Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Ireland votes on abortion. Irish women across the globe are returning to vote today in a “once in a generation” referendum to repeal the country’s eighth amendment, which makes abortion illegal, even in cases of rape or incest. Polls suggest the result is too close to call.
Harvey Weinstein may turn himself in. The disgraced Hollywood mogul reportedly plans to surrender to authorities on sexual assault charges today. Several dozen women have accused him of assault and rape dating back decades.
More tech bosses take the stage at VivaTech. Speakers at the conference in Paris today include Alphabet’s former executive chairman Eric Schmidt and Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH.
Colombia holds its first presidential election since the end of the FARC war. The choice on Sunday (paywall) is between current president Juan Manuel Santos, who signed the 2016 peace accord with guerrillas and is trailing badly in the polls, Gustavo Petro, former mayor of Bogotá and ex-member of the M19 guerrilla group, and rightwing hardliner Ivan Duque.
While you were sleeping
GDPR went live. Companies worldwide have scrambled—and some already failed—to prepare for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, which enforces data privacy as a fundamental human right. From now on, it’s the responsibility of businesses to get consumers’ consent to collect their data, or face fines of up to 4% of global revenue.
Pyongyang responded with uncharacteristic restraint to Trump’s cancellation letter. After the US president cancelled the US-North Korea summit yesterday, North Korea expressed “great regret” and said it was still open to talks. It added that it had “hoped that what is called ‘Trump formula’ would help clear both sides of their worries.”
More than a dozen people were injured in a restaurant bomb in Toronto. The blast hit an Indian restaurant in the Mississauga suburb around 10:30pm on Thursday. Police said two people entered the restaurant, set down a device, and fled. The incident comes a month after 10 people were killed in a van attack in the city.
A US jury awarded Apple $539 million in a case against Samsung. It decided Samsung had copied patented smartphone features. The legal battle has been going on since 2011, when Apple alleged its Korean rival “slavishly” copied its products.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Roland Imhoff on what the 4% of Americans who believe in lizard people can teach us. “Belief in conspiracies can serve to set oneself apart from the ignorant masses—a self-serving boast about one’s exclusive knowledge. Adherence to conspiracy theory might not always be the result of some perceived lack of control, but rather a deep-seated need for uniqueness.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Elon Musk is mistaken if he believes you can crowdsource the truth. His idea for a site to rate the “core truth” of media reports would simply cede the definition of facts to a mob.
Italy’s new government could shatter Europe. The unlikely coalition (paywall) blames the EU for the debt-laden country’s problems.
Trump has pushed US allies into Putin’s embrace. Russia’s leader is happy to fill the void (paywall) left as the US withdraws from its global leadership role.
Surprising discoveries
The official US-North Korea summit coin is for sale at a discount. The meeting may be canceled, but the commemorative coin is still available.
Hidden canyons in Antarctica are bad news for the planet. They can act as funnels that help destroy ice sheets and cause sea level to rise.
Could the Loch Ness monster be real? A new scientific expedition intends to find out by analyzing DNA floating in water samples.
Troops guarding US nuclear missiles ran a drug ring. Air Force airmen were allegedly into LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and marijuana.
The people of Turkmenistan can no longer use their president’s image on toilet paper. Police are making sure Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s face isn’t being soiled.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, commemorative coins, and Nessie DNA 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 Jill Petzinger and edited by Jason Karaian.