đ 4,000 Subways
Good morning, Quartz readers!
Hereâs what you need to know
China is getting 4,000 more Subway stores. Itâs the largest franchise deal in the sandwich chainâs history.
Thousands of people were displaced after a dam collapsed in Ukraine. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces blamed each other. Major flooding is expected in 80 towns near Nova Kakhovka.
Sequoia, a powerhouse in tech investing, is splitting its China and US units. The sever underscores the growing geopolitical tensions that are complicating business between the worldâs two largest economies.
Microsoft was fined for holding onto childrenâs data without parentsâ consent. The $20 million fee was related to personal information it collected from kids who gamed on Xboxes.
Singapore lost its only racecourse. Itâs being cleared to build more homes, something the countryâs growing population desperately needs.
Indiaâs deadliest train crash is partly a story of misused funds
Indiaâs worst train crash in 20 years is putting the spotlight on Indian Railways. The state-run transportation system has been accused of not spending enough on safety despite funds being allocated for that purpose.
Now, a new report is giving these allegations some tracks. Quartzâs Niharika Sharma looked into what the data suggests.
Saudi Arabia is blatantly sportswashing
In a stunning about-face, the PGA Tour is merging with LIV Golf, a tour that has widely been seen as a âsportswashingâ effort by Saudi Arabiaâa way to repair its political image through the prestige of professional sports.
The deal ends both the flamewar between the two tours and an ongoing antitrust battle over the PGAâs market dominance. But as Quartzâs Scott Nover explains, the mega-merger does anything but tee up competition within golf as an industry.
The SECâs Coinbase lawsuit is risky
âI could imagine this Supreme Court taking away authority from the SEC by refining what an investment contract is.â
âTodd Phillips, a former FDIC lawyer, now a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute
Read more about why the US Securities and Exchange Commissionâs lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has the potential to significantly diminish either the crypto industryâs presence in the US, or the power of the SEC itself.
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Surprising discoveries
China got tired of importing durian. The countryâs first homegrown harvest still wonât satisfy consumersâ ravenous need for the famously gross-smelling âking of fruit.â
Mussels could rid the oceans of microplastics. However, it would take a terrifying number of the mollusks to make a big impact.
The mountains are in the planet. Studying seismic activity has clued researchers into deep-Earth mountains, the origin of which nobody fully understands.
That ducking annoying Apple autocorrect wonât be a problem anymore. Just when weâve begun to embrace it!
Professional soccer players are using AI to filter out racist online abuse. GoBubble, the maker of Emotion AI, has found a very niche market.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, beautiful-smelling fruit, and underground hiking boots to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to allâbecome a member. Todayâs Daily Brief was brought to you by Susan Howson and Morgan Haefner.