and become Australia’s sixth prime minister in 11 years. Turnbull survived a leadership challenge this week, but lost the majority support of his Liberal Party in a second internal vote. An avowed Christian, Morrison voted against marriage equality in last year’s referendum.
US-China trade talks ended without a breakthrough. Negotiators made no real progress at the two-day meeting in Washington, DC, although Beijing described the talks as “constructive.” A fresh round of US tariffs on $16 billion of Chinese imports went into effect on Thursday, and Beijing retaliated with tariffs on $16 billion of American imports.
Uber and Airbus signed onto Japan’s flying-car program. The US ride-hailing service and European aerospace firm are two of 21 companies enlisted in a government-led plan to develop airborne cars for Japan (paywall) in the next decade.
Trump reportedly offered to buy Italian debt. According to Italy’s Corriera della Sera newspaper, the president recently offered Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte help in buying the country’s sovereign bonds (paywall) next year. The new government’s fiscal promises and euro-skeptic stance has taken a toll on Italian bonds recently.
Hurricane Lane bore down on Hawaii. Around 20 inches of rain had fallen on Big Island by late Thursday, causing landslides and blocking roads. The National Weather Service said the center of the Category 3 storm will “move over, or dangerously close to portions of the main Hawaiian islands” by Friday.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Echo Huang on what China thinks of Hollywood’s Asian blockbuster. “Crazy Rich Asians doesn’t even have a scheduled release in China, but more than a thousand Chinese moviegoers who have purportedly seen the movie are already chiming in—and many of them are not impressed… One user criticized the film for its lack of authenticity, comparing it to Americanized Chinese food.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Impeaching Trump wouldn’t crash the stock market. The markets don’t move much on news of Trump’s legal troubles anymore.
There’s only one type of failure you should feel embarrassed about. If you could have prevented it, go ahead and feel bad. Otherwise? You’re golden.
Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” theory is outdated. “Sluggish” creatures with low metabolic rates are prime candidates for surviving extinction.
Surprising discoveries
Kalashnikov wants to compete with Tesla. The maker of AK-47 assault rifles is creating an electric car, with looks inspired by a 1970s Soviet hatchback.
WTF, Procter & Gamble. The company is trying to trademark internet slang acronyms LOL, WTF, NBD, and FML to market its cleaning products.
Japan got its first female fighter pilot. Misa Matsushima said she had been inspired by Top Gun in primary school.
General Motors employees aren’t allowed to walk and text. Even CEO Mary Barra is banned from strolling into a meeting while glued to a mobile screen.
The highest-paid actor of 2018 didn’t make a movie. George Clooney profited handsomely when he sold his tequila company.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, flying cars, and LOLs 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 by Jill Petzinger and edited by Sarah Todd.