Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China protests a British auction of an ancient artifact. A UK auction house is selling a water vessel known as a Tiger Ying, made between 1100 and 771 BC, which was seized by a British soldier from Beijing’s Imperial Gardens during the Second Opium War. It has an estimated value of up to $226,000.
Mark Zuckerberg’s second day of congressional grilling. The Facebook CEO will testify before the House energy and commerce committee, in the wake of Tuesday’s Senate hearing (see below).
Japan’s top diplomat visits South Korea. Tarō Kōno will meet with South Korea counterpart Kang Kyung-wha and president Moon Jae-in in preparation for talks between North Korea and the United States.
While you were sleeping
Zuckerberg told Congress that Facebook is working with Robert Mueller. The CEO was questioned for several hours, largely sticking to the talking points from his prepared testimony. Zuckerberg also said some users whose data was obtained by Cambridge Analytica may have been targeted with Kremlin misinformation.
Seven Myanmar soldiers were imprisoned for a Rohingya massacre. The military’s slaughter of 10 Rohingya Muslims at the village of Inn Din last September was uncovered by two Reuters journalists, who are now on trial for violating state secrets.
CEO Matthias Müller is reportedly leaving Volkswagen. The automaker issued a cryptic statement indicating forthcoming changes in its executive leadership, with Volkswagen brand head Herbert Diess tipped as Müller’s likely successor.
Ant Financial upped its fundraising target. The Alibaba financial affiliate is seeking $9 billion in a private funding round (paywall), the Wall Street Journal reports, up from $5 billion previously. The higher total would imply a gargantuan $150 billion valuation for the Alipay owner.
An EU court ruled against Uber. The appellate court said France can bring criminal proceedings against the company for running an illegal taxi service. Uber had argued that the charges weren’t valid because France’s law didn’t receive approval from the European Commission.
Quartz obsession interlude
Gwynn Guilford on the cranberry’s improbable path to global domination: “The cranberry industry needs new sources of demand to keep growing, and that’s meant nurturing foreign markets like China. A trade war could cost the US its comparative advantage in a tiny, but irreplaceable, symbol of American commercial ingenuity.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Trump has the resources to take on Beijing. He just needs to stop alienating allies, support free trade partners, and work on his messaging.
Fake video will destroy our concept of reality. “Deepfaking” will expand far beyond porn to create a new world in which we’re all being manipulated.
The problem isn’t Facebook—it’s us. We’re so addicted to technology that privacy has become an afterthought.
Surprising discoveries
Kim Jong-un needs a new plane. The North Korean leader is starting to travel internationally, but he lacks an aircraft that can fly long distances (paywall).
SpaceX’s orbital videos are illegal. US regulators just caught on to unlicensed surveillance footage from space.
Eyebrows are an evolutionary win. The heavy brows of Homo sapiens flattened out as communication became more important to survival.
Tanzanian bloggers have to pay the government $900 a year. And applications can still be denied if their writing “causes annoyance.”
Indonesia busted fish pirates using an 18-mile-long net. The ecosystem-endangering vessel may also have been involved in human trafficking.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Air Force Un planes, and evolved eyebrows 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 and edited by Susan Howson and Adam Pasick.