Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Fox-Comcast showdown. The two media giants will meet for a final auction round to decide which company will claim UK broadcaster Sky. Comcast is preparing for an uphill fight (paywall) now that Disney is acquiring most of Fox, including its current stake in Sky.
eSwatini holds its non-election. Riots and protests across the southeast African nation are decrying Friday’s vote, which is completely controlled by the monarchy. Despite having a population of 1.3 million across 59 constituencies, there are no campaigns or party opposition: King Mswati III, ruler since 1986, decides every outcome.
Japan’s asteroid mission. The Hayabusa2 probe will deploy two drones, Rover 1A and Rover 1B, to the Ryugu space rock on Friday morning. A successful rollout will mark a history-making moment for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency as the first to launch rovers on an asteroid.
While you were sleeping
Emirates started merger talks. The Dubai-based airline has reportedly been floating a deal (paywall) to acquire Etihad Airways, which would make Emirates the world’s biggest passenger carrier. Negotiations are still early, but Etihad has been scaling down after a series of bad investments in neighboring airlines.
The EU turned up the heat on Britain. Brexit talks continued to sour as European Council president Donald Tusk shut the door on Theresa May’s proposed Chequers plan. French president Emmanuel Macron fueled the fire, calling Brexiters “liars” for trying to soften their “not so easy” political divorce.
Tesla got a 5-star rating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the automaker perfect marks for its Model 3 sedan—a small but critical bit of good news amid the company’s legal problems and leadership issues.
America sanctioned China… again. US officials said they would enforce fresh penalties on China’s military for buying up Russian weapons, a breach of existing restrictions against Moscow for its interference in the 2016 US election.
Tilray had a big comedown. The Canada-based cannabis company blew one of the biggest stock gains in recent industry cycles, doubling and crashing (paywall) in just a couple of days. At one point, the company was worth more than $20 billion.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Whet Moser and Chase Purdy on the secret recipe for Coca-Cola’s global domination: “John Pemberton got hooked on morphine like hundreds of thousands of fellow [injured Civil War] vets. Looking for an alternative, he mixed cocaine (a new but already common treatment for morphine addiction) with kola nut (another ingredient with a bit of pep) into wine… When Atlanta banned booze, he switched over to carbonated water, and voila: The world’s most famous soda was born.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The United Nations may not be needed anymore. At the very least, it should be reformed to represent member nations more democratically.
Turn off notifications. They interrupt your day without serving a productive purpose.
Self-driving homes could change the world. Small living spaces that come when called could reduce living expenses and even carbon footprints.
Surprising discoveries
A serial cat killer turned out to be foxes and cars. For three years, felines were really being hit by cars and dragged off by wildlife.
Zika could become a brain cancer treatment. The cell-targeting tendencies that make it dangerous could also fight a particularly deadly form of cancer cell.
Ecstasy makes octopuses like their own kind. The creatures ditch their solitary habits and are drawn to each other when given MDMA.
The oldest known animal was found in fossil form. The Edicarians were found in Russia and are 558 million years old.
North Korea has its own cosmetics brand. The state-owned makeup line says it’s running “neck and neck” with Shiseido and Chanel.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, octopus hugs, and government-backed lipstick 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 Susan Howson and McKinley Noble.