What to watch for today
Missouri calls in the National Guard. The governor called in the troops after a violent Sunday night, in which police fired tear gas on protestors in Ferguson before a midnight curfew. A US federal autopsy will be performed on the body of shooting victim Michael Brown. A private family autopsy shows he was shot six times, including two shots to the head.
The UN Security Council meets in New York. The Gaza crisis, currently under an extended ceasefire, and the spread of ISIL in Iraq will top the agenda.
Angela Merkel visits Latvia. The Baltic country, which joined the euro area this year, will receive the German president for talks with its prime minister Laimdota Straujuma on the Ukraine crisis. Latvia will be particularly hard hit by Russian sanctions on EU food and agriculture products.
Wall Street addresses a fashion emergency. Urban Outfitters, owner of clothing chains Anthopologie and Free People, reports earnings after a troublesome streak for its namesake brand. The company can’t seem to figure out its target customer.
Who will take in Julian Assange? The Wikileaks founder said Monday he will “soon” leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he sought political asylum two years ago, but did not specify a destination.
Over the weekend
Kurds recapture Mosul Dam. With the support of US airstrikes, Kurdish forces have captured large swathes of the strategic facility, Iraq’s largest dam, from ISIL. Kurdish officials say ISIL militants have fallen back and Iraqi television is reporting it has been retaken.
Ukraine claimed a breakthrough in a separatist stronghold. Ukrainian officials said its army had taken control of the center of Luhansk, an important rebel-held city. Meanwhile, Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany’s top diplomats met in Berlin for talks on how to end the conflict.
Massive rally in Hong Kong. A rally in support of the Beijing-backed government drew thousands of supporters who decried mass sit-ins planned by Hong Kong residents, including some from mainland China who were paid to participate. The sit-ins aim to paralyze the financial district to highlight the need for democracy in the city.
Victims joined Colombia’s peace talks. Victims of violence in the country’s 50-year conflict with leftist FARC rebels met for the first time with government negotiators and Farc members in Cuba for peace talks, first launched in 2012.
European markets started the week on an upbeat note. The easing of tensions over Ukraine, following diplomatic talks over the weekend to end the conflict, pushed up Germany’s Dax index by more than 1%.
Pope Francis ended his Asian visit. In addition to urging dialogue on the divided Korean peninsula, the pope expressed interest in re-establishing ties between China and the Vatican, who haven’t had relations for over 60 years (paywall), in large part because China’s bishops are nominated by the state.
Continental European companies paid record dividends. While the euro zone economy performed dismally, European companies paid out $153.4 billion to investors in the three months until the end of June (paywall). The biggest increase came from French companies, and was due overall to corporations’ performances rather than weakness with the US dollar.
Quartz obsession interlude
Kabir Chibber on how a 22-year-old writer tried to erase her first BuzzFeed story but was foiled. “BuzzFeed’s decision to reinstate Spiegel’s article comes as BuzzFeed, which recently raised $50 million, is in the process of erasing its own past. Gawker noticed that more than 4,000 posts have been deleted from the site.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Men and women are divided on Scottish independence. It is rare to see such a clear gender split.
Lawyers are seen as bad parents. Society is skeptical about the skills of some occupations.
The Ferguson story is about racial biases in media and policing. Ferguson has a black majority and white power-holding structure that needs to be addressed, not least by President Obama.
We can’t tackle climate change by eating fewer hamburgers. Instead, science needs to focus on making livestock more productive and environmentally friendly.
Resist using art to explain headlines. From Robin Williams’ death to the Arab Spring, the world is a messy place that can’t be shoehorned into easy-to-understand shorthand.
Surprising discoveries
Ralph Lauren is making all-denim suits. Bing Crosby did it better.
Cricket is an official high school sport in New York. There may be 30 million cricket fans in the US.
A pro-wrestler created his own form of yoga. Beefcakes need to stay limber, too.
Two chess players died at an international tournament. The circumstances of death were not deemed suspicious; the game, both mentally and physically stressful, has been known to kill people before.
Hillary Clinton does get the Presidential suite. The standard speakers contract for the former secretary of state includes a private jet, the presidential hotel suite, and an entourage.
A Suzhou-based company has made baby-shaped pear molds. They clip on to the mature fruit to create a little head and body with crossed arms and closed eyes.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, fashion emergencies, and erased BuzzFeed stories to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.