Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
John Kerry heads to Saudi Arabia. The US secretary of state meets with senior Saudi leaders in Jeddah, as well as his counterparts in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Kerry arrives from Nigeria, where he pledged to ramp up assistance in the fight against militant group Boko Haram.
Asian leaders hash out a territory dispute. Foreign ministers from Japan, China, and South Korea convene in Tokyo to address tensions around the South China Sea, economic cooperation and a coordinated response to North Korea’s continued nuclear development.
Germany releases GDP data. Analysts expect Europe’s biggest economy to report a 1.7% growth rate for the third quarter. The data will likely impact the euro ahead of the the European Central Bank’s meeting on interest rates.
While you were sleeping
The FBI launched an investigation into Russian media hacks. US security agencies believe hackers working for Russian intelligence are responsible for cyber-breaches that targeted US media outlets, part of a larger series of hacks focused on Democratic party organizations.
Nigeria said it killed Boko Haram’s leader…again. The Nigerian Air Force announced it had killed Abubakar Shekau, a former leader of the group, in a Boko Haram stronghold in the Sambisa forest. The declaration has been met with skepticism, as Boko Haram has debunked such claims in the past.
Best Buy reported better-than-expected quarterly profits. Shares of the electronics retailer jumped nearly 20% after it reported a 24% increase in online sales. The growth was led by sales of home theaters and other large appliances, areas in which Best Buy competitors Target and Walmart have smaller market shares.
More Hillary Clinton emails will be released. The FBI discovered 15,000 new emails in its investigation of Clinton’s use of a private server. A federal judge ordered the State Department to set a timetable for their release—which may come just before November’s election.
Amazon said it’s making a half-priced Spotify. The company is planning to launch two music streaming platforms, with one costing only $4-5 a month. The catch is that subscribers must use Amazon Echo to listen.
Quartz markets haiku
Eleven million
pounds is a whole lot of cheese
Fondue futures climb
Quartz obsession interlude
Sarah Shearman on the EU’s next startup hub. “Romania’s 43 years of communism were characterized by food shortages and secret police, and it remains a painful chapter in the minds of most citizens. Yet some of the legacies from this period, including a strong telecoms infrastructure and a STEM-focused education system, have actually had positive residual effects for a generation too young to remember the oppressive regime.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
It’s time to end the war on drugs. A sitting president could send a strong message about the failure of America’s “War on Drugs” by declaring that the fight is over.
Microsoft Word no longer makes sense. Word-processors evolved alongside printers, which means many of them aren’t suited to an online world.
We don’t need no education homework. The time kids devote to it would be better spent on family dinners and a good night’s sleep.
Surprising discoveries
The 2020 Olympic medals will be made from old cell phones. Japanese authorities plan to source metal for medals from the country’s discarded smartphones and other consumer electronics.
Cave bears went extinct because they were vegan. By studying their bones, researchers discovered cave bears’ limited diets may be why they died off 25,000 years ago.
People will lie to robots to avoid hurting their feelings. A recent study found that people who find a connection with a robot are more likely to forgive it for making mistakes.
Less than 1% of Chinese women use tampons. One brand took to Weibo to tackle women’s tampon aversion by touting their usefulness during the Olympics.
HBO is dabbling in kung-fu. The TV network is hoping to broaden its appeal in Asia with two made-for-TV films in Mandarin: Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So and Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-ying.
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