Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
UN General Assembly speeches begin. First up will be Brazillian president Jair Bolsonaro, who will likely take aim at climate change activists in a speech he promises will be “different from those that came before,” followed by US president Donald Trump, who may or may not chat with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani this week. Meanwhile, the US will co-host an event at the UN on the Chinese persecution of Muslim minorities.
India’s a Modi receives Gates Foundation award. The foundation is choosing to honor India’s prime minister with a Goalkeepers Global Goal Award for his Clean India initiative that aims to improve public sanitation in the country. International activists have criticized the decision over Modi’s human rights record and nationalist politics.
Google awaits a landmark “right to be forgotten” ruling. The European Court of Justice is expected to rule on a pair of cases that will determine whether the search giant must alter results globally in accordance with EU law and even automatically delete some search results.
Can Nike still do it during a trade war? The world’s largest manufacturer of athletic shoes and apparel reports its latest quarterly earnings amid a trade dispute that sees Nike facing some tariffs in the US and pressure on manufacturing in China.
While you were sleeping
Greta Thunberg put the world on notice. “We’ll be watching you,” the 16-year-old climate activist told leaders during an impassioned speech at the UN Climate Action Summit. “The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.”
Europe blamed Iran for Saudi attacks. Following a meeting at the United Nations, France, Britain, and Germany jointly pinned blame on Iran for the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities. Iran continues to deny responsibility, which has been claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Hyundai bet $2 billion on self-driving cars. The South Korean carmaker teamed up with Irish technology company Aptiv on a joint venture to develop an autonomous driving system by 2022. Hyundai had been slow to invest in autonomous vehicles but hopes this new partnership will help it catch up to rivals like GM and Ford.
600,000 stranded travelers tried to get home. Britain launched its “biggest ever peacetime repatriation” after Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel agency, succumbed to the digital age and went bust. Among the 150,000 Brittons stranded abroad is a husband-to-be named Thomas Cook who was told to expect a special surprise on his wedding day.
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Matters of debate
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Mental health isn’t fashion. One of Gucci’s own runway models criticized the fashion house mid-strut for using straitjackets in its latest collection.
Yes, money can make you happy. Past research that found lottery winners to be less happy was probably wrong. Winning tons of money is a nice pick-me-up after all.
Equal pay is good business. Actress Michelle Williams attributed her recent success to the financial and professional support she received from her TV studio.
Surprising discoveries
Rugby fans’ appetites are too big for Japan. Rugby World Cup organizers will let fans bring their own food into the stadium after they munched their way through some vendors’ entire food supply.
Hangovers are legally an “illness.” A German court ruled that you can’t make bogus claims about remedies for legitimate ailments—including hangovers.
A walrus sank a Russian navy boat. The ornery creature totaled a small landing craft carrying researchers to shore on an arctic expedition, but no one was hurt.
Luxury Kit Kats are selling for $17. Available only in the UK, the upscale candy cars include flavors like gin and tonic and earl grey.
A Chinese province wants to lend students $1.4 billion in pocket money. The government hopes to boost consumption and displace loan sharks who target students.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, winning lotto numbers, and strategic stadium food reserves to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Max Lockie and Nicolás Rivero.