Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Janet Yellen gives a highly anticipated speech. Investors will be scouring Yellen’s remarks in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Friday for clues about a possible rate hike in September. A Federal Reserve official said a rate hike could come in the “not too distant future.”
A French court rules on the burkini ban. After complaints by human rights groups, the country’s top administrative court, the Conseil d’État, will decide on Friday whether a ban on the full-body swimsuit—already in place in more than a dozen French beach towns—is within a local mayor’s remit to implement.
Syria’s government and rebels agree to evacuate a town. The deal—between the Assad regime and the various forces trying to overthrow it—is extremely rare. Darayya has been under government siege since 2012. Under the deal, 700 armed men will go to rebel-held Idlib; 4,000 civilians move to government shelters. The 72-hour truce begins on Friday.
Japan hosts a conference on African development. Infrastructure projects will be the focal point of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, taking place this weekend in Nairobi. With China’s growing influence on the continent, Tokyo wants to make its presence felt.
While you were sleeping
Ryan Lochte was charged by Rio police. The US Olympic swimmer is charged with filing a false robbery report over the incident at the gas station in Rio, where he claimed he was robbed but CCTV footage showed otherwise. The charge carries a penalty of up to 18 months jail time, and he could be tried in absentia if he refuses to return to the country.
A Bolivian official was killed by miners. Deputy interior minister Rodolfo Illanes was kidnapped by a group of striking miners and “savagely beaten” to death, the government said. Bolivia has seen a week of violence from miners demanding changes to labor laws. Police shot two workers on Aug. 24 and 17 police officers were reportedly wounded.
British consumers have bounced back after the Brexit vote. A new YouGov survey showed a huge leap in consumer confidence in August—the biggest month-on-month increase since February 2013—and a complete recovery from the post-referendum dip. German consumers are similarly unconcerned by Brexit, with Friday’s GfK consumer confidence survey showing a slight increase in spending.
A deadly bomb went off at a police headquarters in Turkey. The car bomb in the town of Cizre near the Syrian border killed eight policemen and injured more than 45. Turkish media said the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was responsible; authorities haven’t confirmed. There have been a number of PKK attacks on Turkish security forces since the two year cease-fire fell apart last year.
The vice chairman of Lotte Group was found dead. Lee In-won appeared to have hung himself from a tree using his necktie, hours before questioning by prosecutors. He was a key leader in the South Korean conglomerate—the fifth largest in the country—which has been hit hard by concerns surrounding a criminal probe.
Quartz obsession interlude
Leslie Josephs on the tricks travel websites use to make you spend more. “Hotel rates aren’t increasing much and airfares have dropped, so the competition is on for traveler dollars. Your favorite aggregators and travel sites are trying out lots of small tweaks to make you take out your credit card and actually buy something.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Eating three meals a day is silly. Traditional mealtimes have little do with with your actual metabolic needs, and might actually be making you sick.
It’s time to stop describing chicklit books as “trashy.” Women shouldn’t have to apologize for enjoying something lowbrow—men certainly don’t.
The US needs a memorial for lynching victims. The country would benefit from an honest and lasting acknowledgment of what Americans have done to other Americans.
Surprising discoveries
The US has a floating ZIP code. 48222 (paywall) is for mail addressed to the freighters on the Great Lakes.
People prefer food that reflects their values. Our brains are wired to make us think humanely raised meat tastes better.
Smashing printers is all the rage. Inspired by the 1999 film Office Space, companies are offering employees the chance to take a bat to their printer as a team-building exercise (paywall).
It can take 12 years for endangered species to be listed for protection. Some 42 species went extinct between 1973 and 1995 due to delays in the listing process.
Indians are no longer the UK’s largest immigrant group. Poles have replaced them as the biggest group of foreign-born UK residents for the first time since 2000.
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