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What to watch for today
Boris Johnson’s Europe adviser visits Brussels. The UK’s chief Brexit envoy, David Frost, will meet with senior EU officials to discuss alternatives to former prime minister Theresa May’s bloc Brexit plans.
Italy scrambles to form a coalition government. President Sergio Mattarella will meet with the leaders of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the opposition Democratic party ahead of a deadline today to form a new government. The two parties resolved a major sticking point yesterday after agreeing that Giuseppe Conte, who resigned as prime minister last week, should be reinstated.
Rodrigo Duterte takes a tougher stance. The Philippine president will make his fifth visit to Beijing this evening, and though previous meetings with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have been smooth sailing, this time Duterte is likely to bring up an international tribunal’s ruling that refutes China’s claim on the South China Sea—a ruling Xi has ignored.
While you were sleeping
Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers testified in court. Sixteen women who said they were sexually abused by the late financier detailed their claims, calling him a coward and manipulator. The case against Epstein will now be dismissed, after his apparent suicide in jail earlier this month. Speaking after the hearing, one of the accusers, Virginia Giuffre, said she had been forced to have sex with Prince Andrew and urged the British royal to “come clean.”
South Korea is officially not one of Japan’s favored trading partners. Japan’s decision to remove its neighbor from its preferred trade list took effect today, potentially delaying shipment of more than 800 “strategic materials” to South Korea, whose high-tech economy relies on many of these exports.
Australia finished laying an undersea internet cable to its Pacific allies. The Coral Sea Cable, which brings high-speed internet to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, is part of Canberra’s plans to repel the influence of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei in the region.
Purdue Pharma offered up to $12 billion to settle its opioid lawsuits. The OxyContin manufacturer and its owners, the Sackler family, face more than 2,000 cases alleging that they fueled an addiction epidemic that killed hundreds of thousands of people across the US. Under the terms of the settlement, Purdue would go into bankruptcy and the family would give up ownership of the company.
An ex-Google engineer was indicted for stealing trade secrets. Anthony Levandowski, who worked in Google’s self-driving-car division Waymo, faces 33 counts of theft and attempted theft. He allegedly downloaded 14,000 confidential documents and left Waymo to start his own company, which Uber promptly bought for $680 million.
Quartz Membership
Evidence of China’s rising power in Africa runs the length of Kenya’s new Standard Gauge Railway, which Beijing financed more than 100 years after the construction of the “Lunatic Express,” its earlier colonial train system. But Kenya is struggling to make its flagship runway a commercial success.
To celebrate our field guide on China’s Africa project, take 50% off your first year of membership by using code QUARTZAFRICA at checkout.
Quartz Obsession
The road to autonomous vehicles is longer than we thought. Just a few years ago they were supposed to combat congestion and prevent pollution; now experts warn they could put even more cars on the road, especially in the busiest parts of the biggest cities. And making them safe is proving harder than expected. Hop in to the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Job listings should include salary ranges. Transparency makes hiring more fair and efficient.
Complaining to someone else’s boss is an abuse of power. Venting anger by kicking a problem up the chain is questionable behavior.
A little piracy is good for everyone. Illegal downloads, in moderation, could be good for IP holders.
Surprising discoveries
Crows are getting high cholesterol from eating cheeseburgers. Researchers found that feeding urban birds fast food led to elevated cholesterol levels, but didn’t seem to affect their survival rates.
Graphene turns clothes into mosquito armor. Fabric reinforced with the ultra-strong material keeps bugs at bay—but only when it’s perfectly dry.
Vikings invaded Aarhus’s crosswalks. Traffic lights in the Danish city now show a walking Viking when it’s time for pedestrians to go.
China is recruiting American spies on LinkedIn. Former intelligence officers are making it easy by listing their agencies and government clearances online.
Frenzied crowds in Shanghai swarmed Costco on its opening day. So many shoppers flooded the store that it was forced to shut in the afternoon.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, burgers for birds, and green Vikings 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 Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.