Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Uber goes to court in London. Representatives for the company will appear before the Westminster magistrates court to argue that it is “fit and proper” to operate in the city. The city didn’t renew Uber’s operating license in September because of its failure to report “serious criminal offences” by its drivers and its use of surreptitious tracking technology.
Prince William tours the Middle East. He will visit Israel and meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, becoming the first-ever member of the royal family to visit the territory, ruled by Britain from 1922 until the establishment of the Israeli state.
US housing market health check. The US Census Bureau will release its monthly report on new home sales in May. Analysts expect around 665,000 sales for the month, up slightly from the 662,000 announced in April.
Over the weekend
Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in Turkey’s election. With more than 90% of votes counted, the president looks set to avoid a second round of voting against his biggest challenger, secular candidate Muharrem Ince. A new constitution due to come into force after the election will further increase Erdogan’s powers.
Two African leaders survived bomb attacks. Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, survived what the government is calling an assassination attempt after an explosion at a campaign rally in Bulawayo on Saturday. That same day, an attacker dressed in a police uniform tossed a grenade at a rally for Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa that left two dead. Neither leader was hurt.
China pumped money into its economy. China’s central bank announced Sunday (paywall) that, starting July 5, it will reduce the amount of funds local banks need to hold by 0.5%. The move is expected to free up some 700 billion yuan ($107.6 billion) for national and local banks, as fears of a prolonged trade war with the US grow.
Women finally began driving in Saudi Arabia.The first licenses were issued earlier this month and about 2,000 female drivers now have official permits to get behind the wheel.
The former Yugoslavia loomed over a World Cup match. Two ethnic Albanian players playing for Switzerland whose families are from Kosovo are facing two-match bans after provocative celebrations in the team’s win over Serbia. The Serbian team is also being investigated by FIFA after its coach suggested the referee should be sent to The Hague for trial.
Quartz obsession interlude
Thu-Huong Ha on how bilingual authors are challenging the practice of italicizing non-English words. ”The format is meant to be used for clarity, to indicate to a reader that she hasn’t come across a typo or an English word she doesn’t know. But the practice reinforces a monolinguistic culture of othering, some writers believe, and it simply doesn’t sound natural. For the world’s bilingual population—by some estimates, more than half—it’s not the way people really talk.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Promoting vegetarianism is a form of colonial thinking. If we used the land the most sensible way and ate locally, a vegetarian diet wouldn’t be the most sustainable choice everywhere.
Africa’s tourism boards should market more to black tourists. Stereotypes catering to foreigners, like wild animals and dancing locals, still abound.
It’s never been easier to watch quality soccer. Globalization, technology, and access to media have created a golden age for the neutral fan (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
Donald Trump has a 90% approval rating from Republicans. That’s the highest since George W. Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks (paywall).
Yoga is helping revive a rural Chinese village. This despite the fact (paywall) that the Communist Party promotes “yoga with Chinese characteristics,” which means excluding chanting and meditation from routines.
You only need to learn 50 foreign words to be understood. Bump it up to 800 and you should get through about 75% of all daily conversations.
A new “ugliest dog” in the world has been crowned. It’s a nine-year-old English bulldog with a flopped-out tongue named Zsa Zsa.
The pot industry is reinventing child-resistant packaging design. It’s also often more green and easier to use.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Africa travel brochures, and childproof weed 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 Isabella Steger and edited by Steve Mollman.