Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A transit strike hits Mumbai. Taxi and autorickshaw drivers are expected to strike in protest of app-based transportation companies like Uber and Olas. The demonstration coincides with US secretary of state John Kerry’s arrival in New Delhi.
South Korea and Iran find a middle ground. The two countries will cease using the won and begin using the euro, in a bid to ease investment and trading. The move is expected to further improve trade relations after sanctions against Iran were removed earlier this year.
Estonia holds presidential elections. The country’s parliament will vote on a replacement for current president and outspoken Donald Trump critic Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is wrapping up his second five-year term.
Over the weekend
Germany’s vice-chancellor spoke out. Sigmar Gabriel described US-EU talks on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as “failed” in an interview. He also said that the EU would “go down the drain” if the UK’s exit from the body wasn’t properly handled.
China maintained the status quo in Tibet. The communist party appointed a longtime official to run the region, which experiences frequent periods of anti-Chinese unrest. Like his predecessor, Wu Yingjie is a member of China’s majority Han ethnic group.
Turkey pushed deeper into Syria. A British monitoring group said 35 people have been killed in Turkey’s campaign to seize control of territory held by Kurdish rebels in war-torn Syria, part of an intense cross-border campaign that began last week.
Trump tried to manage his immigration message. Speaking at a campaign stop in Iowa, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he would deport “criminal illegal immigrants” if elected, and blamed the media (paywall) for misinterpreting his immigration policies.
A crew ended life on Mars. A NASA-funded, year-long experiment in Hawaii to mimic life on Mars came to an end, part of a series of missions to test the resources, crew makeup, and conditions that would support a trip to the red planet. NASA hopes to send humans there by 2030.
Quartz obsession interlude
Caitlin Hu on ancient Egyptians’ workplace strategies. “Patience is a virtue. Don’t bug your partner about their weight. Try not to vex your boss. As a new translation of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs reveals, the fundamental rules of human behavior have changed little in the last 4,000 years—and wisdom from the times of the pharaohs still rings wry and insightful today.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Fearing your boss is bad motivation. Truly great leaders command respect, not terror.
Stop judging parents for leaving their kids alone. There’s nothing immoral about letting kids learn to problem-solve on their own.
There’s a productive way to approach wasting time online. Regulating time spent online can ward off cyberloafing overload.
Surprising discoveries
Fruits and vegetables are getting sweeter. Food producers are using technology to make fruits and vegetables taste less bitter, making them worse for us in the process.
The Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz were paid less than Dorothy’s dog. The actors received $50 a week, compared with the $125 paid out to Toto’s owner and trainer.
There’s a bird that understands humans. The Greater Honeyguide, found in the African savanna, exhibits “a level of complex communication [with humans] unheard of in nature.”
Pregnancy-related deaths are rising in the US. America is one of only eight countries in the world where average maternal mortality rates have gone up instead of down in the past few decades. Rates have nearly doubled in Texas.
A 4,000-year-old idea could disrupt refrigeration. Food-storage containers using the age-old technique of ‘evaporative cooling’ could solve the problem of keeping food fresh in areas without electricity.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, ancient food storage containers, and cyberloafing tips to hi@qz.com. You can download our iPhone app or follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.