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What to watch for today
Boris Johnson makes another push for Brexit. After suffering a major setback this weekend, the British prime minister is set to try again for a “meaningful vote” on the new deal. The move is an attempt to show parliamentary backing for the deal before a vote on a second reading of it, which could come as early as tomorrow.
Elections in Canada. Polls suggest the Liberals, prime minister Justin Trudeau’s party, will win more seats than the Conservatives, but lose their majority after what’s been an uncharacteristically nasty campaign
Prudential spins off M&G. The insurance giant will be divided into two FTSE 100 firms, with their shares trading separately starting today. Prudential will focus on Asia while M&G will scale up its operations in Europe and look to expand in the US and Asia.
Boeing’s board confers in Texas. The final day of the meeting comes ahead of this week’s earnings report and congressional testimony by CEO Dennis Muilenburg about the grounded 737 Max. Topics likely include possible layoffs and recently revealed pilot communications about problems with the plane.
Over the weekend
Australian newspapers blacked out their front pages. The campaign by every newspaper in the country is a protest against government moves to penalize whistleblowing and criminalize journalism, following raids in June of the ABC’s Sydney headquarters and the home of a News Corp journalist.
Clashes in Hong Kong continued… An unauthorized pro-democracy rally on the 20th weekend of protests turned chaotic, as protesters and police faced off amid tear gas and firebombs. Police sprayed demonstrators with a stinging blue-dyed liquid shot from water cannons, hitting the city’s largest mosque with the substance.
…as cost-of-living protests in Chile intensified… At least seven people died over the weekend amid violent clashes and arson attacks, marking the first deaths since demonstrations started a week ago over a proposal to hike the price of metro tickets. The fare hike was reversed on Saturday.
…and mass rallies spurred Lebanon’s government to adopt reforms.
The prime minister and coalition partners
to deal with the country’s economic crisis after protests that erupted, in part, over a plan to tax WhatsApp calls.
Bolivia’s Evo Morales couldn’t avoid a run-off. The incumbent in the presidential race won a narrow victory but will have to proceed to a second round against his rival Carlos Mesa—the first time he has had to do so since sweeping to power in 2006.
Quartz Obsession
Space suits are Earth’s highest fashion. But they’re getting pretty dated. The designs go back years and they’re extremely expensive to make from scratch. NASA’s low stocks even meant that the first all-female spacewalk had to be delayed. But with a return to the moon (and maybe a trip to Mars) on the future itinerary, they’re finally getting a refresh. Slip into something more comfortable at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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China’s slowing economy is good news. The focus on short-term GDP growth was misguided.
Downtown is no place for a car. The benefits of banning private vehicles from major roads outweigh the inconveniences.
Sport, like society, is still divided. The unity achieved through sports is often tactical and temporary.
Surprising discoveries
In the eye of the storm. The White House garden tour offers the best respite from politics in Washington, DC.
“The mole” gets going. A slight change in strategy means the NASA digging probe will finally start making progress on Mars.
The Joker stairs might be the new Rocky stairs. The steps in the Bronx are quickly becoming a popular Instagram hotspot.
A treasure of death. Egyptian authorities found 30 ancient coffins containing mummies in the country’s most significant antiquities discovery in more than a century.
You can’t read Karl Ove Knausgaard’s latest work. The Norwegian writer gave it to the Future Library, which commissions works to be left unread until 2114.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, unread works, and photogenic stairs 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 Tripti Lahiri.