What to watch for today
Will Turkey join the fight against the Islamic State? The country’s parliament will vote on whether or not it’ll augment the firepower currently being supplied by the US and its allies. The Syrian town of Kobani—right on Turkey’s border—is about to be captured by IS fighters.
The European Central Bank tries to save the day. The ECB is expected to reveal new stimulus measures and potentially change interest rates at its monthly meeting. The euro hit a two-year low against the dollar on Wednesday, partly due to disappointing manufacturing data.
Hong Kong’s protests may get messy. The pro-democracy demonstrations that have shut down central Hong Kong for five days may transition from a festive street party to a tense political showdown. Student activists have set the end of the day as a deadline for the city’s chief executive to retire, and have vowed to storm government buildings—including CY Leung’s own residence—if he doesn’t step aside.
Rocket Internet goes public. The startup incubator—often chided for being a clone factory—is expected to raise upwards of €1.6 billion ($2 billion) when its shares start trading in Frankfurt for €42.50 a pop.
Brazil’s presidential candidates get their last chance to shine. Dilma Rousseff and Marina Silva have one more debate before elections on October 5, though a run-off election on October 26 will almost certainly be needed.
While you were sleeping
The US Secret Service director was forced to step down. Julia Pierson was unable to withstand twin scandals—first the White House fence jumper, then an armed ex-convict sharing an elevator with president Obama. She will be replaced by retired Secret Service agent Joseph Clancy.
Zara threw in with Alibaba. One of the world’s largest fashion retailers agreed to sell its apparel via Tmall, an Alibaba platform that takes a commission on sales. Despite Zara being one of the most popular brands in China, its Zara.cn site failed to make an impact.
Sierra Leone’s Ebola outbreak is accelerating. The outstripped West African country reported 765 new cases of the disease last week—about five per hour—but has only 327 hospital beds in total. The New York Times has a horrific account from one overmatched hospital in Makeni, one of Sierra Leone’s largest cities.
Hyundai workers returned to the factory floor. Staff voted by a slim 51.5% margin to end to a strike that was expanded after Hyundai paid $10 billion for a trophy plot of land in Seoul’s Gangnam district. The company’s workers, who will each receive payments of 8.9 million won ($8,400), have gone on strike for all but four of the union’s 27 years.
Japanese businesses are relatively bullish on Abenomics. Companies surveyed by Japan’s central bank predicted inflation of 1.5% in a year and 1.7% over five years—though still a slower pace than the government’s target of 2%.
Quartz obsession interlude
Gwynn Guilford on why the US anti-vaccine movement is scarier than the Ebola virus. “The 592 cases [of measles] reported thus far in 2014 are a far cry from the measles incidence before the vaccination campaign started, in 1963. Back then, about 550,000 Americans came down with the virus each year; around 500 of those people died. But it’s still the highest number of cases since measles was ‘eliminated.’ … As a study last year of a 2010 California whooping cough outbreak found, more people declined to vaccine their children for ‘non-medical reasons’ than any year since 1947, when the vaccine was introduced.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Vice broke the law with its Islamic State documentary. It arguably gave material support to a terrorist organization.
Mars is humankind’s insurance policy. Elon Musk promises the first colony will be operational by 2040.
Facebook feeds our addiction to justice. We love to share ridiculous articles that make us mad.
In the end, nothing will happen in Hong Kong. The protestors will go home, Beijing will regain control, and all will be back to normal.
Surprising discoveries
Contact lenses used to be made out of glass. You couldn’t close your eyes while wearing them.
Tom and Jerry comes with a racism warning. Amazon points to racial prejudices that were “once commonplace in American society.”
Those little blue pills could make you blind. One in 50 men carry a gene that makes them susceptible to Viagra blindness.
You’ll never sit lonely again. For ¥46,000 ($420), a Japanese firm will sell you a chair that can administer hugs.
CrossFit for kids is a thing. The notoriously hard-core exercise company says it wants to make pre-school fitness fun.
Click here for more surprising discoveries on Quartz.
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Quartz Daily Brief—Europe edition—Turkey’s ISIL problem, Rocket’s IPO, Zara needs Alibaba, Viagra blindness
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