Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Indonesia releases its final 737 Max crash report. Investigators spoke with victim families from last year’s Lion Air crash, which killed 189, about an advance summary of their finding that the Boeing plane’s design and regulatory oversight led to the disaster.
Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong’s prison term gets another look. After receiving a two-and-half-year sentence for bribing former president Park Geun-hye, the country’s supreme court ordered a fresh retrial that could send the phonemaker’s vice chair back to jail.
Argentina goes to the polls. The country is suffering from rising inflation and poverty ahead of Sunday’s presidential vote that will likely elect populist Alberto Fernández—whose running mate is the controversial former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner— to run the third-largest economy in Latin America.
Australia’s Uluru rock closes to visitors. Ahead of an upcoming ban, tourists are expected to scale the iconic site, sacred to Anangu people, for the last time today.
While you were sleeping
Tech stocks tumbled on sour earnings. Amazon’s stock dropped by as much as 9% in extended trading after reporting muted profits and weak holiday guidance. Even worse were Twitter and Nokia, which fell 21% and 24%, respectively. Elon Musk-affiliated companies Tesla and Paypal were a bright spot, however, posting respective gains of 18% and 9%.
Mike Pence criticized Beijing on human rights. In a speech on US-China relations, the vice president said that the US stands behind protesters in Hong Kong. He also slammed the NBA and Nike for siding with China on censorship. Meanwhile, the nation ordered 264,000 tons of US soybeans in an apparent bid to invigorate trade talks.
Joshua Wong’s candidacy was stymied. The Hong Kong democracy activist’s plans to run in the November district council elections have been delayed after the government official responsible for vetting candidates was replaced following an eyebrow-raising “indefinite” sick leave period.
Brazil opened its arms to Chinese and Indian citizens. President Jair Bolsonaro, while on a visit to Beijing, announced that visas will no longer be required for travelers from those two countries.
Washington demanded an investigation into TikTok. Senators from both sides of the aisle say the Chinese-owned social video app poses as a national security threat and its data collection practices should be formally interrogated.
Boris Johnson called for UK elections. The prime minister said lawmakers can continue debating Brexit if they agree to a December 12 election. However, an October 31 deadline extension by the European Union remains up in the air.
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Coal 1 – Forest 0. Hasdeo Arand is one of the largest and most pristine tracts of forest in India…but it also sits atop 5,500 million tons of coal. In this week’s field guide on India’s coal addiction, Quartz senior reporter Akshat Rathi investigates one mining giant’s attempt to overrun the sacred forest.
Quartz Obsession
The glass cliff is when a company appoints a female CEO just as the business is in trouble. Whether it’s to signal transformative change, enhance trust, or because women are just built better for crises, the phenomenon puts more women at the top—but in immediately perilous positions. Lean in (and over the edge) at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of Debate
Humans shouldn’t be allowed into outer space. With Earth’s destructive history, people should take a step back and think about how to best approach galactic exploration.
Doctors should be tested for bedside manner. Doctors can sometimes come across as cold to patients—some say medical school candidates should take empathy tests.
Napster saved the music industry. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has credited the peer-to-peer service as his inspiration for developing the future of audio.
Surprising discoveries
Witness the Ratmobile. Scientists have posted videos showing rats driving tiny cars on their way to eat some Froot Loops cereal.
Influencers flock to the dressing room. A new class of influencers prefer Target to Barney’s and offer tips and advice from inside America’s most affordable changing rooms.
Hong Kong’s million-dollar parking spots. A space at the most expensive office building in the world just changed hands for HK$7.6 million ($970,000).
A new world record in whisky auctions. A bottle of 60-year-old Macallan Scotch blew away estimates at Sotheby’s with a hammer price of £1.5 million ($1,926,960).
Soldiers lost their moral compass. The host nation’s orienteering team was disqualified at the Military World Games in China after evidence of cheating was uncovered.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, bottles of vintage whisky, and rodent vehicle prototypes to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Max Lockie, Patrick deHahn, and Holly Ojalvo.