Cruz and Kasich team up, a post-oil Saudi Arabia, Russia’s military dolphins

[Quartz - qz.com] Daily Brief sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Barack Obama meets EU leaders in Germany. The leaders of the US, Germany, UK, Italy, and France [are expected to focus] on ISIL, the new government in Libya, the refugee crisis, and an EU-US free-trade deal. Today, the EU and US begin another round of secretive negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership in New York. Syrian peace talks resume—without the main opposition group. The talks are [due to go ahead], even though the main armed opposition group is boycotting proceedings after claiming the ceasefire has been violated. The UN has [called on the US and Russia] (paywall) to “act quickly” to save the fragile negotiations. Saudi Arabia releases its “Vision 2030.” A fresh agenda is [due be unveiled] today, possibly by deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman himself, outlining how the country intends to move away from oil. It is to be followed up with a five-year “National Transformation Plan,” to be released in the coming weeks. Over the weekend Ted Cruz and John Kasich teamed up against Donald Trump… The two Republican presidential candidates [announced their strategies] to deny frontrunner Trump their party’s nomination; Ted Cruz will stop campaigning in the Oregon and New Mexico primaries to help Kasich, while Kasich will give Cruz a “clear path” in Indiana. …while a conservative financier suggested he might back Hillary. Charles Koch, the billionaire industrialist and backer of Republican candidates, [told ABC] that it’s “possible” Hillary Clinton, the Democrat frontrunner, would make a better president than Donald Trump, whose plan to deport Muslims he described as “reminiscent of Nazi Germany.” Sony suffered after it postponed its latest earnings. [Shares fell 6% today] after the Japanese consumer-electronics giant pushed back the release date of the report until May because of supply-chain disruptions following the earthquakes in southwest Japan earlier this month. A far-right candidate won the first round of presidential elections in Austria. The Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer, who carries a Glock, advocates deporting foreigners, and wants to leave the EU, will now [face a runoff] in May. His triumph reflects the country’s growing worries about the economy and the refugee influx. North Korea and the US sparred over nuclear tests. On Saturday, North Korean foreign minister Ri Su-yong [said] the country would stop its testing, provided the US discontinue its annual military exercises with South Korea. On Sunday, president Barack Obama [declined the deal], saying that that Pyongyang would “have to do better than that.” Sponsor content by AUTODESK A computer game might one day design our homes. The success of virtual building game Minecraft has inspired a conversation about games making a jump to real-life applications. Popular with kids since its launch in 2009, [Minecraft is taking off with adults], who are using it for work and play. Quartz obsession interlude Gwynn Guilford on how monkeys managed to cross the sea long, long ago. “Take the monkey whose fossilized teeth were just discovered etched into a hunk of ancient rock in Panama. The monkey (or its forebears) had to have arrived there in Central America from South America, which at the time was separated from it by a stretch of sea at least 100 miles wide—the equivalent of about five English Channels.” [Read more here]. Matters of Debate Prince shows that rock music has always been black music. Claiming that black artists who play rock music are “crossing over” [ignores the rich history] of the genre. The US should embrace “right to roam” laws. Europeans are free to wander the forests and fields of their countries, whereas [Americans must trespass] (paywall) if they want to travel scenic routes on foot. American football players shouldn’t wear helmets during practice. Going unprotected will prevent injuries, as players will be [feel less invincible] and learn safer tackling techniques. Surprising discoveries The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo has a new logo. The original design was scrapped [amid accusations of plagiarism]. More Christians are celebrating Passover. Increasing numbers of Christians [celebrate the Jewish festival]—some churches even offer “Christian Seders.” The original rules of baseball are worth $3.26 million. The documents were sold by a California-based auction company to an anonymous buyer [early Sunday morning]. The first space marathon was completed. British astronaut Tim Peake [ran the 26-mile London Marathon] on Sunday while strapped to a treadmill in the International Space Station. Russia’s military just bought five dolphins. Moscow’s Utrish Dolphinarium has promised to supply the military with five bottlenose dolphins by Aug. 1, but there’s no word on the reason [for this purchase]. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Olympic logos, and space-marathon times to [hi@qz.com]. And download [our new iPhone app] for news throughout the day. Want to receive the Daily Brief at a different time? [Click here] to change your edition. To unsubscribe entirely, [click here]. Like us on [Facebook] and follow us on [Twitter]. Quartz | 233 Park Ave S, 2nd Fl | New York, NY 10003 | United States