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What to watch for today
Parliament may—reluctantly—discuss the UK’s Brexit strategy. The Labour Party is trying to force a vote on a motion calling for more transparency from the government on its Brexit-negotiating strategy. Meanwhile, a report suggested the UK may still have to pay into the EU for preferential access to the EU single market after it leaves the bloc.
Germany’s top court hears an appeal against CETA. Activists aim to stop the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada. The pact would eliminate tariffs on 98% of goods, but detractors contend it would be be bad for jobs and the environment.
The Federal Reserve releases its meeting minutes. It left rates unchanged in September, but policymakers were divided on the issue. Minutes from the Open Market Committee’s meeting are expected to hold clues about the thinking behind the decision.
While you were sleeping
Barack Obama attacked Donald Trump. Campaigning for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, the US president criticized Republicans who are still endorsing Trump after his lewd comments about women, and said the presidential nominee was “unfit for a job at 7-Eleven,” let alone to become president.
Amazon launched its new music-streaming service. Amazon Music Unlimited goes head-to-head with Spotify and Apple Music, offering flexible pricing options—lowest for those who own an Amazon Echo speakers ($3.99), up to $9.99 a month for those who aren’t Prime members. It’s counting on people caving and signing up for Echo-only subscriptions.
Samsung slashed its profit forecast. After announcing yesterday that it would stop making the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7, the South Korean tech company followed up by cutting its third-quarter forecast by a third (paywall) to $4.62 billion.
Apple announced plans for an R&D center in Shenzhen. CEO Tim Cook said the new facilities would open in a year or so and let the company’s engineers better collaborate with manufacturing partners, many of whom are located in the Chinese manufacturing hub.
Ericsson’s woes got worse. The Swedish network-equipment maker saw revenue drop 14% in the third quarter to $5.8 billion—lower than it expected—thanks to limp sales in Brazil, Russia, and the Middle East. It has been trying to shore things up by cutting costs, and plans to get rid of one fifth of its staff (about 3,000 employees) in Sweden.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jacek Krywko on the power and potential of insects. “Damian Jozefiak, a professor at the Poznan University of Life Sciences, believes insects offer much more than protein. He thinks they can become bio-processing units working in fully automated, remotely controlled smart factories producing high-quality proteins, fats for the pharmaceutical industry, and biofuels—all using different kinds of waste as raw materials.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Feeling inefficient? Have kids; motherhood forces women to become hyperproductive and produce more than their childless peers.
Twitter has already lost the social-media wars. Investors are looking for the next big thing in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and drones.
Children ruin natural history museums. The quiet respect exhibited at churches and libraries needs to be extended to these keepers of history.
Surprising discoveries
It’s OK if your returned Galaxy Note 7 explodes in transit. Samsung is sending out extremely fireproof boxes for returns.
A man spent 11 hours trying to make a cup of tea. The Brit’s struggles to get his voice-activated, wifi-enabled kettle to boil was the stuff of tech-nightmare legend.
Danish scientists are working to reduce cow farts. They’re making a new kind of grass that’s easier to digest and reduces methane emissions.
Half of the mass of Eurasia and India has disappeared. Scientists thought continental crust couldn’t be swallowed by the Earth’s mantle, until it apparently happened.
China’s Terracotta Warriors may have been inspired by Ancient Greece. New evidence suggests Westerners went to China long before Marco Polo in the 13th century.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, working wifi kettles, and non-gassy bovines to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.