Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Iran, Russia, and Turkey discuss Syria’s future. Representatives will meet United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura to discuss the process for rewriting war-torn Syria’s constitution.
Mario Draghi and Larry Summers kick off the ECB Central Banking Forum. The European Central Bank president and former US Treasury secretary will speak at a three-day summit in Portugal on price and wage-setting in wealthy economies. Watch both speeches live here.
The senate votes on reinstating sanctions on ZTE. Lawmakers on both sides prepare to challenge Donald Trump’s decision to save the Chinese tech company by lifting sanctions imposed on it in April in exchange for a fine and management reshuffle.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity begins. The annual advertising festival in the South of France has been cut down to just five days this year. Quartz is on the ground with a daily email guide to the news and chatter from the hottest ad expo.
Over the weekend
Melania Trump spoke out against splitting up migrant families. Her spokeswoman said she “hates to see children separated from their families” and that the US needs to “govern with heart.” That jars with the president’s “zero tolerance” policy, which has led to 2,000 children being taken from their parents in the last six weeks.
The Audi CEO was arrested. Rupert Stadler was taken into temporary custody on Monday morning (link in German) in connection with the diesel-emissions affair, according to a spokesperson from Volkswagen, Audi’s parent company. Authorities raided Stadler’s home earlier this month (paywall).
Google placed a $550 million bet on JD.com. The investment in China’s second-largest e-commerce player will help the US tech giant expand in Asian markets and take on the likes of Amazon. For its part, JD.com will get better access to US and European consumers.
Twenty-two people were injured in a shootout in New Jersey. The incident, reportedly a gang fight, happened early Sunday morning at a 24-hour art festival in Trenton. Four of the injured are in critical condition. One of the suspects was shot dead and another is in custody.
Colombia elected a new president. Voters chose conservative Ivan Duque, who supports oil exploration and cutting corporate taxes, over leftist Gustavo Petro, a former Bogota mayor. Duque promised to alter the peace deal struck with FARC, pleasing those voters angry at soft sentencing for leaders of the militant group.
An earthquake in Japan killed at least three and injured dozens. The magnitude 6.1 quake shook Osaka, the nation’s second-biggest city, during the morning rush hour today. Panasonic, Daihatsu, and other firms halted factory production, while authorities contended with burst water mains.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ephrat Livni on Cambridge Analytica’s resurrection. “Top staffers from the fallen consultancy are back on the job at a newly formed company with a name that’s eerily reminiscent of the last place they worked—Data Propria. As the name implies, the new company is similarly preoccupied with gathering information, specifically to target voters and consumers.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Globalists should learn the zen of trade. Too many free-traders are focused on how they think the world should be, instead of how it is.
OPEC is not the one driving up oil prices. Trump’s decision to reintroduce sanctions against Iran will reduce the amount of crude oil (paywall) by up to a million barrels a day.
Jeff Bezos made the right calls 30 years in advance. The Amazon founder always operated on a different time frame to Wall Street—and it worked.
Surprising discoveries
China is reeling in all the world’s squid. Government-backed fishing ships account for between 50% and 70% of all squid caught in international waters.
South Korean soccer players swapped shirts to confuse their opponents. The coach said his strategy is based on Westerners not being able to tell Asians apart.
World Cup fans in Mexico City set off earthquake sensors. The monitoring system was triggered by “massive jumps,” when Hirving Lozano scored against Germany yesterday.
Yoga and meditation may boost your ego. A German study found that after practice, people’s opinion of themselves was significantly higher.
Connecticut is America’s most psychopathic state. California is at number two, followed by New Jersey.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, squid balls, and jubilant Mexicans 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 Lianna Brinded.