Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Pakistan goes to the polls. Former cricketer Imran Khan’s PTI party is hoping to defeat former leader Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N in elections for parliament’s lower house and provincial assemblies. Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission alleges overt attempts to manipulate the polls.
Deadline day for Qualcomm-NXP. The $44 billion merger is set to expire unless Chinese regulators approve it (paywall)—an unlikely prospect as trade tensions between the US and China simmer. Qualcomm says it will not extend the deal, leaving an uncertain future for the Dutch chipmaker.
A day in court for Kit Kat. The European Court of Justice will deliver a verdict on Nestlé’s long-running attempt to trademark the chocolate bar’s shape—”four trapezoidal bars aligned on a rectangular base.” Competitors like Mondelez, Cadbury, and Milka cried foul at Nestlé’s move.
US airlines make a decision about Taiwan. China set a deadline for carriers to start identifying Taiwan as Chinese territory, and has refused requests from the US State Department to discuss the matter. Four US airlines (paywall) are said to plan to adhere to China’s demands.
The BRICS Summit begins in Johannesburg. Heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will discuss promoting multilateral global trade amid a worsening trade war.
While you were sleeping
The White House will no longer publish transcripts of president’s calls with foreign leaders. It’s unclear what prompted the Trump administration to suspend the practice of issuing “readouts,” but the president was enraged last year when the media published transcripts of the US president’s awkward phone calls with the leaders of Australia and Mexico.
Ivanka Trump is shutting down her fashion business. The president’s elder daughter and senior adviser decided to end her eponymous clothing and accessories brand, which had frequently been criticized on ethical grounds, saying she wanted to concentrate on her career in public policy.
Trump discussed a controversial payment with Michael Cohen in a leaked audio exchange. CNN obtained a tape where the president is heard discussing with his then lawyer in 2016 a potential cash payment for the rights to a Playboy model’s allegations of an affair with Trump years earlier. Cohen planned to set up a company to buy the rights from publisher American Media.
Another Mexican journalist was murdered. An employee of online news site Playa News Aqui y Ahora based in Playa del Carmen, who often reported on police collusion with gangs, was shot dead in the southeast of the country. That brings the the total number of journalists killed in the country in 2018 to eight, and president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pledged to protect journalists.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Anne Quito on Marie Kondo’s key to happiness. “Kondo says that in the 15 years she’s been helping people organize their homes, she finds that many tend to lose their zeal and never finish the purging process. ‘What can I do better to help more people who’ve started tidying to finish it?’ muses Kondo. ‘I’ve reached a conclusion: boxes.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Plastic-straw bans hurt people with disabilities. The utensils are a luxury for most, but a necessity for the few.
Americans who want the US to stay white are actually a minority. Most people feel positively about the country’s increasing diversity.
Activist index funds best serve their investors. Shareholder engagement (paywall) can seed economic growth without being overly political.
Surprising discoveries
Airlines are using CT scanners to screen baggage. Suitcases have better access to expensive health-care equipment than some Americans.
The best books are rife with gender bias. An analysis of Booker Prize shortlists found male characters are often doctors while women are portrayed as prostitutes.
Sustainable sushi ingredients include invasive species. A Connecticut restaurant makes the dish with dandelion, grasshoppers, snails, and shore crabs.
South Korea has fried-chicken connoisseurs. Hundreds of people recently competed to get certified as the country’s top “chimmeliers.”
Tear gas interrupted the Tour de France. Cyclists rode into the gas, which was intended to disperse protesting farmers, and had to be treated with eyedrops and water.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, first aid for eyes, and boxes 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 Alice Truong.