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What to watch for today and over the weekend
Cambodia’s opposition leader tries to come home. Sam Rainsy, the self-exiled founder of the banned Cambodian National Rescue Party, was not allowed to board a flight to Phnom Penh and is now seeking alternative arrangements to lead upcoming demonstrations in his home country.
It’s Greek to Xi. The Chinese president heads to Athens this weekend with a mission to deepen ties with the Hellenic Republic. The visit comes just as the China International Import Expo—where Greece was the official guest country—comes to a close.
It was 30 years ago today. Saturday marks three decades since the deconstruction of the Berlin Wall. The historic moment that heralded the end of the Cold War will be marked by events across Germany and Europe.
While you were sleeping
Signs of agreement on tariff rollbacks. US stocks reached all-time highs after Beijing announced that the US and China had agreed to gradually eliminate all existing tariffs as part of a “phase one” trade deal. The bad news? It’s not clear that the US has agreed to anything yet.
Beyond Meat wants to be in China by 2020. The company sells its plant-based alternative products in Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong already—and hopes to build production, supply, and delivery lines in China by the end of next year.
Singapore and Saudi Arabia advanced bilateral relations. Representatives of both countries signed a memorandum of understanding on preserving the environment and managing water resources with an eye to increased economic cooperation.
European doctors said Chinese medicine should be regulated. Two leading European Union medical groups put out a statement saying that, despite World Health Organization recognition, Chinese traditional medicine should be held to the same standards as Western methods.
All 39 victims in the UK refrigerated truck tragedy have been identified. The 31 men and eight women came from six provinces in Vietnam, police said, and all the victims’ families have been informed of their deaths since the October discovery.
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Is WeChat a problem for democracies? In the latest episode of Because China, we go to Australia to understand how China’s “super app” could affect international campaigns and elections. We break down how misinformation travels within the WeChat’s unique information ecosystem and the ways in which the app is a channel for Beijing to extend its censorship beyond China’s borders.
Quartz Obsession
The world is full speed ahead on 5G. The new telecommunications standard promises wireless connection speeds up to a hundred times faster than current 4G levels, but challenges still abound. Global security concerns about China’s Huawei and ZTE are further complicating an already expensive and intensive buildout, and some international standard-setting remains to be determined. Test your connection with the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of Debate
Silicon Valley should be more like the global south. Startups in the developing world are meeting users where they are to solve real problems. Western startups should follow suit.
There’s a scab in all of us. All workers should internalize the insult hurled at workers brought in during labor strikes and do a better job of promoting solidarity all the time.
Keep it in-house. Workplace debates should stay internal and not be aired out in public, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei argues.
Surprising discoveries
Silicon Valley wants to hack your feelings. First came soylent, then the digital detox, now the tech set is “dopamine fasting” to experience more pleasure down the road.
When there’s a smell there’s a way. People lacking a region of the brain responsible for olfaction are able to detect scents just as well as anyone else.
Florida remains undefeated. An insurance company had to sever ties with Uber due to the volume of claims originating from the state of Florida.
Did you get a Valentine’s Day text… today? Scores of people have reported receiving strange, out-of-the-blue text messages over the last 24 hours from some of their contacts who can’t recall sending them.
”Ice eggs” cover Finland island beach. Cold and windy weather created a rare event where small pieces of ice rolled into the shape of eggs, tennis balls, or even spheres the size of footballs.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, lost romantic texts, and perfect little ice eggs 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 Patrick deHahn and Max Lockie.