Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The third and final US presidential debate. The battleground is set for 9pm ET in Las Vegas, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton facing questions on immigration, the economy, the Supreme Court, and, again, their fitness to be president.
Russia and Ukraine meet in Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel hosts Vladimir Putin, Petro Poroshenko and François Hollande in a summit intended to revive the broken-down peace talks between the Ukrainian government and the Kremlin. It’s Putin’s first time in Berlin since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014; Merkel said “one mustn’t expect wonders” from the meeting.
Tesla reveals a mystery product. There is speculation that Elon Musk will unveil a new car or an update to its Autopilot software. The announcement was postponed from Monday because the product needed “a few more days of refinement.”
American Express reports on its third quarter. Analysts are expecting the credit-card issuer to show a decline in earnings and revenue thanks to its falling-out with retailer Costco, which switched to Visa for its lower fees as falling food prices squeezed its margins.
While you were sleeping
Obama told Trump to stop whining. At a press conference, the US president said the Republican candidate’s inflammatory complaints about the election being rigged were baseless. Obama said Trump should instead “go try to make his case to get votes.”
Leonardo DiCaprio is cooperating with a probe into Malaysian corruption. The actor has been in contact with US prosecutors over allegations that embezzled government funds were used to make his movie The Wolf of Wall Street. Protesters recently demanded that DiCaprio explain his dealings with the 1MDB fund or relinquish his position as a UN climate ambassador.
Ecuador cut Julian Assange off from the internet. The country’s London embassy, which has been hosting the WikiLeaks founder since 2012, said it shut off Assange’s internet access over fears he was using it to meddle in the US election. WikiLeaks has published two troves of leaked emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Mitsubishi shareholders cheered for Carlos Ghosn. Shares in the troubled Japanese automaker rose 7.8% (paywall) in Tokyo on the news that Ghosn, the CEO of Nissan and Renault—where he earned the nickname ”Le Cost Killer”—would become its new chairman. Nissan jumped in to take a 34% stake in Mitsubishi this year after the company was hit by an emissions-testing scandal.
China released its third-quarter report card. With a property boom and higher government spending offsetting weak exports, GDP rose 6.7% from a year ago. That matched expectations and suggested stable economic growth. Growth could soon take a hit, though, as cities restrict home sales to cool the overheating property market.
Quartz obsession interlude
Josh Horwitz on the Shenzhen factories that copy products before they even exist. “Sherman had become a victim of China’s lightning-fast copycats. Before he had even found a factory to make his new product, manufacturers in China had spied his idea online, and beaten him to the punch. When his Kickstarter backers caught on, they were furious: ‘You are charging double the price for what the copycats are charging, yet I seriously doubt the final product will be any better than the copycats.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Retirees are suffering from divorce remorse. Formerly married people—especially women—have to work beyond retirement age, have less money, and own fewer assets.
Grief could bring hope for Thailand. The death of King Bhumibol is an opportunity for democracy amidst military rule (paywall).
Nigeria has missed its chance for change. Protectionist policies and dependence on oil have crippled the economy (paywall), and the rule of law is increasingly illusory.
Surprising discoveries
Americans work 25% more than Europeans. They also retire later and take fewer vacation days.
A Pakistani chaiwala became an internet sensation. The handsome tea seller’s looks have earned him an army of fans and a modeling gig.
Visit Italy, do the dishes, get a free stay. Bed & breakfasts are accepting goods and services from tourists in lieu of money during November’s Barter Week.
A diplomat has become a reality TV star in Denmark. The drama-free series “I Am the Ambassador from America” (paywall) is an unlikely hit.
Disney is suing a Jedi lightsaber academy. The company’s Lucasfilm film division says the “New York Jedi and Lightsaber Academy” infringes on its copyrights.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, dashing chaiwalas, and screen-ready ambassadors to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.