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What to watch for today
Nissan questions its CEO. The carmaker’s board will grill Hiroto Saikawa about allegations that he broke company rules in order to buy a house in Tokyo. The allegations came from Greg Kelly, whom Saikawa earlier accused of conspiring with former chair Carlos Ghosn in financial misconduct.
The trial for a US citizen begins in Vietnam. Michael Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American man who’s been held for nearly a year in the Southeast Asian nation, has been charged with “attempting to overthrow the state.” He faces a possible death penalty.
The US further enrages Iran. Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that his administration will hit the Islamic Republic with “major additional sanctions” today. That followed Iran shooting down an American military drone it claimed had been flying over its territorial waters, which the US denies.
The IOC elects a host of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Either Stockholm or Milan will win the job, after other cities, spooked by the project’s expense and scale, opted out of the contest. Should Sweden prevail, sliding sports will be held in nearby Latvia.
Over the weekend
Indonesia and the Philippines reached a maritime border agreement. On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, the two nations announced they’ll begin ratifying a deal to set a boundary between overlapping exclusive economic zones. Negotiations have dragged on for 20 years.
Trump delayed mass deportation raids. The US president tweeted that his planned raids on undocumented immigrants by ICE teams, which had been slated to begin Sunday, would be postponed for two weeks. New York mayor Bill de Blasio called his tactics a “cruel joke.”
Jared Kushner unveiled a Palestinian peace plan. Trump’s son-in-law shared “Peace to Prosperity,” a long-awaited document that drew quick criticism for not addressing the fundamental political issues that have put Israelis and Palestinians at odds for decades.
Mauritania elected a president. Electoral officials declared the ruling party’s Mohamed Ould Ghazouani the winner in what is expected to be the African nation’s first peaceful transfer of power. Opposition candidates cried foul.
Ethiopia weathered a regional coup attempt. A renegade brigadier and his followers tried to seize power in the Amhara region, killing top officials there in the process. Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed called those behind the attacks “mercenaries.”
Quartz Obsession
Meet the hard side of soft serve. Ice cream trucks have been a magnet for mayhem since the Chicago mob destroyed a bunch of Good Humor vehicles. The decades that followed saw arson, bombs, and plenty of illicit goods—plus a scam that brought in millions from bootlegging the trucks themselves. Here’s a taste at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Food poisoning is the worst excuse for missing work. Your managers will suspect you’re lying.
Expiration dates on food labels are useless. To prove it one man ate “expired” food for a year.
Libra is a centralized wolf in decentralized sheep’s clothing. Facebook’s cryptocurrency has a long way to go to earn our trust.
Surprising discoveries
The number of US taxi drivers and chauffeurs has nearly tripled in the past decade. The category includes driving for ride-hail services like Uber, and the trend shows no sign of slowing down.
Floating wind farms are now a serious business. A 20-year deal to buy energy from one off Scotland, announced last week, means the idea is no longer limited to pilots and prototypes.
Scientists discovered a sea of fresh water under the ocean. Located off the US Atlantic coast, it rivals the size of even the largest terrestrial aquifers.
Sidewalk chalk drawing goes back 500 years. Beggars in 16th-century Italy drew pictures of the Madonna outside cathedrals, earning coins from pilgrims and the nickname madonnari.
A tiny electric plane stole the Paris Air Show. It might have limited range and seating, but Alice just won orders from a major short-flight airline.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, chalk sets, and driver openings to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Steve Mollman and Ephrat Livni.