Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Sweden heads to the polls. The country’s Social Democrats may lose their grip (paywall) for the first time in a century on Sunday, but could hang on if the center-right Moderates make a poor showing. Meanwhile, the populist Sweden Democrats will most likely move up to the second-most powerful party in the parliament, as Sweden undergoes an unprecedented identity crisis.
China sends its foreign minister to Pakistan. Wang Yi will be the first Chinese senior official to visit Islamabad since the election of prime minister Imran Khan, who has expressed concern in the past over corruption and lack of transparency surrounding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative.
The US could implement another round of tariffs. The latest batch, if given the green light, will slap 25% onto Chinese goods worth $200 billion. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has said it is poised to retaliate in kind.
A Turkish-Iranian-Russian summit. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrives in Tehran to talk Syria with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. On Tuesday, Russia led an air strike on the rebel-held Idlib province, while Erdoğan backs the opposition to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
While you were sleeping
CBS offered Les Moonves $100 million to leave. The embattled CEO faces sexual harassment allegations, and though his contract requires that sum plus (roughly) another $80 million, the network’s board has made its position clear—and may even ask for some of that money back if allegations are confirmed.
The Sony Pictures hacker will face justice. The US Justice Department will file charges against Park Jin-hyok (paywall), who has ties to North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau and the Lazarus Group. Though Park may not be extradited for trial, the US emphasizes alleged criminal activity by North Korea’s cyber warfare agency and its attempts to disrupt organizations worldwide.
A Brazilian presidential candidate was stabbed. The far-right Jair Bolsonaro was campaigning at a rally in Juiz de Fora when a suspect—now in custody—stabbed the politician in the abdomen (paywall). Bolsonaro is reportedly in stable condition.
The UN examined the Novichok poisoning. UK prime minister Theresa May, backed by many international allies, attended a UN security council meeting in New York to discuss new evidence that indicated Russia was behind the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia’s envoy called it all “more repeated lies.”
Brett Kavanaugh weathered tough topics. Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee’s third day of hearings covered abortion rights, a flood of just-released documents, special counsels, and court cameras.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Natasha Frost on how the Denver Airport is embracing the decades-old conspiracy theories about it. “Depending on who you ask, the airport’s variously controlled by Freemasons, fascists, the Illuminati, aliens, lizard people, or some hellish combination of all of the above. Others will tell you that the tunnels below the airport lead to a kind of Noah’s Ark, capacity five million, for the forthcoming environmental apocalypse.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
There’s no honor in anonymity. Republicans who disapprove of Trump’s job performance (paywall) need to tell his voters, not the media.
Wastefulness is out. Burberry will stop burning unsold goods, but the rest of the fashion industry needs to follow suit.
Sneakers can’t be woke. Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign is about market share, not social justice.
Surprising discoveries
A trillion-tonne iceberg is on the move. Antarctica’s A-68 iceberg detached itself more than a year ago, but just recently starting heading north.
Extreme wealth is huge in Asia. Hong Kong is now home to more individuals worth at least $30 million than New York.
An algorithm can identify tumors. Diagnostic help from AI could give doctors more time to focus on patients.
Italy is getting its first Starbucks. The Milan store will serve cocktails, pizza, and ice cream, as well as coffee.
A Bay Area university asked instructors to house students. Silicon Valley’s soaring rent prices are bleeding into college campuses.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, forgotten languages, and rogue bergs 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 and edited by Annaliese Griffin and Susan Howson.