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What to watch for today
The kilogram is redefined. To mark World Metrology Day, the kilogram will be anchored to the Planck constant, a fundamental force in nature that can never, ever change.
The US’s China envoy visits Tibet. Terry Branstad is the first US ambassador to visit Tibet since 2015; his trip comes as ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing risk spilling over into other issues (paywall).
A check-up at the World Health Assembly. Health ministers from around the world meet in Geneva from today to set the health agenda for the upcoming year. One focus will be the high cost of prescription medicines, as officials look to expand public coverage in poor countries and reduce health care costs in rich ones.
Ukraine’s comedian president is sworn in. Volodymyr Zelensky is inaugurated as the country’s new president after a landslide victory in last month’s election against incumbent Petro Poroshenko.
Over the weekend
Google revoked Huawei’s Android license. The Chinese smartphone maker will no longer have access to Android operating system updates, and in the future will be shut out from proprietary services and apps. Parent company Alphabet is the latest business to suspend or restrict dealings (paywall) with Huawei following a crackdown by the White House last week.
Sweden moved toward extraditing Julian Assange. The prosecutor behind a rape investigation filed a request for the WikiLeaks founder’s arrest which, if approved, would start a formal extradition process from the UK. Assange is serving a 50-week sentence in a London jail for jumping bail over fears he would be handed over to US authorities.
Australians re-elected Scott Morrison as prime minister. The leader of the conservative Liberal Party defied polls suggesting defeat to win a second term. The contest had been dubbed the “climate election,” with Morrison a supporter of the coal industry.
Exit polls pointed to a victory for Narendra Modi. With voting in the world’s largest election wrapping up yesterday, exit polls suggest that India’s prime minister, who appealed to his Hindu nationalist base, will likely remain in power and gain an even larger majority in parliament. Official results will be announced on Thursday.
Ryanair was weighed down. A fuel bill of €440 million ($491 million), 20% more than last year, helped push earnings down by nearly one-third. Although passenger numbers were up, low-cost airlines continue to feel pinched by the business model that makes them popular.
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Membership
A guide to the new rules of management. While company cultures may still vary wildly by employer, new technology over the past two decades has bent the arc of the modern workplace toward transparency, collaboration, and a democratization of ideas. This week we dive into the new expectations of workplace leaders, including what every manager should know about giving feedback.
Matters of debate
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Eating healthy is too much work. It increasingly feels like more trouble than it’s worth.
Work-life balance shouldn’t be tied to parenting. It implies a need to justify our right to prioritize a life outside of work.
Compassionate conservation is fatally flawed. The idea that you cannot kill any animal needs to be dismissed.
Surprising discoveries
Milkshakes have replaced eggs as the UK’s protest weapon of choice. Edinburgh police asked McDonald’s to stop selling the beverage ahead of a rally for Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.
An Icelandic site shut down after a Justin Bieber-inspired tourist surge. Fjadrárgljúfur Canyon has been overwhelmed by visitors since featuring in the music video for “I’ll Show You.”
A billionaire will pay off the student debt of nearly 400 graduating seniors. Robert F. Smith made the announcement at a commencement speech for Atlanta’s historically black Morehouse College.
Brits are embracing singing at work. TV competitions and an increased focus on wellbeing have prompted UK employees to fight burnout with music.
There’s now a facial recognition app for pandas. It will boost conservationist efforts in China, where fewer than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, laugh tracks, and panda faces to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Adam Rasmi and edited by Jackie Bischof.