Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A key ruling in Malaysia’s 1MDB corruption scandal. In one of the cases against Najib Razak, a court will decide whether to acquit the former prime minister or call him to enter his defense. Many see the proceedings as a test for the nation’s legal system.
Singles’ Day is going for records. China’s answer to Black Friday got off to a strong start, reportedly pulling in over $8 billion in the first 20 minutes of sales. Taylor Swift helped kick things off at a concert hosted by Alibaba.
The UK releases GDP figures. With Brexit still hanging over the country and a general election next month, the UK is trying to keep the economy ticking along. Growth is likely to be minimal, given other recent indicators.
Over the weekend
Hong Kong endured is 24th weekend of unrest. Protestors stormed a mall, vandalized a subway station, and held a vigil for a student who died last week. Zhang Xiaoming, the top representative for mainland China, called for tough security laws.
Cambodia responded to EU pressure. Authorities released opposition leader Kem Sokha from house arrest—and said his ally Sam Rainsy could return from exile after all—ahead of the EU deciding this week whether the nation can keep its access to a key trade agreement.
India resolved a fractious land dispute. The supreme court decided Hindu groups will get possession of a site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, where the Babri mosque stood before being demolished by a mob in 1992. About 4,000 armed police have been deployed around the site.
Saudi Aramco released its IPO prospectus. The world’s largest oil company announced that its IPO will kick off on Nov. 17 and that it will offer less than 1% of its shares to individual investors. Separately, Iran announced it found a new tranche of oil reserves.
Wildfires ravaged Australia. Before the summer heat waves have even begun, flames destroyed more than 150 homes and left three people dead on the drought-stricken east coast. Authorities are expecting one of the worst fire seasons on record.
Quartz Obsession
The world is full speed ahead on 5G. The still-nascent standard promises wireless connection speeds dozens, potentially a hundred, times faster than 4G. But it’s not going to be a smooth upgrade: Global security concerns about China’s massive 5G vendor Huawei are further complicating an already expensive and intensive buildout. Test your connection with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of Debate
Dinosaur fossils are minerals. More than $15 million rides on whether a Montana court agrees.
Meditation apps miss the point. “Mindfulness, when stripped of all its religious elements, may distort understandings of Buddhism.”
Kids should embrace failure. Under pressure to meet academic benchmarks, many fear taking even the safest risks.
Surprising discoveries
A snow crab fetched a record $46,000 in Japan. An upscale eatery in Tokyo’s Ginza neighborhood will serve it up.
Baby Trump has been popped. A man in Alabama was arrested after slashing a balloon of the US president depicted as a baby at a local college football game Trump was attending.
The Apple Card may be sexist. It’s being investigated by regulators after a viral tweet claimed a husband and wife were offered wildly different credit limits by Goldman Sachs.
Africa is the fastest-growing developer hub. Five African nations were the quickest-growing developer communities in the world judging by contributions to the code-sharing site GitHub so far in 2019.
A house drifted down the River Thames. The floating home was part of a protest organized by the climate-change group Extinction Rebellion.
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