Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Boris Johnson shares his Brexit proposal with Europe. The British prime minister will propose a “two border” approach to replace the UK’s current open border with Ireland, the Telegraph reported (paywall). While Northern Ireland will leave the European Union along with the rest of Britain, it will have a special relationship with the EU, and stick to its market rules until 2025.
A tough day for Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s attorney general will begin pre-indictment hearings that offer the Israeli prime minister’s lawyers a last chance to make the case against corruption charges for Netanyahu. Meanwhile, talks to form a unity government with challenger Benny Gantz appear to be at a dead end, which could lead Netanyahu to tell Israel’s president he cannot form a coalition.
Nabil Karaoui could be freed. One of Tunisia’s leading presidential candidates has been campaigning from jail, where he’s been held on corruption charges. If he’s released today, it gives him a mere 11 days to get back in the public eye before a runoff election against a law professor on Oct. 13.
A vigil for Jamal Khashoggi. People will gather outside the kingdom’s embassy in Washington to remember the Saudi dissident and journalist, who wrote columns gently critiquing his country for the Washington Post. Khashoggi, who disappeared a year ago today when he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, was murdered by people close to crown prince Mohammed bin Sultan.
While you were sleeping
Hong Kong was in turmoil after the first shooting of a protester. An 18-year-old high school student was shot in the chest yesterday by a police officer fending off protesters as the city experienced some of its fiercest clashes since mass protests began in June. Students staged a sit-in outside the injured man’s school this morning, and protesters also showed up at a court in support of nearly 100 people expected to be charged with rioting today.
Donald Trump wanted a snake- or alligator-filled moat to bar migrants. The US president proposed a number of medieval solutions to stop immigration from the country’s southern border, including shooting migrants in the legs, according to a book excerpt published in the New York Times. Advisers had to tell him most of his ideas were illegal.
A North Korean missile landed in Japan’s waters. The weapons test, which comes as the US and North Korea agreed to retart talks on denuclearization, landed off Japan’s west coast, within its exclusive economic zone. Prime minister Shinzo Abe condemned the launch.
The US House postponed its first Ukraine deposition. The move to reschedule a hearing set for today came after 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 (paywall) with Ukraine’s president that is at the center of the Trump impeachment inquiry, of “stonewalling” their investigation.
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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
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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.
Even chats with strangers can perk you up. Small talk with random people is pretty good at helping people feel connected.
Surprising discoveries
Rabbits could provide clues to the origins of the female orgasm. It may be an evolutionary holdover related to egg release during sex.
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 San Francisco venture capitalists in the wild.
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 written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Isabella Steger.