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What to watch for today
The 2018 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine is awarded. The announcement will be livestreamed starting at 11:30am in Sweden. The Swedish Academy, which has decided to postpone the literature prize this year, will also give awards for physics, chemistry, and peace this week.
The Tories warn about a no-deal Brexit. UK Brexit secretary Dominic Raab will give a speech directed at the EU at the Conservatives’ four-day party conference. Also on the agenda today is the announcement of plans to stop employers deducting from workers’ tips and a £125 million ($163 million) package to support apprenticeships.
Palestinians go on strike in solidarity with Arabs in Israel. Palestinian businesses and schools will be closed today to protest Israel’s Nation State Law (paywall), which says only Jews have the right of self-determination in Israel. Critics contend the law turns minorities into second-class citizens. The effect of the strike will be limited since it is also the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
The International Court of Justice rules whether land-locked Bolivia can return to the Pacific Ocean. The court will decide if Chile must negotiate granting Bolivia a sovereign outlet to the sea. Analysts expect little change regardless of the ruling since the UN body has no power to award Chilean territory and will not determine the outcome of possible talks.
The US Supreme Court begins a new term. There are just eight justices instead of the usual nine, with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh still in doubt over sexual-misconduct allegations he denies. For now the court will remain ideologically deadlocked as it begins hearing cases.
Over the weekend
The US and Canada reached a deal on NAFTA. The agreement came Sunday night hours before the midnight deadline, and will give the US access to Canada’s dairy market and cap its automotive exports to the US.
The death toll in Indonesia surged. More than 830 people were killed after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the island of Sulawesi on Friday and triggered tsunami waves as high as 6 m (20 ft). The final count could be in the thousands, warned vice president Jusuf Kalla.
Macedonia’s prime minister didn’t give up on its name change. After a referendum to change the country’s name to North Macedonia failed due to low voter turnout despite overwhelming support, Zoran Zaev said he would push for a vote in parliament in hopes of resolving a 27-year dispute with Greece, which has a province called Macedonia and has blocked the country from joining NATO and the EU.
Brett Kavanaugh will be investigated by the FBI. Hours after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, the White House directed the FBI to investigate the sexual-assault allegations against him before a full Senate vote takes place. Trump has given the FBI one week to complete its probe, which will include interviews with the first two accusers, but not the third (paywall).
Elon Musk dodged a bullet. He will remain as Tesla’s CEO but must relinquish the title of chairman and pay $20 million as part of a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which said he misled investors with tweets about possibly taking Tesla private.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Zachary Seward on his visit to 4-star, Amazon’s newest physical store: “The idea is that every item for sale has been awarded at least four stars on a five-star scale by Amazon customers… Amazon 4-star attempts to frame this as a consumer benefit: Millions of customers have already done the work of selecting the products for you. There are a few clerks on the floor to help answer questions (mostly about Alexa), but shoppers are largely left to move around by themselves, floating amid the data.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The web is broken if people can’t control their data. Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, believes the solution lies in decentralized apps that run on data users fully own.
Facebook needs employees who aren’t team players. Given the chance, Instagram’s cofounders could’ve helped Facebook finally address its problems (paywall).
Mandating gender quotas on boards is ultimately good for workers. In Norway, companies with more female directors saw fewer layoffs during the financial crisis.
Surprising discoveries
An “extinct” tree kangaroo was caught on camera. The elusive marsupial hadn’t been seen for 90 years.
North Korea sent South Korea two dogs as a gesture of peace. Like his father had done in 2000, Kim Jong Un sent a pair of Pungsan dogs as relations between the countries thaw.
Ants are more productive when they’re given dopamine. The chemical associated with motivation spurred red harvester ants to forage in conditions they don’t like working in.
Moths love feasting on birds’ tears. They feed as birds sleep, gaining vital nutrients like sodium and albumin.
Discarded mattresses are the new urban canvas. Street artist David Shillinglaw’s spray-painted “mattress mantras” have earned him international acclaim.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, four-star reviews, and mattress art 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 Alice Truong and edited by Isabella Steger.