Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Hong Kong imposes a face mask ban. Struggling to resolve continuing protests, the government is expected to enforce a ban on masks at all public assemblies, likely by invoking emergency laws, as early as midnight local time.
Another legal challenge to Boris Johnson. Campaigners opposed to Brexit will take to a Scottish court to determine whether the UK prime minister could be jailed if he takes the country out of the EU without a deal. A judgment is expected next Monday (Oct. 7).
Haitians gear up for a massive protest. The latest round of nationwide protests, which have gone on for weeks, is planned for today as citizens continue their demands for president Jovenel Moise to step down. The United Nations says “several have died” as a result of the protests, but the government has not commented on casualty numbers.
The US and North Korea resume denuclearization talks. The two countries have agreed to hold working-level talks tomorrow, marking the end of a stalemate between them after an inconclusive summit in February. The location of the talks have not been disclosed.
While you were sleeping
Officials urged Facebook to halt encrypted messaging. US attorney general William Barr and counterparts from the UK and Australia have written a letter to the social media giant, urging it not to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services because it would limit law enforcement agencies’ access to information.
Donald Trump asked China for investigative help. The US president suggested China should begin its own investigation on former vice president and current Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his son, just before trade talks between the two countries resume.
Ecuador declared a state of emergency. President Lenín Moreno made the move in response to nationwide protests over the end of decades-old fuel subsidies as part of a fiscal reform package. Protesters in the capital of Quito faced off with riot police, who deployed tear gas and armored vehicles.
A Mexican Supreme Court justice resigned. Eduardo Medina Mora stepped down from his post after he faced questions about a possible corruption probe by Mexico’s financial intelligence unit.
HP announced it would cut up to 9,000 jobs. In a restructuring move, the computer giant will trim as much as 16% of its workforce as it tries to rein in costs amid falling sales in its printing unit.
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Flying, right? The air, the food, the discomfort, the indignity of it all—but, happily, there are technological fixes for almost all of these micro-irritations. Some will be so slight that we scarcely notice them; others, like functional wi-fi, will be as transformative as the in-flight entertainment systems we now dismiss as commonplace. Get a glimpse into a not-so-odious future with Quartz tourism reporter Natasha Frost, as part of this week’s airline industry field guide.
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Cybernetics gave us cyberspace. The once-trendy, now obscure theory of communication was the brainchild of a prodigy and arose out of a wartime experiment in smart anti-aircraft guns, quickly becoming a popular phenomenon in the US and the Soviet Union. It influenced some of the most important figures in art, business, anthropology, and technology—including one of the first visionaries of the internet (and also Brian Eno). Only connect at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Hong Kong could become Belfast. In both protest movements, people increasingly saw the state as illegitimate.
Authoritarians’ worst fear is the book. They see the printed word’s ageless strength as a threat.
Erotic thrillers should be directed by women. They play the most important characters, yet female voices are missing from Hollywood productions.
Surprising discoveries
Ancient scrolls from Pompeii could be read once again. Scientists hope a new method combining X-rays and AI could make the documents decipherable again.
A map charts Scotland’s history of witch-hunting. The new interactive project from the University of Edinburgh geolocates the country’s bloody wave of persecution directed at women.
One out of every 833 men have breast cancer. Stigma makes it go undetected longer, which increases the chance of fatality.
Doctors don’t know how to treat teen vapers. They tend to prescribe off-label nicotine replacements, in part because there’s no precedent.
Fungi can propel cancerous tumors. Common fungi can attach itself to the pancreas and assist tumor growth—but that’s useful for modern medicine to know.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, ancient scrolls, and fungal residents 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.