Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UK releases its budget. Chancellor Philip Hammond will share the government’s plans to change taxes and and spending over the next 12 months. But should a no-deal Brexit come to pass, a new budget and “different strategy” would be required, he noted on Sunday.
The EU-Arab World summit begins. Migration and energy use are high on the agenda at the two-day gathering in Athens. Not on the agenda, but on many minds, is the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul.
HSBC reports its third-quarter earnings. The banking giant’s shares have tumbled in recent weeks on fears that stuttering Chinese growth will take a toll on its key Hong Kong business. A depreciating yuan has made it hard for mainland Chinese businesses to borrow in Hong Kong.
Over the weekend
A gunman killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday. The attacker, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, posted anti-Semitic comments online and reportedly told police “all these Jews need to die.” He faces at least 29 federal charges.
Brazil elected a new president. Crowds are already flocking onto São Paulo’s most famous boulevard, Avenida Paulista, to celebrate the victory of far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro. He won despite a last-minute boost for leftist Fernando Haddad.
Ireland voted to remove blasphemy from its constitution. In the year’s second big referendum, the nation decided that speaking sacrilegiously about “God or sacred things” will no longer be a punishable offense. That follows a vote in May to legalize abortion.
IBM bought Red Hat. Big Blue announced plans to acquire the maker of open-source enterprise software in a deal valued at $34 billion—among the biggest in US tech history. The move will help IBM compete against Amazon and Microsoft in the cloud infrastructure business.
Canada sent formal notice of ratifying the CPTPP. The 11-nation Pacific trade deal looks set to receive Australia’s ratification soon, and would go into provisional effect 60 days after that (paywall). Trump withdrew the US from an earlier version of the deal, the TPP, but the other members forged ahead.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Natasha Frost on South Korean women trashing their makeup: “Young women are rebelling against the strict beauty standards that have become their country’s norm… Now the tide may be turning, with women frustrated by the unpaid labor represented by having to make themselves up every day. And it’s not just a time cost: These ruined collections represent tremendous financial investment.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Millennials will always love “Call Me Maybe.” Music from our teenage years holds a special place in our minds.
Virtual reality won’t make you more empathetic. Experiencing a life different from yours through a headset isn’t the same as doing the work to see the world from another’s perspective.
The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting isn’t, sadly, all that surprising. Assaults, vandalism, and threats against Jews have increased sharply in the US over the past few years.
Surprising discoveries
A viral typo encapsulates the fun and fright of Halloween. A photo of a haunting sign with the word “spoopy” spelled out in bones has endured as a meme for almost a decade.
Artificial intelligence can suss out written lies. Police departments across Spain have discovered dozens of false confessions thanks to machine learning.
Camel beauty pageants are highly competitive. Judges look for even coloring, shapely humps, and pouty lips.
Vinegar is the world’s original energy drink. People have been enjoying its healthful, antiseptic qualities for centuries.
Dressing up your chicken is totally sanitary. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging owners to doll up their birds for Halloween, so long as they take a few precautions.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, vinegar drinks, and bird costumes 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 April Siese and Steve Mollman.