Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Apple debuts new products. Chief executive Tim Cook is expected to present the iPhone XS, a new Apple Watch generation, and possibly new iPads and iMacs at the company’s annual fall event. Apple will livestream the much-anticipated gathering on Twitter for the first time.
The European Union takes stock. Outgoing EU president Jean-Claude Juncker will deliver his final state of the union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, focusing on migration and foreign policy. The EU is about to embark on a major reshuffle of top jobs (paywall), with a slew of critical posts falling vacant.
India holds final crypto case hearings. The Supreme Court will pick up hearings to decide whether the country’s virtual-money exchanges should get a reprieve from the Reserve Bank of India’s regulatory crackdowns.
A climate change summit opens in San Francisco. Thousand of executives, local politicians, and activists will gather to fuel momentum for the fight against global warming, a counterpoint to Donald Trump’s plans to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord.
While you were sleeping
Hurricane Florence grew in size. The category 4 storm is on track (paywall) to make landfall on the coast of the southeastern US on Thursday or Friday, and is expected to bring life-threatening flooding and destructive winds. More than 1.5 million people have been warned to evacuate coastal regions.
Brazil’s Lula ended his presidential bid. The Brazil Workers’ Party announced Fernando Haddad, previously mayor of São Paulo, as its candidate in October’s national elections, replacing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The popular former president, who is in prison for corruption, had argued he could still run. A central court disagreed.
South Korea’s unemployment hit its highest since the recession. President Moon Jae-in’s inability to reduce joblessness has led to a steady decline in his approval ratings.
Hong Kong’s CK Infrastructure moved forward in its bid for an Australian asset. The country’s antitrust regulator gave its green light, but the more than $9 billion deal to acquire gas-pipeline operator APA still has to win the approval of the Foreign Investment Review Board.
Quartz obsession interlude
Corinne Purtill on how robots will help care for us in our old age. “Loneliness is already a crisis for older people. The idea that any of the limited human interaction many older people have could be outsourced to machines is unsettling, and unacceptable to many critics of the rush to AI solutions. Is our goal to never be inconvenienced by anything? Shouldn’t the people we love be the one thing that’s worth our time and trouble?” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Apple’s future is in software. Shiny new devices with rapid replacement cycles (paywall) are no longer the focus for Apple fans.
Americans need to stop thinking hard work can end poverty. The rise of bad jobs (paywall) means work is no longer the solution.
Zuckerberg and Musk should buy newspapers. There’s no better balm for a troubled tech billionaire’s reputation.
Surprising discoveries
A giant “pool noodle” is being used to clean up an ocean garbage patch. The Ocean Cleanup Project hopes to clear 88,000 tons of floating plastic in a two-week trial.
A Domino’s giveaway spurred a tattoo spree in Russia. The chain had to cap an offer of a century of free pizzas for customers with a tattoo of its logo.
Egypt doesn’t have a name for its new capital. Cairo will be replaced in June by something currently called NAC, or “new administrative capital.”
NASA might be selling naming rights. The space agency is researching the potential benefits (paywall) of sponsored spacecraft and paid astronaut endorsements.
The lightly worn pile of clothes in your bedroom has a name. “Chairdrobes” appear in 60% of millennial bedrooms, and cleaning companies are coming for it.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, caregiving robots, and pizza giveaways 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 Tripti Lahiri and edited by Alice Truong.