Tuesday 27 March 2018

Kim Jong-un in China, Zuckerberg to testify, demoted termites

Good morning, Quartz readers!

What to watch for today

Myanmar's parliament elects a new president. Win Myint, a longtime loyalist to de facto ruler Aung San Suu Kyi, is expected to take over from Htin Kyaw, who resigned due to health problems. Suu Kyi, widely beloved despite international criticism of the country's Rohingya crisis, is barred from becoming president under the military-imposed constitution.

Greece receives a huge influx of EU bailout funds. A tranche of €5.7 billion ($7.1 billion) will be paid out by the EU's European Stability Mechanism agency, as the Greek government tries to build a cash buffer ahead of its "full return to market financing" in August.

A former Catalan minister turns herself in. Clara Ponsati, previously Catalonia's education minister, plans to present herself at an Edinburgh police station, where a European arrest warrant will be served. Madrid is pursuing Catalonian leaders for their role in holding last year's independence referendum, and they face potential charges such as sedition.

The European Commission debates a central-bank cash grab for dealing with Brexit. Brussels will discuss diverting €50 billion in proceeds from printing banknotes into EU coffers. The idea is seen as "low-hanging fruit" to plug the budget shortfall expected after Britain, the bloc's second-biggest net budget contributor, leaves the EU in 2019.

While you were sleeping

China confirmed Kim Jong-un's visit to Beijing. State media reported the North Korean leader made an unofficial visit from Sunday to Wednesday, meeting with president Xi Jinping while pledging to denuclearize and meet with US officials. It was Kim's first trip outside of his country since assuming power in 2011, and comes ahead of a planned inter-Korean summit next month.

Mark Zuckerberg agreed to testify before US lawmakers. CNN reports the Facebook CEO will speak to Congress in the next few weeks, even as he declined a similar offer to testify before Britain's parliament. Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have been invited to speak at a Senate judiciary committee hearing on April 10.

Uber settled a discrimination lawsuit for $10 million. Two female engineers brought the class-action lawsuit, accusing the ride-hailing giant of gender and race discrimination. As part of the settlement, the company agreed to reforms in how it determines compensation, reviews, and promotions.

Masayoshi Son announced a massive solar-energy play. The SoftBank CEO said he's signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia to create the world's biggest solar power generation project in the kingdom. Should it go forward, it will cost $200 billion through 2030 to build out all 200 gigawatts of the project.

Demonstrators in Malaysia protested a measure to redraw electoral boundaries. Ahead of a general election that must be held by August, prime minister Najib Razak is pushing through the controversial proposal, which opponents say would benefit his ruling coalition. He faces pressure over embezzlement allegations involving a state-owned investment fund.

US safety regulators opened a probe into a fatal Tesla crash. The National Transportation Safety Board sent investigators to the scene of a March 23 accident in Silicon Valley, where a Tesla hit a highway barrier and caught fire, killing the driver. Tesla shares fell 8% on news of the probe.

Quartz obsession interlude

Anne Quito on the spy museum that captures the boredom of modern espionage. "[The] surveillance room—which acts as the emotional climax of the entire museum—contains an altar to Spyscape's martyr: Edward Snowden… There may be pro forma props behind glass cases that hearken to the analog days of espionage—but Spyscape's true hero is an IT guy." Read more here.

Matters of debate

The EU's AI fearmongering is blind to reality. The bloc's new strategy considers threats while ignoring opportunities.

The US right to bear arms should be repealed. A former Supreme Court justice says the second amendment to the US constitution is a dangerously archaic relic (paywall).

You agreed to let Facebook take your data. Mark Zuckerberg wants you to accept some hard truths.

Surprising discoveries

A French waiter is suing for the right to be rude at work. The Vancouver eatery that fired him is guilty of cultural discrimination, he contends.

Politicians in Washington, DC can live the immigrant experience through VR. A Mexican filmmaker's virtual-reality installation awaits them in the US capital.

An eggplant thief was acquitted after a nine-year legal battle. Italy's highest court ruled the man was simply trying to feed his family.

A newly discovered human organ may spread cancer. A network of fluid-filled channels may connect the entire human body.

Termites are actually cockroaches. Biologists used DNA to recategorize the wood nibblers into the cockroach family, whereas before they had their own order.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, purloined eggplants, and defiantly snooty waiters 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.

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