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What to watch for today
Jeremy Corbyn kicks off Labour’s campaign. The Labour leader will pledge to fight a “corrupt system” as campaigning begins for a Dec. 12 election that is expected to be Britain’s most unpredictable in decades. The Conservatives, meanwhile, will be running a campaign centered on delivering Brexit.
Hong Kong’s mask ban faces a Halloween challenge. A court is hearing two constitutional challenges to the prohibition issued by the government using century-old emergency powers. And tonight, police intend to try distinguishing rebels from revelers when a masquerade protest march heads for the city’s party district.
Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot make their merger official. The companies’ boards have approved the deal, and an official announcement is expected today. The marriage would create the world’s fourth-largest auto maker.
The US House votes on the process of the impeachment inquiry. The vote marks a big step for Democrats’ efforts to hold president Donald Trump to account—it’ll mark the first time lawmakers have to go on record to say whether they think his conduct with Ukraine merits an investigation.
While you were sleeping
Japan’s new cabinet lost another minister. Justice minister Katsuyuki Kawai, appointed last month, resigned after a magazine reported alleged irregularities in his electoral campaign, as well as his wife’s. Japan’s trade minister also stepped down last week amid allegations of gifting melons and crabs to supporters.
Apple showed it can have a life beyond the iPhone. Its fiscal fourth-quarter was solid, given the period is often slow for the company because people hold off on big purchases till the holiday season.
Jammu & Kashmir officially stopped being one of India’s 29 states. The Muslim-majority region’s autonomous status was revoked on Aug. 5 in a shock move, and top politicians were placed under house arrest. Today it became two separate union territories, giving New Delhi direct control over the new units.
A train fire in Pakistan killed 46 people. Police said a gas canister connected to stoves passengers were using for cooking exploded. The death toll could rise further.
Twitter unfollowed political ads. CEO Jack Dorsey announced the social platform won’t allow them starting on Nov. 22, tweeting, “We believe political message reach should be earned, not bought.”
The Fed cut rates—again. The US Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark rate by a quarter-percentage point for the third time this year. But low rates don’t appear to be doing much good for the economy.
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Matters of Debate
Uber pickups don’t belong on the terminal curb. Airports like Los Angeles International are relocating them to parking areas.
Vegan meats and cheeses shouldn’t be called “fake.” They’re simply different versions of the same food type.
Mars is not a nature preserve. Protecting it and other celestial bodies from human contamination shouldn’t be a priority.
Surprising discoveries
Wanted: your poop pictures. The images will train an algorithm to detect conditions like Crohn’s disease.
Protesters find love on Instagram. Lebanese demonstrators are using the platform to track down their “revolution crushes.”
Asthma is bad for the environment. Some inhalers emit greenhouse gases—and using them can have the same carbon footprint as eating meat.
There’s now traditional Chinese medicine for tear gas. An underground network of healers is treating Hong Kong protesters with herbal tonics like “TG Resolve” and “Lung Saver.”
An AI earned Grandmaster status in StartCraft II. AlphaStar, from Alphabet’s DeepMind, now ranks above 99.8% of officially ranked human players.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, herbal concoctions, and poop-free photos to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Mary Hui.