Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Tim Cook talks privacy in Brussels. The Apple CEO is expected to call for stronger laws protecting users at the European Data Protection Conference. Unlike many Silicon Valley firms, Apple does not directly monetize user data—though it got $9 billion this year to enable Google to do so.
Shinzo Abe visits Xi Jinping for a Beijing summit. The first official visit (paywall) by a Japanese leader to China in seven years comes as Beijing seeks Abe’s support in its escalating trade war with the US. China is Japan’s biggest trading partner.
Microsoft’s first-quarter earnings. Analysts expect another strong report (paywall) from the tech bellwether, thanks to its focus on cloud computing and subscription earnings, which could help tech stocks battered in trading this month.
Iceland’s women hold their annual pay-gap strike. Women from Reykjavik to Akureyri will stop work, both paid and unpaid, at 2:55pm local time to draw attention to wage disparity. The country’s women earn 26% less on average than its men.
Theresa May faces her party’s Brexit critics. The British prime minister will address a private parliamentary meeting of rebellious lawmakers from her party angered after she proposed extending the transition period, which would keep Britain tied to the European Union’s trade rules.
While you were sleeping
Trump stepped up attacks on the Fed chairman. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (paywall), Donald Trump said Jerome Powell was endangering the US economy by raising rates and that he “maybe” regretted nominating him.
The US revoked visas for the suspected Saudi killers of Jamal Khashoggi. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced the penalty (paywall), the first action the Trump administration has taken since the news of the Washington Post columnist’s murder.
Hurricane Willa made landfall in Mexico. The Category 3 storm lashed the country’s western Sinaloa coast bringing with it a potentially dangerous storm surge and winds of 120 mph.
The search for a Mega-Millions winner is on. There may be some matches to the winning numbers in Tuesday night’s highly anticipated drawing for the $1.6 billion jackpot (they were 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 5).
An abducted Japanese journalist was released. Japanese officials said it’s “highly likely” that freelance reporter Jumpei Yasuda, who was captured by an armed group while reporting on the Syrian civil war in 2015, has been set free.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Anne Quito on the business value of good design: “IBM president Thomas Watson Jr., who fell in love with modern design in an Olivetti typewriter showroom, is remembered as the most ardent corporate champion for visual arts of his time. During his tenure, IBM leaned on a roster of architects and designers—Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, Paul Rand, Isamu Noguchi—and established itself as a design-forward company.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Wood-burning ovens have a dark side. They may give food a delicious flavor—but also create deadly pollution.
The Khashoggi murder is a dream scenario for Erdoğan. If Saudi Arabia falls out of favor, Turkey will receive invaluable political leverage.
Trump is not an isolationist. His foreign policy, which includes an updated international development agency, is ambitious and global (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
An ancient shipwreck was found perfectly preserved… The 2,400-year-old Greek trading vessel was found a mile deep in the Black Sea.
…And Titanic II will complete its namesake’s journey. The replica will depart in 2022 with 2,400 passengers—but an adequate number of lifeboats.
There are microplastics in our poop. Eight subjects from Europe and Japan all had an average of 20 particles per quarter pound of excrement.
The Catholic church has its own Pokémon Go game. It hopes that finding saints in augmented reality will engage younger members of the faith.
Montreal doctors can now prescribe art. Like exercise and relaxation, a free trip to a museum is thought to help depression and diabetes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, shipwrecks, and museum passes 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 Tripti Lahiri and edited by Alice Truong.