Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Hillary Clinton is back on the campaign trail. She took three days off to recover from pneumonia. Her doctor released a note on Wednesday confirming she was in good health and fit to serve as president. Meanwhile, Donald Trump gave a summary of his latest medical exam to Dr. Oz, ahead of an appearance on his US chat show on Thursday.
China launches its second small space station. The Tiangong-2, an orbiting space lab, will allow astronauts to remain on board for 30 days at a time. Two astronauts will be sent to the lab in October for the station’s first mission.
Oracle announces earnings. The software giant’s first-quarter results will be released after the market closes, and closely watched for signs of how its acquisition of cloud-computing company NetSuite will impact its revenue and product strategy. Analysts expect a 3% rise in revenue.
While you were sleeping
The UK government gave the green light to a nuclear power station. The $23 billion plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, co-financed by France and China, finally got the go-ahead after the government reached an agreement to implement new “safeguards” on future foreign investments in the country’s infrastructure.
European car sales surged. New car sales across the EU rose by almost 10% (paywall) in August, despite it being a traditionally slow month when everyone is away. Sales in the UK recovered after the Brexit vote, and Italy and Spain posted the strongest growth in new car registrations—15% and 20%, respectively.
Hackers released more medical records from Olympic athletes. The group calling itself “Fancy Bears,” allegedly from Russia, shared medical certificates granting athletes from eight countries permission to take banned substances. One document revealed that Tour de France winner Chris Froome took a forbidden steroid to cure him of chills.
Switzerland blamed Brexit for global uncertainty. The Swiss National Bank kept its interest rate at 0.75% and slashed its growth forecasts for the UK and the euro zone, saying Britain’s vote to leave the EU has made it difficult to form a clear economic outlook.
Typhoon Meranti struck Taiwan and southeastern China. The storm has caused at least one death as it charged through the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Xiamen in mainland China. It arrived just as residents prepare to travel back home to celebrate the mid-autumn festival.
Quartz obsession interlude
Alison Griswold and Mike Murphy on why we haven’t quite reached the driverless era. “Are Uber’s cars ready for the road? When we rode in one this week, the trip was relatively uneventful. But Uber also explained that engineers had meticulously mapped the roads we traversed. That’s not something you can easily scale. To work safely everywhere, the car needs to be able to react like a human to an oncoming truck, rather than passively responding to pre-programed situations.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Language impacts our sense of morality. Our moral compasses fluctuate depending on whether we weigh dilemmas in our native tongue or a foreign one.
We need to be more humble. Having access to lots of information has made us overconfident, with little knowledge or wisdom.
Having fewer children will save the environment. One less baby is one less consumer in the world.
Surprising discoveries
New Zealand is having a sperm drought. Strict legislation puts off potential donors, and has led to a two-year waiting list.
Zika may have been infecting Asians for decades. Local populations could have developed an immunity that could slow down or even stop the disease from spreading.
You might not own your tattoo. Celebrities, athletes, and coffee shops are starting to sue people who steal their ink designs.
Walmart is planning self-driving shopping carts. The retail giant filed a patent for carts that can be controlled with smartphones.
Binge-watching “Game of Thrones” keeps relationships healthy. Bonding over characters creates the same sense of belonging as gossiping about friends.
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