US sanctions on Iran, earthquake in Indonesia, death by algae

[Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today The US reinstates sanctions against Iran. Many of the sanctions relaxed under Barack Obama will [come back in full force]( following Donald Trump’s decision in May to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. European allies fear the move will [increase regional instability](. Weight Watchers reports second-quarter earnings. Investors are looking for [follow-through]( on the group’s upgrade of its full-year earnings outlook a few months ago. Weight Watchers’ stock has [more than doubled]( this year. Tyson Foods serves up lukewarm results. The US’s biggest meat producer by sales [warned in July]( (paywall) that trade tariffs coupled with a domestic glut of beef and pork would take a bite out of earnings. Sponsor content by Bank of America Merrill Lynch Smart cities are the future—and also the present. From water-monitoring smart sensors to drones for emergency response, technology is already improving daily urban life—often in hidden ways. [Take an inside look at the tech keeping cities clean, safe, and efficient]( Over the weekend An earthquake in Indonesia killed more than 90 people. A week after a powerful quake killed 17 on Lombok island, a [magnitude-7.0 quake]( struck Lombok, Bali, and other islands, injuring hundreds and damaging thousands of buildings. Airport authorities have requested additional flights to handle the high numbers of tourists trying to leave the region. Trump admitted his son met with Russians to get information on Hillary Clinton. The president [tweeted that]( such meetings are “totally legal” and “[done all the time in politics]( He also claimed he was unaware of the now infamous Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian attorney with close ties to the Kremlin. Saudi Arabia expelled Canada’s ambassador in a human rights spat. The Saudi foreign ministry also recalled its envoy in Canada and [suspended new trade with the country]( over Canada’s “interference” in its domestic affairs. Canada had urged the Saudis to release detained women’s rights activists, including Saudi-American campaigner Samar Badawi. Semiconductor giant TSMC warned that a computer virus will hit its revenue. The virus [affected fabrication tools]( causing production and shipping delays. The world’s largest contract chipmaker is also major supplier for Apple iPhones. Nicolás Maduro accused Colombia of trying to kill him with drones. The Venezuelan president was giving a live televised speech when [an explosion took place]( that he attributed to weaponized drones. Anonymous officials claimed it was an accidental gas tank explosion. [Six people have been arrested]( and Maduro escaped unharmed. Quartz Obsession interlude Ashley Rodriguez on the doomed economics of MoviePass. “Whatever its flaws, 30 or so movie tickets a month for less than the cost of one at most US theaters was too good a deal to walk away from. MoviePass was the first company to truly try to change the economics of the movie industry to make moviegoing more affordable again.” [Read more here](. Matters of debate Apple’s $1 trillion market cap serves only Apple. Even a fraction of the [money Apple is sitting on]( could improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers. We’re all capable of doing something terrible. In fact, we’re [biologically predisposed to it](. Don’t worry about raising your child religious or not. Research shows there’s [no moral difference]( between kids brought up in a religion and those raised secular or non-believing. Quartz announcement “Being brave is more important than being pretty.” [Chelsea Clinton]( shared the most important lessons she’s learned from her female role models with us, and how she thinks they can improve the world. Surprising discoveries Algae killed a shark. A [dead whale shark tested positive]( (paywall) for brevetoxin, which is deadly to fish and created by algal blooms. China produces 50% of the world’s cannabis. Most of its crop is [non-psychotropic hemp]( used for fabrics, medicine, and recreation. Steven Seagal was made a special US-Russia envoy. The actor, who’s a special friend of Vladimir Putin, has been tasked with [improving cultural ties](. Thousands of people are watching a 66-year-old man sleep. Bob Pagani has been [broadcasting his slumber]( on Periscope and Twitch since last year. Russians observe a moment of silence before travel. “[Sidet’ na chemodanakh]( or “sitting on suitcases,” is a custom connected to the symbolism of passing over a threshold. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, sleep tips, and travel customs to hi@qz.com. You can follow us [on Twitter]( for updates throughout the day or download our [apps for iPhone]( and [Android](. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Jill Petzinger and Akshat Rathi and edited by Jason Karaian. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( If you click a link to an e-commerce site and make a purchase, we may receive a small cut of the revenue, which helps support our ambitious journalism. See [here]( for more information. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.