Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Minimum pricing for alcohol goes into effect in Scotland. The new law is meant to reduce consumption, taking particular aim at inexpensive cider that lures problem drinkers. Researchers will gauge the effectiveness of the legislation, which could be copied across the UK. Supermarkets’ own-label offerings will find it harder to compete.
China imposes a unilateral fishing ban in the overfished South China Sea. The annual ban will run this year from May 1 to Aug. 16 and in some areas applies to the exclusive economic zones of other countries, where China has no legal right to impose rules. Vietnam has told its fishermen to ignore the ban. Chinese shoppers will face higher seafood prices.
A chastened Facebook kicks off its annual developer conference. Though last week it announced its best-ever first quarter, the company has halted new products and rolled back developer access to its massive social network in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. It’s expected to focus on gaming, virtual reality, and messaging for businesses.
Apple’s second-quarter earnings. The company’s stock has dipped 8% in the past two weeks, and investors are anxious after analysts lowered expectations for iPhone sales.
While you were sleeping
The Trump administration extended exemptions on steel and aluminum tariffs. The EU, Canada, and others will be able to export steel to the US through June 1 without paying steep tariffs the White House imposed in early March. The EU had threatened to retaliate with tariffs on American imports such as motorcycles, jeans, and bourbon.
Taiwan cried foul after the Dominican Republic switched its allegiance to China. It said false promises of aid from Beijing persuaded the Caribbean nation to cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan while establishing new ones with China. There are now just 19 countries left with official ties to Taiwan.
The Vatican’s treasurer will face trial in Australia on multiple counts of historical sexual abuse. A Melbourne magistrate said there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial of cardinal George Pell, though she dropped half the charges against him. Pell, the country’s most senior Catholic figure, pleaded not guilty.
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum is leaving Facebook. The billionaire who sold WhatsApp for $19 billion has clashed with Facebook over its plans to use personal data from the world’s biggest messaging app and to weaken its encryption, the Washington Post reported. Co-founder Brian Acton, who resigned in November, has also become a Facebook critic.
Disney signed a deal to make content for Twitter. The company will create live sports programming and other offerings for the social network. Specific content in development will be announced later this week. Twitter, which intends to focus more on premium streaming video, saw its shares jump 6% on the news.
Quartz obsession interlude
Tim Fernholz on Jeff Bezos’s attempt to save human civilization. “Now take the scenario, where you move out into the Solar System. The Solar System can easily support a trillion humans. And if we had a trillion humans, we would have a thousand Einsteins and a thousand Mozarts and unlimited (for all practical purposes) resources and solar power unlimited for all practical purposes. That’s the world that I want my great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren to live in.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Europe can save the Iran nuclear deal. Donald Trump should be forced to make a choice: preserve the deal, or lose EU cooperation on other issues.
The best leaders aren’t optimists. Blinding yourself to the messy side of work is a surefire way to piss off your direct reports.
The plan to rescue the Great Barrier Reef is too little, too late. Australia’s $400 million plan can only slow coral deaths in the face of climate change.
Surprising discoveries
Trump and Macron’s tree is missing. Planted at the White House during the French president’s visit, it’s been pulled from the ground until its quarantine is complete.
The world’s oldest spider died at 43. The female trapdoor spider, who outlasted the next-oldest known arachnid by more than a decade, was killed by a wasp sting.
Sainsbury’s CEO was caught singing “We’re in the Money” after the Asda deal. Mike Coupe apologized for an “unguarded moment” as he prepared for a TV interview.
China is mining data directly from workers’ brains. Manufacturers are outfitting employees with wireless sensors that can detect emotional spikes caused by, say, rage or anxiety.
South Korea and North Korea broke the ice with magic tricks. A banquet at the recent summit featured a magician who turned $10 into a $100 bill (paywall) and made some jokes about the “trump card.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, elderly spiders, and dirt-cheap cider 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 Tripti Lahiri.