Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Apple launches the iPhone 7. The tech behemoth’s new, headphone jack-less iPhones are likely to attract the most attention at its keynote event, with the new phones not expected to look radically different from last year’s model. Apple Music is also getting a facelift, including the introduction of personalized playlists.
Syrian opposition leaders meet in London. British foreign secretary Boris Johnson will host the meeting, where the leaders will discuss ways to end the fighting in Syria and present a plan for political transition in the country.
The Paralympics begin in Rio. Featuring thousands of athletes from 161 countries, the Games are facing major budget cuts affecting everything from venues to staffing. Only 12% of tickets had been sold, though a recent uptick in sales has organizers predicting a sell-out.
While you were sleeping
The US Senate blocked funding to combat Zika. The Democrats refused to back the $1.1 billion package to help fight the Zika virus as it cut money from the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood group. Meanwhile, Florida health officials reported seven more locally transmitted cases of the virus.
The UK and France agreed to build a big wall. A $2.5 million, 13-foot high wall in the port town of Calais will be erected to stop refugees from climbing onto trucks bound for Britain. Aid groups have criticized the wall, saying it will force refugees into more desperate scenarios to escape from the so-called “Jungle” camp in Calais and make it to the UK.
Volkswagen made an electric-car deal with China. The German automaker—the most successful foreign car company in China—is expected to announce a joint venture with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (paywall), one of the top electric vehicle makers in China. The hookup will help VW maintain its leadership in China, whilst meeting Beijing’s stricter new emissions standards.
LG hung its hopes on the V20 smartphone. The V20 launch is surely going to be overshadowed by Apple’s new iPhone 7 today, but the South Korean electronics company hopes its new smartphone will be a lifeline for its floundering mobile business. Its last phone, the G5, was a flop.
Thailand took China’s side in the South China Sea dispute. Historically, Thailand has stayed neutral on the issue, but a government spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that it “supports China’s efforts” to promote peace in the region.
Quartz obsession interlude
Katherine Ellen Foley on the case against protein powder. ”When we distill protein—or any technically good nutrient—we lose out on so much more. As science writer Michael Pollan pointed out in his book In Defense of Food, often when we think about nutrition, we forget that we’re actually talking about food. What we eat has become so processed to concentrate things like protein and minimize things like fat, that in many cases we’re left with ‘edible foodlike substances’—not food.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Government officials’ emails should stay private. Public officials need to be able to communicate with each other openly and honestly about pressing issues.
Don’t mourn the headphone jack. By killing it off, Apple is making dumb technology smart.
Harambe—the 17-year-old gorilla shot by a Cincinnati Zoo worker—is the perfect meme. The image can be imbued with whatever message we want.
Surprising discoveries
Native English speakers use a particular order with their adjectives. They instinctively describe things in the order of… opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, and purpose.
A high-level Apple engineer was turned down for a job at Genius Bar. J.K. Scheinberg developed Apple’s early operating system, but was rejected for a job in its stores.
Nearly half of all refugees are children. Most come from just two countries.
Zika can live in our tears. Scientists detected the live virus in the eyes of infected rats.
An Alabama library wants to send bad borrowers to jail. Patrons with overdue books could find themselves behind bars if the library succeeds in enforcing a strict new policy.
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