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What to watch for today
Mike Pence speaks on China. Analysts expect the US vice president, known for his hawkish tone on Beijing, to play “bad cop” on issues like religious freedom and human rights, leaving his boss to be “good cop” while the US works on a partial trade deal.
NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels. Secretary general Jens Stoltenberg says the fight against ISIS “is not over” and the two-day summit will discuss ways to prevent the extremist group’s revival. Other issues up for discussion include the call for international troops to create a “safe zone” in northeastern Syria, and 5G security.
Big tech reports. Twitter and Amazon are expected to post a bump in earnings, driven respectively by strong ad sales and higher demand for cloud services. Meanwhile, Intel could post higher sales, though the US-China trade spat might weigh down the chipmaker.
While you were sleeping
Trump talked up a Colorado border wall. The US president’s comments came during a speech in Pittsburgh on energy. “Well this is awkward… Colorado doesn’t border Mexico,” Jared Polis, Democratic governor of the Rocky Mountain state responded.
Evo Morales neared an election victory. Bolivia’s incumbent president hit the 10 percentage-point lead he needed over his nearest rival to avoid a run-off, amid voter fraud concerns. Meanwhile, protests continue to swell in Chile over economic inequality and hardship.
The Doing Business 2020 report came out. The annual World Bank rankings saw New Zealand take the top spot, edging out Singapore for the fourth year in a row. India climbed again in this year’s rankings, and is within touching distance of the top-50.
The Da Vinci exhibition opened at the Louvre. The Paris museum, which owns more of the Renaissance polymath’s works than any other institution, has borrowed 160 pieces from around the world. More than 200,000 tickets have been sold, causing the website to briefly crash.
Francisco Franco was exhumed. The remains of the Spanish dictator, which have lain in one of only two marked graves in the Valley of the Fallen since his death in 1975, were dug up and will be reinterred in a less showy family mausoleum near Madrid.
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Hasdeo Arand, in India, is one of the largest, pristine tracts of forest in the central part of the country. But it also sits atop 5,500 million tonnes of coal. Quartz reporter Akshat Rathi investigates one mining giant’s attempt to expand in the sacred forest, as part of this week’s field guide on India’s coal addiction.
Quartz Obsession
Rubber ducks: The world is awfully fond of them. They were the foundation of Hong Kong’s immense plastic toy industry; they’ve been used to track ocean currents and glaciers; they’re a protest symbol and a pop-art icon all over the world. And, of course, they make bathtime lots of fun. Give the subject a squeeze at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
The world needs more statues of women. The lack of representation has a very real effect.
School lunches should have assigned seating. That would help break up cliques as well as social hierarchies.
The rural-urban divide is the most important factor in politics. And bridging it is the political conundrum of our times.
Surprising discoveries
Rats find it relaxing to drive tiny cars. Learning to maneuver the mini robot vehicles lowered the rodents’ stress levels.
A Chinese binge-drinker has gone viral. In eight seconds, he downed a pint of beer, a can of Pepsi, a glass of flaming spirits, and a raw egg.
Classified ads can rock. Coldplay revealed their new album Everyday Life between advertisements for appliances and bales of hay.
The stethoscope faces obsolescence. It’s becoming less relevant with the spread of AI-powered handheld devices.
Butterflies are just moths who wanted a career-change. Millions of years ago, a group of them tired of the night shift, and just wanted to eat nectar.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, tiny drivers, and vintage stethoscopes to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Adam Rasmi and Rashmee Roshan Lall.