Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today The EU and Turkey meet in Bulgaria. The two sides will gather in Varna to discuss trade, refugees, and counter-terrorism efforts. More of the cash promised by the EU under a refugee deal could be announced, but Turkish demands for deeper trade ties and visa-free travel to Europe will likely be deflected amid concerns over growing authoritarianism in Ankara. India and China meet on trade. India wants to boost its exports to China in areas such as pharmaceutical and agricultural products, as well as IT services, to help reduce the trade imbalance between the two nations. An update on the US economy's health. The Chicago Fed will release its monthly national activity index. The last release showed that the American economy had ticked down slightly in January, owing to a slowdown in factory activity.
Over the weekend The ex-head of Catalonia was detained. German police are holding Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Catalonia who is wanted in Spain for sedition. Last week Spain's Supreme Court ruled that the leaders of the Catalonia region, which has been pushing for independence, should be tried on various charges. Demonstrators took to Barcelona's streets following his arrest. Uber sold its Southeast Asia business to Grab. It marks the second retreat from an Asian market—the first being China—by the ride-hailing company. Though Uber will get a 27.5% stake in Singapore-based Grab, the sale calls into question its strategy of barging into markets around the world. Stormy Daniels said she was threatened to keep quiet about Trump. In a 60 Minutes interview, the adult film actress said the threat came from a man in Las Vegas in 2011 after she attempted to sell her story about an alleged 2006 affair with the future US president. She said she had sex with Trump one time. The US exempted South Korea from its new steel tariffs. Instead it will impose a quota on steel imports, with the two countries agreeing in principle to revisions to a trade pact that Trump had called "horrible." Seoul promised greater access for US carmakers. Students in the US marched for their lives. In cities around the country, celebrities and young Americans called for tighter gun laws and voiced their outrage at the lack of action by politicians. The "March for Our Lives" demonstrations were prompted by the mass shootings that have continued to occur in US schools, the latest in Parkland, Florida last month. Donald Trump's legal team saw more turmoil. Joseph diGenova and Victoria Toensing were slated to join the team dealing with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, but Trump's personal lawyer said yesterday that "conflicts" prevented them from doing so. Their appointments were announced just last week, along with the departure of lead lawyer John Dowd. Facebook apologized in print. The giant social network a ran full-page ad in the largest UK newspapers saying sorry for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. "We have a responsibility to protect your information," it said. "If we can't, we don't deserve it." It was signed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Quartz obsession interlude Anne Quito on rediscovering the world through your nose. "The simple act of inhaling the odors you encounter—fragrant, foul and everything in between—is a solid starting point to olfactory awareness. Developing your nose not only opens you up to a range of new sensory palettes. It can also help you enjoy food and become more aware of how designed chemicals alter your mood." Read more here. Matters of debate Ethically dubious startups are inherent to Silicon Valley. Companies such as Theranos and Zenefits are a feature of the tech-innovation hub, not a bug. We know how to beat the US opioid crisis. The HIV/AIDS epidemic gave us the blueprint for combating the current opioid problem. Students worried about gun violence should learn CPR. Former Republican senator Rick Santorum said they are better served by learning how to deal with shootings than "looking to someone else to solve their problem." Message from our Partner The global rendezvous for startups and leaders to celebrate innovation is back. This year's Viva Technology festival will be the best yet, featuring keynotes from the CEOs of SAP, IBM, Orange, and CISCO, and a hall packed with top startups and immersive experiences. Get your ticket here and join over 80,000 of the world's brightest minds in Paris from May 24-26.
Surprising discoveries You could soon get shooting stars on demand. One firm plans to fill the sky over Japan with colorful arcs made by releasing metallic pebbles from a satellite. Netflix is banned from winning one of cinema's highest prizes. The Cannes Film Festival's head says it will no longer be able to compete for the Palme d'Or. Orange snow is falling in Eastern Europe. Sand from desert storms in the Sahara is mixing with snow and rain and falling in countries including Russia, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. A Flat Earther took off in a homemade rocket. "Mad" Mike Hughes launched himself 1,875 ft (572 m) into the air to prove to himself that Earth is shaped "like a Frisbee." Amazon is the best place to work in the US. LinkedIn went through "billions of actions" taken by its 500 million members to come to that conclusion. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Amazon job openings, and Facebook rants 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 Steve Mollman and edited by Isabella Steger. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment