Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Hong Kong’s new bullet train to China opens. The $11 billion high-speed rail, which has been mired in scandal, will link the city to the world’s largest high-speed rail network starting Sunday.
Rigged elections in eSwatini and the Maldives. Today’s vote in the southeast African nation formerly known as Swaziland features candidates loyal to King Mswati III, who completely controls parliament. The Maldives goes to the polls on Sunday, with strongman president Abdulla Yameen seeking a second five-year term.
A showdown between Disney/Fox and Comcast. The media giants will meet for a final auction round on Saturday to decide which company will claim UK broadcaster Sky. Comcast is preparing for a tough battle (paywall) now that Disney is acquiring most of Fox, including Fox’s 39% stake in Sky.
While you were sleeping
Vietnamese president Tran Dai Quang died at age 61. Quang died after a “serious illness” according to Vietnamese media. His role was largely ceremonial—Vietnam is officially led by the president, prime minister, and Communist Party head. During his time in office, Vietnam’s leadership intensified its crackdown on dissidents and free speech.
Tesla’s supply-management vice president resigned. Liam O’Connor is the latest senior executive to quit the electric car maker, according to Bloomberg. His departure comes on the heels of the exits of Tesla’s chief accounting officer and human rights boss. More than a dozen top executives have left the company since 2016.
Russia said the US was “playing with fire” with its latest sanctions. Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, hit back Friday against Trump, who yesterday imposed sanctions on 33 new Russian individuals and entities for their interference in the 2016 election. Ryabkov said that the US “will never succeed” in “dictating their own terms to Russia.”
Japan’s space agency landed two tiny rovers on an asteroid. The little bots had been traveling aboard the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft toward the Ryugu asteroid since December 2014. It’s a historical moment for Japan as the first country to launch rovers on an asteroid.
At least 86 people were confirmed dead in a ferry accident in Tanzania. Officials said Friday that the final death toll from the ferry capsizing on Lake Victoria yesterday could be more than 200. It is believed the drastically overloaded ferry tipped over when people moved to one side as it docked.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Nikhil Sonnad on the linguistic contributions of Black Twitter: “Terms that originate in the South do not spread by jumping to other cities; instead, they spread via areas with large black populations… Among the ones most associated with the Deep South region are famo (family and friends), fleek (on point), and baeless (single).” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Saving Lehman would have spared us the worst of the Great Recession. A bailout wouldn’t have forestalled the crisis, but it would have lessened the blow (paywall).
Grade inflation may give an unfair edge to wealthy kids. Kids who go to richer schools have an easier time getting good grades—perhaps because of pushy parents.
We should tax meat like sugar. Overconsumption of meat is damaging our health and the environment.
Surprising discoveries
Octopuses get friendlier on ecstasy, just like humans. When given MDMA, the creatures ditch their solitary habits.
London solved the mystery of its serial cat killer. Police say hundreds of feline mutilations were actually caused by cars and foxes.
North Korea has its own cosmetics brand. A state-owned makeup line says it’s running “neck and neck” with Shiseido and Chanel.
Zika could treat brain cancer. The cell-targeting tendencies that make it dangerous could kill the stem cells that allow tumors to stay alive.
The oldest known animal was found in fossil form. Oval-shaped Ediacarans existed 558 million years ago, at least 20 million years before the Cambrian explosion of life.
Correction: Thursday’s Daily Brief reported that US cellphones would receive a text from Donald Trump on Sept. 20 testing a new emergency message system. The date for the test has been moved to Oct. 3.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, octopus hugs, and North Korean lipstick 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.