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What to watch for today
Boris Johnson gives a pep talk to the Tories. The UK’s prime minister will address Conservative party lawmakers at a meeting this morning in an attempt to rally their morale ahead of Sunday’s annual party conference. His government will also be pushing for a short parliamentary recess next week, but the motion may face opposition from angry MPs.
Israel’s two rival parties try to team up. After the president tapped prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to break the post-election deadlock, the negotiating teams of the right-wing Likud and the opposition Blue and White party are expected to meet today to discuss building a “broad unity government.”
Nuclear weapon talks and speeches at the United Nations General Assembly. A day of speeches from world leaders gathered in New York—including the heads of government from Indonesia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Vietnam—will also feature a high-level meeting on the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Goldman Sachs jumps into the European ETF fight. The American investment bank is hoping to get a slice of Europe’s fast-growing market for exchange-traded funds with the launch of its first ETF on the London Stock Exchange, where several other firms are already battling for market share.
While you were sleeping
Australia’s New South Wales decriminalized abortion. The state’s parliament overturned a 119-year-old law after 70 hours of debate and weeks of protest, making it the last remaining state to remove abortion from the criminal code. The law will allow terminations up to 22 weeks as well as later abortions if two doctors agree.
Donald Trump gave a rambling press conference at the UN. The US president denied any wrongdoing, hours after the release of a memo detailing a phone call in which he urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate political rival and former vice president Joe Biden.
The US and Japan announced a major trade deal. While the deal does not cover the sensitive topic of automobile imports, Trump said it would allow $7 billion of US products into Japanese markets.
The US government sued Match.com. The Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against Match Group, the owner of the dating site, accusing the company of using fake love interest ads to swindle hundreds of thousands of users into paying for subscriptions.
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China’s rise has created a new kind of Chinatown. The noodle shops, massage parlors, and bubble tea are still there, but you’ll also find students, professionals, swanky high-rises, and high-end restaurants, all primarily serving Chinese customers. The latest episode of Because China takes you to Flushing, New York, where the bustling immigrant enclave has become one of the fastest-growing economies in New York City.
Quartz Obsession
Before the internet, there was PLATO. The computer network was born out of the space race and had thousands of users across the world. It featured chat rooms, message boards, multiplayer games, a blog-like newspaper, and accredited distance learning, all piped to flat-panel plasma touchscreens. Did we mention this was in the 1970s? Log on with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Movie continuations of TV shows have turned a corner. What used to be a risky jump from small to big screens is finally breaking good.
Green travel starts with global finance. For the travel industry to be able to make a significant change, it’ll need committed backing.
Neoliberalism has tricked us into fighting climate change as individuals. The real solution isn’t making our personal lives greener, but a collective check on corporate power.
Surprising discoveries
A landlord exposed a Chinese influencer’s “double life.” While the online celebrity’s videos showcase a glamorous life, her apartment was littered with moldy food and dog poop.
Machu Picchu was deliberately built on top of fault lines. New research suggests that the fissures produce cracked chunks of granite, making it easier to construct the city’s stone walls.
The inventor of labradoodles regrets his error. The popular crossbreed’s behavioral issues and health problems make it a very good boy, but a bad idea, he says.
Disappearing ink is passé. New technology lets invisible messages be written with water on special paper.
A forgiveness emoji could be on the horizon. A Finnish nonprofit group is crowdsourcing ideas to propose to the emoji powers that be.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, empathetic emojis, and invisible to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.