Good morning, Quartz readers! Apologies for the delay in today’s brief due to a production error.
What to watch for today
Cyclone Debbie hits northeast Australia. Meteorologists predict the storm, which has been brewing for days off the coast of Queensland state, will reach category 4 by the time it makes landfall. About 25,000 people have been told to evacuate in anticipation of surging tides, major structural damage, and wind gusts of up to 280 kph.
Britain finally gets a fraud-proof coin. The Royal Mint will release 1.5 billion one pound coins featuring a 12-sided bimetallic design, along with a hologram and other anti-counterfeiting measures. An estimated 45 million fakes coins are in circulation.
Donald Trump rolls back environmental regulations. An executive order is expected to reverse Obama-era restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired and natural-gas power plants. EPA chief Scott Pruit claims the “pro growth pro environment” order will bring back manufacturing jobs and cut the cost of electricity.
While you were sleeping
Canada’s ruling party plans to legalize pot next year. Prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government is expected to announce legislation next month to make recreational marijuana legal on July 30, 2018. Provinces will determine how it is distributed and sold.
The Senate will grill Jared Kushner about his connections with Russia. The presidential son-in-law met in December with the head of a sanctioned bank that that handles Vladimir Putin’s “special projects.”
Amazon’s cashier-less store won’t open just yet. Amazon Go will not launch in late March as previously announced. The sensors and algorithms that let people skip the checkout line reportedly cannot handle more than about 20 customers at once.
A private equity fund saved China’s AC Milan deal. US-based Elliot will invest 300 million euros alongside the Chinese consortium that is buying the club from Silvio Berlusconi. The deal hit a major snag when Beijing announced a sudden crackdown on big-ticket overseas deals.
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny received a 15-day jail sentence. The liberal activist was charged with organizing Sunday’s anti-government protest, the country’s largest since 2012. Navalny plans to appeal and says Russians will keep protesting “as long as people see tens of billions of dollars being stolen by top officials.”
Quartz obsession interlude
Marc Bain on Nike’s multi-billion-dollar empire that is literally built on air. “The idea to expose the innards of the sneaker was the brainchild of now-renowned designer Tinker Hatfield, who had begun his career as an architect. He was inspired by the Centre Pompidou, the modern-art museum in Paris whose creators left its interior architecture exposed.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Health care reform should be about supply, not demand. A drug that reduces cancer deaths by 10% could save $5 trillion in the United States alone.
The world needs more followers. Yet universities are exclusively focused on glorifying leadership skills.
The Nintendo Switch could save your relationship. The hybrid console allows for conflicting forms of entertainment to coexist.
Surprising discoveries
Adam Sandler’s ultra-lowbrow movies are huge hits for Netflix. The comedies score poorly with the critics but are the company’s biggest original film releases.
Italian detectives solved a 5,000-year-old murder mystery. Ötzi the mummified iceman was shot in the back with an arrow.
The Dutch are projecting traffic lights onto the sidewalk. They’re trying to protect pedestrians who stare at their phones.
Swedish government offices were targets of a stink attack. Pranksters put the putrefied herring known as surströmming through their mail slots.
Thieves stole a million-dollar coin from a Berlin museum. The “Big Maple Leaf” Canadian coin weighs 100 kg (220 lb) and is 99.9% pure gold.
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