🌍 Australia says Albo

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

Anthony Albanese, a.k.a “Albo,” was elected prime minister of Australia. His victory was largely seen as a rejection of Scott Morrison, the conservative incumbent who has been dubbed Australia’s first post-truth head of state.

During his first official trip to Asia, US president Joe Biden shared a brief message for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. “Hello. Period,” the US president told reporters.

Biden also said “everyone should be concerned” about Monkeypox. The number of nonendemic countries with confirmed cases ticked up to 12.

Didi shareholders will vote to delist in the US today. The ride-hailing company says leaving the New York Stock Exchange is necessary to pass a cybersecurity review in China.

Amazon is reportedly looking to sublet warehouse space. Bloomberg says the company wants to rent out at least 10 million square feet following a slowdown in online shopping.

What to watch for

It’s really happening. After being canceled in 2021, and delayed because of rising covid cases earlier this year, the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting is now underway in Davos, Switzerland.

Don’t expect happy reunions. As Davos-goers come together, there are multiple fires burning globally, leaving the billionaires, political leaders, philanthropists, activists, and journalists in attendance a buffet of topics to unpack.

Besides the ongoing pandemic and the worsening climate crisis, world leaders are now contending with the war in Ukraine and its implications. The conflict raises questions about how to help rebuild that country, prevent escalation, and navigate disruption in the world energy’s markets. Meanwhile, central bankers and finance ministers will face urgent concerns about inflation and the risk of a recession.

Want to follow our reporters at the event? Sign up for our Need to Know: Davos newsletter.

Twitter’s forecast: Cloudy with a chance of Musk

Last week, Twitter revealed how it evaluated Elon Musk’s proposal to buy the company. With the newly filed documents from Twitter, we have a clearer reading of the turbulent timeline:

☁️ March: Musk’s true intentions with Twitter got cloudy. He criticized Twitter’s content moderation policies and revealed his growing stake in the company.

🌤 April: The offers heated up. After a conversation with Jack Dorsey about taking the platform private, Musk rejected a seat on Twitter’s board and offered to buy the company. Twitter accepted the bid.

⛈ May: Musk signaled storms are ahead. Citing a lack of data on fake accounts, Musk said the deal is on hold, though legally, there’s no putting the deal “on hold.” Twitter can go to court, if necessary, to complete the deal or extract a $1 billion penalty from Musk.

Apple’s complicated relationship with China

Apple has long relied on China for the vast majority of its manufacturing. But several factors—including China’s stifling zero covid rules and the country’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—are steering Apple’s gaze from China to other countries like India and Vietnam.

It won’t be an easy transition though. Apple has spent decades building its assembly hubs and supply chain in China:

>90%: Percentage of Apple manufacturing that takes place in China

$17.5 billion: Outflow in foreign investment China saw in March

3.1%: Percentage of iPhones made in India last year

Up to 7%: Percentage of Indian-made iPhones projected for this year

Questions that interested Quartz readers

🛫 Why are flight prices so expensive?

💄 Why is Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty expanding into Africa?

🌴 How did Miami’s cryptocurrency lose nearly all its value?

💉 What is the treatment for monkeypox?

🎯 Why can’t Target keep up with its customers’ changing habits?

🤒 How is long covid affecting Britain’s workforce? 

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Surprising discoveries

The black skeletonizer moth is coming for your wine. The invasive insect, typically found in the eastern US, has been spotted in Napa County vineyards.

Before there were UFO hearings in the US Congress, there was The Celestial World Discover’d. Published in 1698, the rare book predicting alien existence was recently found at an antique valuation event.

A skull that hikers found in Minnesota is 8,000 years old. Discovered last summer, investigators are now returning the bone to Native American officials.

The online arachnid market is quite tangled. One biologist likened a spider “mystery box” sold online to a batch of Pokémon cards: “You might get a super rare one, or you might get a bunch of random stuff.”

Screening children for dyslexia has huge economic benefits. Return on investment could be as high as between 800% and 2,000%. Learn what else early intervention can do in this week’s episode of the Quartz Obsession podcast.

🧠 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Stitcher

Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, moths that save wine, and rare alien books to hi@qz.com. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—become a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Lila MacLellan and Morgan Haefner.