Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Donald Trump visits Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The US president is reportedly keen on seeing tomorrow’s Bastille Day military parade. Today he and his French counterpart will dine in the Eiffel Tower, tour a museum, discuss Syria—and hold a press conference. It will be the first such conference for Trump since news broke of his son Donald Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Nintendo Switch users get a video app. In Japan, Nintendo is finally offering a video-streaming app for its fast-selling Switch, a hybrid gaming console launched in March that’s equally at home in the living room and on a subway. Called Niconico, the app allows user comments to appear on livestreams.
Delta Air Lines releases second-quarter earnings. The No. 2 US airline by passenger traffic is expected to report a rise in quarterly profit and revenue thanks to improving average fares. Its stock recently hit a record high.
While you were sleeping
Details of the Daimler emissions probe emerged. The carmaker faces allegations it sold vehicles with illicit emissions controls for nearly a decade, reported Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Citing a court document, the newspaper said more than a million cars could be affected, and two employees are being investigated.
China’s June trade figures beat expectations. Exports from the world’s second-largest economy rose 11.3% from a year earlier, while imports were up 17.2%. The strong performance came amid strong global demand and despite a cooling property market at home.
The Dow rose to a record-high close following Janet Yellen’s testimony. Investors were cheered after the US Federal Reserve chair signaled the Fed will gradually raise interest rates and unwind its massive balance sheet, helping alleviate concerns over a recent dip in inflation.
Brazil’s former president was found guilty of corruption. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a former union leader known as the nation’s “first working-class president,” was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for accepting bribes. He remains popular six years after leaving office, and had planned to run for president again next year. His lawyers said he’s innocent and will appeal.
Google dodged a $1.3 billion tax bill in France. After a six-year legal battle the tech giant finally won its case. At issue was whether it avoided taxes in France by routing sales in the country through a subsidiary in Ireland. US tech companies, including Apple, are facing increased scrutiny from European regulators.
The maker of Havaianas flip-flops was sold for $1.1 billion. Alpargatas, the Brazilian firm behind the brand, was owned by the J&F group. The latter aims to offload businesses after being involved in a series of corruption scandals. Three prominent Brazilian banking families teamed up for the purchase. Some 200 million pairs of Havaianas flip-flops are produced every year.
Quartz obsession interlude
Siyi Chen on how robots will help China take care of its elderly. “China needs robots to care for its large, and growing, elderly population—it’s home to a quarter of the world’s seniors. As fewer Chinese are able to care for their aging parents, the number of retirement homes nationwide is mushrooming. And yet fewer than 20% of retirement homes in China are making a profit. High labor costs are a big reason why.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Yellen won’t say she / Wants another term with Trump / And can you blame her?
Matters of debate
Android’s “panic button” should be a part of every user interface. Panic detection modes protect users—and bring operating systems closer to understanding us.
A brown lead won’t make Aladdin any less racist. The best of casting intentions for the Disney film’s live-action remake won’t fix the film’s troubling stereotypes.
We don’t need to ban kids from using smartphones. Panicking over new technology won’t protect them from its negative effects.
Surprising discoveries
Umbrella-sharing startups are all the rage in China. The newest company lost track of almost 300,000 umbrellas weeks after launching.
The Calibri typeface is at the center of a Pakistani corruption case. The authenticity of a deed is in doubt because it’s dated a year before the font it’s typed in was released.
Eastern and western cultures have opposite views of success. Americans want to be big fish in a small pond, while the Chinese are more impressed with small fish in bigger ponds.
Ants make tiny Eiffel Towers to tackle tall obstacles. The sinking structure gets wider as it grows taller, allowing ants to better distribute their weight while climbing.
The first object has been teleported into space. Chinese researchers sent a photon from a station in Tibet to a satellite built for quantum experimentation.
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