Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Singapore’s “fake news” law becomes real. Starting today, social media platforms like Facebook will have to take down or fact-check any content that the government decides is false. Rights activists say it’s just censorship by another name.
Gandhi turns 150. The birthday celebration for India’s “Father of the Nation” is bound to stir up much rumination on non-violence and its place in society. India’s largest political parties are sure to outdo themselves in their attempts to honor the venerated figure.
Nabil Karaoui could be freed. One of Tunisia’s leading presidential candidates has been campaigning from jail, where he’s been held on charges of buying votes. If he’s released today, it gives him a mere 11 days to get back in the public eye before a runoff election on Oct. 13.
While you were sleeping
Boris Johnson teased a Brexit proposal. The British prime minister has been conspicuously vague about the new deal he’s negotiating with the European Union, but he promised to reveal his plan “very soon.” The biggest sticking point ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline is whether or not to keep the UK’s open border with Ireland; Johnson has customs checkpoints will be a “reality.”
America’s top diplomat entered the impeachment fray. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo resisted congressional investigators’ request to depose five state department officials. House Democrats accused Pompeo, who reportedly listened in on the phone call at the center of the Trump impeachment inquiry, of “stonewalling” their investigation to “protect himself and the president.”
A swordsman attacked a Finnish school. Armed with a “sabre-like weapon” and a gun, the man killed a woman and wounded 10 others at a vocational school. Police said they arrested the attacker, a Finnish-born college student, but released no information about his motives.
Mark Zuckerberg geared up to fight the US government. In two hours of leaked audio recordings, Zuckerburg said Facebook was ready for a legal battle if Elizabeth Warren, the US senator and presidential candidate who wants to break up big tech companies, gets elected.
The Vatican was raided. Prosecutors authorized by the Vatican City court took documents and electronic devices from the highest offices of the Catholic Church’s general affairs operation, in connection to an investigation into suspicious financial transactions.
Quartz Membership
Sign up for your free trial.
Jet fuel—both making it and using it—is harmful to the planet. Recent UN regulations will kick in in 2021, even as the number of passengers worldwide is likely to continue to rise. But in the long run, if we want to continue to fly, we’ll need better solutions. As part of this week’s airline industry field guide, Quartz tourism reporter Natasha Frost explains why electric planes and biofuels are not as far off as you think.
Quartz Obsession
People have a lot of feelings about the Oxford comma. Also known as a serial comma, it’s the final punctuation mark before the conjunction in a list of three or more things. Some find it redundant and stuffy, others insist on its power to clarify, and some superfans even include their enthusiasm for it on their dating profiles. The Quartz Obsession punctuates its importance.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation on the Quartz app!
Curbing vaping pushes kids to cigarettes. Both are bad, but vaping is almost certainly safer.
Every conference should offer childcare. Without it, they’ll continue to fall short on inclusivity.
Good policy must be flexible. India’s startlingly effective drive to end open defecation shows the importance of giving local governments autonomy.
Surprising discoveries
The female orgasm has its roots in rabbits. The pleasure response may be an evolutionary holdover that corresponds to how many eggs are released.
Algae is the Earth’s secret weapon. The slimy plants are up to 400 times more efficient than trees at pulling excess carbon out of the atmosphere.
VC investors are under surveillance. A new app claims it can use facial recognition to identify venture capitalists wandering wealthily around San Francisco.
Apes are onto us. Our hairy cousins may have “theory of mind” and can understand when their friends have been deceived.
Russians are sobering up. Alcohol consumption dropped 43% from 2003 to 2016, and average life expectancies promptly spiked.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, VC sightings, and vengeful apes 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 Nicolás Rivero and Susan Howson.