Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin finally meet face-to-face… The G20’s most anticipated meeting has no set agenda, but the two leaders could discuss anything from North Korea to the thornier topic of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
… And Angela Merkel’s political skills are tested by macho strongmen. The German chancellor—who some bill as the new leader of the free world—is hosting some notoriously aggressive world leaders, including Putin, Trump, and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
A crucial US jobs report. As hopes of a “Trump bump” are fading (paywall), economists project that the US economy added about 172,000 jobs in June—slightly above average for Trump’s presidency thus far—and that the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%.
While you were sleeping
China’s first aircraft carrier arrived in Hong Kong. It’s the first trip for the Liaoning outside of mainland China and comes shortly after Hong Kong marked 20 years since its the handover to Chinese rule. The visit is seen as a show of force to both China’s military rivals and to Hong Kong, where there is growing unease over Beijing’s authority in the city.
Samsung delivers a record quarter. Preliminary results showed that operating profit in the second quarter hit 14 trillion won ($12 billion), thanks to strong demand for semiconductors and the Galaxy S8 phone. Analysts think Samsung’s profit in the quarter could surpass that of Apple’s.
Hackers are targeting US nuclear power plants… According to a report by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security obtained by the New York Times (paywall), the hackers seemed to be mapping out computer networks for future attacks. The bureaus said there was no threat to public safety.
… And Mondelez said cyber-attacks affected its bottom line. The snack maker said revenue growth in the second quarter likely fell by 3% because a cyber attack on June 27 affected its logistics and invoicing. Multiple companies around the world were targeted by the ransomware attack on that day.
Tesla will build the world’s biggest lithium-ion battery in Australia. Elon Musk will partner with French energy company Neoen to build a giant 129MWh battery to store renewable energy in South Australia. The Australian state has been suffering from repeated power blackouts.
Quartz obsession interlude
Katherine Foley on teaching AI to forget. “Machine learning today isn’t great at knowing when it should hold on to old information… Programmers are experimenting with algorithms that teach machines to learn when to keep and connect old information to newer experiences, and when to let them go.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Necklines are plunging / at Victoria’s Secret. / So is the share price
Matters of debate
Cruise ships have a sexual assault problem. The absence of law enforcement on “floating cities” creates a dangerous culture of impunity.
Don’t congratulate powerful men who admit to hurting women. Mere displays of decency from Jay-Z and Dave McClure aren’t particularly brave.
North Korea really isn’t that isolated. The “hermit kingdom” has diplomatic ties with 164 countries (paywall) and does business with many nations, despite sanctions.
Surprising discoveries
One small Chinese town handles enormous amounts of illicit ivory. Smuggling has long been a lucrative family businesses in Shuidong.
Pokémon Go is a wasteland. One year after the augmented-reality game was released, four out of five players are no longer playing.
A self-sacrificing English village stopped the spread of bubonic plague. Eyam in Derbyshire closed itself off in 1665 and paid a heavy toll.
Amazon wants to encourage drunk shopping. For its next trick, the online retail giant is developing an in-house winery.
Japan is on high alert for fire ants. The remains of a queen of the invasive species, probably transported by a Chinese cargo ship, was recently spotted in Osaka’s port.
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