Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
A Northern Ireland court rules on a challenge to the Brexit vote. Plaintiffs allege that the Northern Irish regional assembly should have had the chance to vote on the exit from the EU. The case is the first in a series of closely watched Brexit legal cases.
Trade and housing fuel US GDP growth. Analysts expect the economy to post third-quarter growth of 3% or more on stronger exports and consumer spending. That would be the strongest performance since 2014.
Tesla’s solar roof unveiling. Elon Musk said earlier this week that we would be “quite impressed” with the new solar roofing material and its integration with his Powerwall 2.0 home energy storage system. The new material has been developed in tandem with SolarCity, which Tesla is in the process of acquiring.
Pirates conquer Iceland. The Pirate Party, founded less than four years ago by a group of activists, anarchists, and hackers, could upend Icelandic politics with an Oct. 29 general election victory. It is led by Birgitta Jonsdottir, a former WikiLeaks contributor who describes herself as a “poetician.”
While you were sleeping
Vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence had a hairy moment in LaGuardia. The plane carrying Donald Trump’s running mate slid off the runway after making a rough landing. No one was hurt, but the entire airport was temporarily closed. Pence cancelled the fundraising event he was meant to attend in Trump Tower.
AB InBev had no fun in Brazil. The global brewing giant posted a 2% drop in core profit for the third quarter, hurt by shrinking sales in Brazil, its second-largest market. It said it expected no revenue from Brazil for the full-year. AB InBev recently finalized its $96 billion takeover of SABMiller, but these quarterly figures apply to the group pre-takeover.
The weak pound dragged down British Airway’s owner. IAG’s 3.6% profit decline in the third quarter was mainly down to the plummet in the value of sterling since the Brexit referendum—IAG reports in euros. Like its European competitors, IAG has been affected by terrorism attacks and worker strikes this year.
A landmark agreement created the world’s biggest marine park. Twenty-four countries signed the deal in Hobart, Tasmania, that ensures protection of a 1.5 million sq km (600,000 sq miles) area in the Ross Sea around Antarctica. It’s just 2% of the Southern Ocean but said to be the most pristine marine ecosystem on Earth.
UBS reported a rough third quarter. The Swiss bank’s net profit fell 60% year-on-year, though the year-ago numbers were helped by a tax benefit. The bank blamed high regulatory costs and low transaction volumes caused by political uncertainty and global growth concerns. It also revealed that it could lose its license to sponsor IPOs in Hong Kong.
Quartz obsession interlude
Chase Purdy on why farming is no longer “meaningful” work for US prison inmates. “Supporters of the program argued that work outdoors promoted the health and wellbeing of inmates, since many facilities lived largely off the food. But the programs lost favor as the agricultural industry consolidated and became more mechanized.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Search engines are distorting our perception, says Angela Merkel. The German chancellor says the lack of algorithm transparency is troubling.
Bitcoin is only good for one thing: getting money out of China. The cryptocurrency is a near-perfect proxy for capital outflow—and it’s surging.
Twitter needs a full-time CEO. Multitasking Jack Dorsey is not doing justice to a difficult job.
Surprising discoveries
Millennials don’t want to own furniture. An Indian start-up has raised $30 million catering to those who prefer to rent their couches.
The first-ever fossilized dinosaur brain turned up in England. Its existence is “so unbelievably unlikely that it just shouldn’t have happened.”
A new home-delivery meal kit service wants your blood. It analyzes nutrition-related biomarkers in the sample to customize dinner.
Colombia’s third-largest city is ditching “Dr.” and “Sir.” The mayor of Cali wants to close the gap between the poor and the rich by eliminating hierarchical titles.
Marijuana may help you see in the dark. New research suggests that it makes specialized cells in your retina more sensitive to light.
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