Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
EU defense and foreign ministers meet in Vienna. Representatives of the bloc gather over two days to discuss a range of issues including Syria and Russia. Also of note is the attendance of the Turkish foreign minister, perhaps a sign that Ankara hopes to improve relations with its western neighbors.
An Asia-Pacific trade pact may finally move forward. At a meeting in Singapore, Indian commerce minister Suresh Prabhu could announce his country’s decision regarding the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which has stalled without India’s participation.
US retailers announce earnings. Athleisure apparel maker Lululemon, whose stock is up over 70% this year, reports its second-quarter figures. Abercrombie & Fitch also releases its numbers, with investors looking for more updates on its strategy of shrinking store space.
While you were sleeping
Argentina asked the IMF for help. President Mauricio Macri requested an early release of $50 billion from the International Monetary Fund as part of a bailout deal agreed earlier this year, as the peso continued to lose value against the dollar this week.
Lawmakers urged Donald Trump to sanction China over its Xinjiang crackdown. Bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter to the president suggesting he impose sanctions on Beijing, as millions of Uyghur Muslims in the region are reportedly being incarcerated in so-called “training centers.” Beijing says those being held are being rehabilitated from religious extremism.
Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon had a heated debate. The New York gubernatorial candidates sparred for the first time (paywall), with the Sex and the City star labeling the current governor as a “corrupt corporate Democrat,” while Cuomo attacked her for her lack of experience. Polls show Nixon trailing far behind Cuomo.
German authorities are probing a leak that led to the far-right protests in Chemnitz. Interior minister Horst Seehofer said there would be an investigation into how information about an arrest warrant for an Iraqi over the fatal stabbing of a German man was leaked, triggering two days of violent protests in the eastern city.
Trudeau stayed noncommittal about NAFTA. The Canadian prime minister told reporters that the country would attempt to get to the “right place” by Friday, or walk away from negotiations with the Trump administration (paywall). Foreign minister Chrystia Freeland spent yesterday in Washington discussing the deal, after the US and Mexico announced their own preliminary agreements earlier in the week.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Katherine Ellen Foley on the history of cholera treatment and learning from failures. “[A] Bavarian scientist named Max Joseph von Pettenkofer… believed the substance that caused cholera was transmitted only in certain populations—like those who were poor, behaved in certain ways, or were generally ‘unclean.’ Von Pettenkofer went above and beyond the scientific call of duty to prove his point. He drank a slurry of watery stool from someone who actually had cholera, to show that he wouldn’t get sick.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Studying blockchain at university isn’t pointless. Cryptomania may have cooled, but blockchain-linked expertise will still be in high demand in years to come.
Spanish flu helped create the modern Swedish welfare state. The epidemic highlighted rampant social inequality and brought about the political will to change it.
Louis CK is confused about atonement. Doing essentially nothing for several months (paywall) does not erase years of sexual misconduct.
Surprising discoveries
Pigeons can’t outrace bullet trains. Two men were busted in a railroad scheme (paywall) to give their homing pigeons a leg up in the Shanghai Pigeon Association Grand Prix.
A soccer club is offering sanitary products in women’s bathrooms. Brighton is the first Premier League club to commit to doing so, while Liverpool and Everton are reportedly mulling a similar move.
Five animals experience menopause. Four of them live underwater.
Airplane bathrooms are shrinking. Delta claims slimmer lavs are necessary (paywall) to accommodate features like larger overhead bins.
People with smutty-sounding names are out of luck online. The internet freezes out people with surnames like Dickman, Weiner, and even Sporn.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, disgraced pigeons, and free tampons 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 Isabella Steger and edited by Alice Truong.