🇨🇳 Apple and Tesla suppliers halt production in China

Google’s first day in EU court [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](. Forward to [your friend with the best shoes](. Here’s what you need to know Chinese factories are halting production over restrictions on energy consumption. They include suppliers for companies like [Apple and Tesla](. The Social Democrats narrowly won the German election. The center-left party must form a new coalition, with [Olaf Scholz expected to become chancellor](. A bipartisan vote on the US infrastructure bill is expected on Thursday. [House speaker Nancy Pelosi]( must unite Democrats on both the $1 trillion bill and a separate, even more ambitious $3.5 trillion social package. The UK is suspending its antitrust laws to get fuel into vehicles. [Thousands of gas stations are closed]( because of panic buying and a lack of drivers to deliver supplies, and the British army could be deployed. Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou returned to a hero’s welcome in China. Following a deal with US prosecutors, [she finally left Canada](, while Chinese authorities freed Canadians [Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor](. The global vaccine program is reportedly rewriting its own rules. [According to Reuters](, the UK somehow got supplies through Covax ahead of African countries. Sponsor content by American Express Built for business. By American Express. American Express Business offers a line of Cards packed with features and benefits to help take your business further—because with needs like yours, you need a Card built for business. Terms apply. [Learn more from American Express.]( What to watch for Google will defend itself in a [five-day antitrust hearing]( in a EU court starting Monday (Sept. 27). Hanging in the balance is a $5.15 billion fine imposed by EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager in 2018, the [largest antitrust penalty]( in EU history. European regulators found that Google used its leading market position with its Android operating system to secure contracts with smartphone makers and telecom companies. That helped cement Google’s dominance in mobile search, undermining competitor search engines, Vestager found. How this hearing goes could foreshadow how successful the US Department of Justice will be in its own [antitrust suit]( against Google on similar grounds. The tech giant is also facing an EU probe into its digital advertising practices, which it has [offered to settle](, and has previously been fined for antitrust violations related to its [shopping services](. What’s new about China’s latest crypto crackdown? China has taken steps to curb the rise of cryptocurrencies since at least 2013, but with crypto markets booming in 2021, the government [is getting more serious](. On Friday, the People’s Bank of China said cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and ether, are not “legally reparable” and should not be used. Now, not only are financial institutions [cut off]( from providing support to crypto-related businesses, but so are marketing and IT providers, the order said. In other words, any crypto holders or miners are now cut off from legal business dealings in China. “Whilst this is not a surprise as China has ‘banned’ crypto many times in the past, this time there is no ambiguity,” [tweeted]( Henri Arslanian of PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Crypto transactions and crypto services of all kind are banned in China. No room for discussion. No grey areas.” Wasted fuel A proposed rule from the US Federal Aviation Administration has led airlines to run extra, unneeded flights just to cement their takeoff and landing spots at airports. If this sounds like an environmental problem, that’s because it is. To comply with the new rules, airlines could emit 20,000 tons of extra carbon dioxide each day. Quartz Nicolás Rivero, Clarisa Diaz, and David Yanofsky [break down the data]( for Quartz members. 🎂 Quartz has been committed to breaking down complicated concepts and explaining why they matter for…wow, has it been nine years already? Celebrate our birthday with [50% off an annual membership]( using code QZBIRTHDAY. 🥳 Quartz announcement Are you Gen-Z-ready? People managers struggling to understand the on-the-job expectations of their youngest workers are invited to listen in and ask questions at our next Quartz at Work [From Anywhere] live show on Thursday, September 30, sponsored by SAP SuccessFactors. In just an hour, get intel you can use in your very next 1:1 from Gen-Z gurus including: - Chief People Officer Paul Rubenstein of Visier - Chief Education Officer Christine Y. Cruzvergara of Handshake - Global Chief Learning & Culture Officer Rebecca Robins of Interbrand - With special guest Global Head Solution Advisory, Hope Bailey of SAP SuccessFactor - Hosted by Quartz’s own Gen-X executive editor Heather Landy [Register today.]( What we’re reading 🤥 What if Facebook is lying to its own Oversight Board? New reporting reveals the board [wasn’t fully aware]( of how Facebook handles posts from celebrities and politicians. 💸 Why cash will be obsolete within a decade. Digital payments will make financial services [cheaper and available]( to more people. 🌜 NASA’s moon mission is waiting on a fight over meetings. [It pits]( Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin against Elon Musk’s SpaceX. 👟 How hard is it to buy Nikes right now? The company’s sneakers ​​are likely to [sell out faster and cost more]( due to supply chain disruptions. 🇬🇷 Only one country in western Europe has a low opinion of Angela Merkel. The outgoing German chancellor is [popular in every country surveyed]( apart from Greece. Surprising discoveries Scientists are fed up with lobsters concealing how old they are. Anatomical markers weren’t sufficient to tell their age, so researchers are now checking [changes in the crustaceans’ DNA](. Captain Kirk is going to space. Star Trek actor William Shatner will [ride aboard]( Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket ship. A turtle delayed a turtle-decorated plane in Japan. The shelled reptile was spotted on the tarmac, holding up a total of [five flights](. White toilet paper has an ecological toll. The [whiter and softer]( the paper, the more water and chemicals are used to produce it. Abraham Lincoln’s hair was fashioned into an eagle sculpture. The artifact is made [entirely of hair](, including that of Lincoln, his wife, his vice president, and his cabinet. SPREAD THE WORD Over 500k readers and counting. 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