Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
The US National Museum of African American History and Culture opens. Barack Obama, the first black president, will open the Smithsonian’s newest museum on the National Mall in Washington DC, which has taken 13 years to build. Items on display include the remnants of the slave ship São José (paywall) that sank in 1794 killing 200 captives, Harriet Tubman’s shawl, and “whites only” bus stop signs from the 1950s.
EU trade ministers talk TTIP in Bratislava. Many hoped the transatlantic trade deal would be signed before president Barack Obama’s term ends in January. That’s looking increasingly unlikely, as it continues to meet with fierce resistance in Europe and both US presidential candidates oppose it. Austria and France may now propose restarting the talks under a new name after the US elections.
Europe’s leaders hold a migration summit in Vienna. The Saturday meeting, led by German chancellor Angela Merkel, will be dominated by discussions on supplying aid to countries where the majority of migrants come from, and tightening Europe’s external borders to stop the flow of refugees.
While you were sleeping
The US abandoned Syria truce efforts. After a meeting in New York with the International Syria Support Group, secretary of state John Kerry said it was pointless to continue without a “major gesture” from Moscow, such as persuading Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to stop the violence. In an interview, Assad blamed the US for the recent failed ceasefire.
A white police officer was charged with first degree manslaughter in the Tulsa shooting. Betty Shelby escalated the situation and overreacted in fatally shooting Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man, according to court papers filed by Tulsa County in Oklahoma. She faces at least four years in prison if convicted.
France’s private sector picked up steam. The Markit PMI index hit 53.3 for September—its best performance in 15 months—thanks to robust growth in the services sector (paywall) and an uptick in manufacturing. It suggests the French economy could return to growth in the third quarter of the year.
Sony Pictures formed an alliance with Dalian Wanda. The Chinese conglomerate will take minority stakes in some Sony films, and the two will cooperate on co-financing projects, marketing and distribution across the Wanda cinema network. Dalian Wanda owns the US cinema chain AMC and Legendary Pictures.
India and France signed a deal for fighter jets. India will pay around $8.7 billion for 36 warplanes, and France in return will invest 30% of that money in India’s military aeronautics research programs. The deal, which has been years in the making, is intended to strengthen Indo-French strategic relations.
Quartz obsession interlude
Hanna Kozlowska on the hidden perils of debating Hillary Clinton. “Clinton’s history shows that it’s extremely easy for men—men who often have far better track records with women than Trump—to fall into the trap of looking condescending, aggressive, or sexist. And once they stumble, the advantage often goes to Clinton.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The US food regulator is forcing journalists to abandon objectivity. The FDA is using the promise of timely access to control the people who should be holding the institution accountable.
People actually opposed Galileo for scientific reasons. Some thought his idea that the Earth circled the sun did not make technical sense.
If you’re going to make it in politics, you gotta have girlfriends. As women reach for the upper ranks of public office, their network of female friends and mentors is vital.
Surprising discoveries
Greenland is melting much faster than we thought. The country is losing an extra 20 million tons of ice each year, a miscalculation that impacts climate change predictions.
A man who attempted to live as a goat won a prize for unusual research. Other Ig Nobel winners did things like study the personalities of rocks.
The Dalai Lama did a Donald Trump impression. It’s all about the Republican presidential candidate’s hair and small mouth.
Chinese wine producers are attempting to grow wine in space. China’s newest space lab is loaded with a selection of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pinot noir vines.
Scientists can digitally unwrap a scroll once burnt to a “lump of charcoal.” 3D X-ray scans of the scorched remains of a manuscript revealed a biblical text.
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