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What to watch for today
Denmark votes. The left-wing Social Democrats are expected to win, having shifted their stance on immigration to the right, a strategy likely to eat into the votes of the ruling center-right government and the far right.
Donald Trump marks D-Day with the Queen. The US president will attend a ceremony in Portsmouth marking 75 years since the June 6 Normandy landings, along with 14 other leaders of nations that fought alongside the UK in World War II. It’s the final day of Trump’s visit to the country.
Xi Jinping goes to Moscow. China’s president is spending three days with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The leaders are expected to signal that their countries are improving relations and are standing together on US-related issues such as the trade war and sanctions on Russia.
FIFA chooses a new president. Gianni Infantino is likely to be re-elected for a second term at the body’s annual congress in Paris. His task is to steer world soccer’s governing body into a less tumultuous era following years of corruption scandals.
Brussels rules on Italy’s debt. The European Commission will likely decide whether to trigger a disciplinary procedure against Italy over its budget and ballooning debt, which could result in a €3.5 billion ($3.9 billion) fine.
While you were sleeping
Police raided Australia’s national broadcaster… The federal police entered the ABC’s Sydney headquarters with search warrants in relation to a 2017 series of stories called The Afghan Files, which exposed the killings of unarmed civilians by Australian forces. Police also raided the home of a News Corp journalist yesterday in Canberra.
…And cardinal George Pell returned to court in Melbourne. The former Vatican treasurer, who is the most senior member of the Catholic clergy so far to be found guilty of child sexual abuse, is appealing his conviction. The hearing will run over two days.
Thailand’s parliament convened to vote for a new prime minister. Meeting for the first time since the 2014 coup, the legislature is expected to vote into office retired army general and interim prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, more than two months after elections were held and no party won a majority in the lower house.
The death toll in Sudan climbed. A medical group close to Sudan’s democracy protesters said that at least 60 people have died and over 300 were injured following a raid by the Transitional Military Council on demonstrators in Khartoum. Sudan is celebrating Eid al-Fitr today.
Renault delayed its decision on a Fiat-Chrysler merger. The French car manufacturer’s board ended a three-hour meeting without deciding whether to go through with a deal that would create the world’s third-biggest automaker (paywall). The companies will continue their talks today.
Membership
We continue our stroll into the world of sneakers with a look at how luxury brands have sought to cash in by introducing sneaker styles that are as much signature products as handbags and other fancy accessories. “Instead of the ‘It’ bag, it is all about the ‘It’ shoe,” says market analyst Kayla Marci. And over at Private Key, Matt De Silva explains why it’s unlikely that crypto backers will get the special regulatory treatment they want.
Quartz Obsession
Humans have been fishing for tuna for 42,000 years. But before they became the most commercially valuable creatures in the sea, tuna was considered a low-quality catch, fit only for cans of cat food. Now, threatened by overfishing and climate change, the once ubiquitous fish are on the brink of extinction.
Matters of debate
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Stop feeling bad about not recycling. Saving the environment demands corporate and government accountability, not individual action.
Octopuses are the next lab rats. Biologists have much to learn from studying the intelligent, but utterly alien invertebrates.
Traffic jams aren’t what’s killing climbers on Everest. Cheap expeditions—meaning inexperienced sherpas—are.
Surprising discoveries
Chinese stocks echoed Tiananmen, again. Two indexes in Hong Kong closed down 89.05 points and 64.34 points yesterday, a reference to the crackdown of June 4, 1989—a similar incident happened in 2012.
The world’s largest Nutella factory is on strike. Workers have slowed production to a crawl in France, but the global supply of the precious spread is safe, for now.
Xbox and Axe created a personal grooming line. The shower gel, deodorant, and body spray are the latest in a long line of gaming-branded content.
New York could be the first state to outlaw cat declawing. The state senate approved a ban on what critics say is a cruel and barbaric practice.
The Queen’s gift to Trump is a set of history books with a pointed message. The Second World War by Winston Churchill detailed the difficulties of getting the US on side with its allies in the conflict.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, pointed gifts, and experienced sherpas 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 Isabella Steger and edited by Tripti Lahiri.