Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Abe and Putin catch up. Japan’s prime minister will speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, as the two countries’ icy diplomatic relationship gradually warms up. They’ll likely discuss economic cooperation and a territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands.
The US jobs report comes out. Economists expect to hear that US employment increased by 180,000 jobs in August, evidence of an improving economy. Last week, Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen suggested a strong jobs report might trigger an interest-rate rise, perking the ears of investors.
India goes on hold. Ten Indian trade unions have announced a nationwide strike to protest government proposals on pension and minimum-wage laws. Factories, government offices, and public banks across the country will be closed, although schools and trains continue to operate.
While you were sleeping
Melania Trump sued the Daily Mail. The wife of the US Republican presidential nominee is seeking $150 million in damages from the British tabloid, after it published a piece alleging she worked as a prostitute in the nineties. The Mail posted a retraction online and in its UK print edition, but Trump’s lawyer says it will not affect her lawsuit.
Hundreds of thousands of protestors stormed Caracas. Demonstrators opposing the rule of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro took to the streets to demand a referendum recall this year, which is necessary to prevent his successor from taking power in the case that he is ousted.
Walmart slashed 7,000 jobs. The United States’ largest private employer is cutting thousands of positions in accounting and invoicing over the coming months. Walmart hopes to make stores more efficient through centralization and automation.
Google killed its “build-your-own” smartphone project. The search giant has discontinued Project Ara, an effort that was supposed to create phones with interchangeable batteries, cameras, and other physical parts consumers could swap out.
Millions of bees died a meaningless death. In an effort to ward off Zika-infected mosquitos, South Carolina’s Dorchester County sprayed insecticide across the region and accidentally massacred millions of bees.
Quartz Markets Haiku
Manufacturing
Has a lot of syllables
Also, it’s slowing
Quartz obsession interlude
Dave Gershgorn on how a Japanese farmer put Google’s artificial intelligence to work. ”The tale of the cucumber farmer is a humanizing story for a large internet company touting its cloud services, but it does show why open source systems are important… Posting code for free online democratizes the field of artificial intelligence, meaning anyone with a computer and some time can learn how give their machine a brain.”
Read more here.
Matters of debate
A guilt-based vacation policy is a terrible idea. No one really has “unlimited” time off.
Artificial intelligence can’t be unbiased. Any AI will carry the flaws of the humans who create it.
Whenever Trump says “great,” he means “white.” His immigration plan is all about protecting white power.
Surprising discoveries
US housing markets are reaching record levels of inequality. If you bought a house in Silicon Valley 30 years ago, you’d be rich right now. Dayton, Ohio? Not so much.
A “chicken biscuit” bakery will vote in Hong Kong’s legislative elections. Thanks to an antiquated electoral system that lets corporations choose the city’s lawmakers, companies like Qatar Airways and Vanuatu National Travel get a vote in this weekend’s elections.
A Mormon presumed dead in 2004 is alive—and in North Korea. Japanese media reported that David Sneddon, who was thought to have died in China, is in fact married with children in North Korea and even tutored Kim Jong-un.
Millennials say they want to eat less meat, but can’t be bothered to do it. They’re on track to eat just as much as older generations.
Bob Ross’s famous curly hair was really a perm. The “Joy of Painting” host was forced to keep it as part of his brand.
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