Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Theresa May visits Japan. On a three-day trip, the UK prime minister will meet her counterpart Shinzo Abe to talk trade and defense ahead of her nation’s exit from the EU. With a business delegation in tow, she aims to convince a dubious Japan that even after Brexit the UK can remain a key entry point to Europe for Japanese companies.
Germany measures inflation. The EU’s largest economy enjoys steady growth and low unemployment (paywall); inflation figures are expected to stay below the European Central Bank’s 2% target. Meanwhile chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss concerns over Poland’s judiciary overhaul.
The US checks in on GDP. Economists expect a revised second-quarter growth rate to tick up to 2.9% from an initial estimate of 2.6% (paywall) after July delivered promising figures in retail and durable goods. The US is in its ninth year of economic expansion.
While you were sleeping
The rain from Harvey eased up in Houston. But the flooding continued from the largest rainstorm ever recorded in the continental US. Officials ordered an evacuation after a levee was breached and imposed an overnight curfew amid looting and armed robberies. Meanwhile Harvey continued to soak other parts of Texas, with state officials blaming the storm on at least 30 deaths (paywall).
UK retailers warned of Brexit endangering the nation’s fresh food supply. The British Retail Consortium said that unless post-Brexit customs processes are smoothed out, the number of inbound shipments of goods requiring checks would more than quadruple. It noted perishable foods are especially vulnerable to long delays.
Donald Trump chose an envoy for South Korea. He’ll name Victor Cha, who has called for a tougher stance on Pyongyang, as the next US ambassador in Seoul, according to Reuters. Cha served as a White House official during the presidency of George W. Bush, and he was involved in multilateral talks with North Korea over its nuclear program.
North Korea said it will launch more missiles into the Pacific. State media described yesterday’s missile launch over Japan as a ”first step” in planned military operations in the Pacific and a prelude to “containing Guam,” where the US has a strong military presence. Kim Jong-un has already launched more missiles this year than his father did in a lifetime.
Google bowed to the EU on antitrust. The tech titan submitted an outline of how it plans to ensure the search engine does not demote rival shopping services. The Alphabet-owned company was hit by the EU with a €2.4 billion ($2.9 billion) fine over the practice in June.
Quartz obsession interlude
Ana Campoy and David Yanofsky on lessons from Houston’s flooding. “The city, the largest in the US with no zoning laws, is a case study in limiting government regulations and favoring growth—often at the expense of the environment. As water swamps many of its neighborhoods, it’s now also a cautionary tale of sidelining science and plain common sense.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Heart of Darkness is not a guidebook to the Congo. Contemporary writers fall short when they insist on referencing the outdated 100-year-old novella in their experiences of today’s DRC.
There’s not a lot of glory at the top of the career ladder. Getting less credit while having to care more can be uncomfortable for a lot of top performers.
Amazon isn’t the all-consuming vortex it’s made out to be. There are still plenty of dollars in the retail sector for competitors to claim.
Surprising discoveries
Cheerios tried to trademark the color yellow. A US trademark court denied the cereal brand’s campaign to exclusively claim the bright color used in its packaging.
Late-night snacking increases your risk of sunburn. Eating at weird times may disrupt your skin’s biological clock, leaving it more susceptible to skin damage.
Carrying a plastic bag in Kenya could land you in jail. A new law punishes anyone using or making a plastic bag with a fine of up to $38,000 or four years in jail.
Buddhists can hire a robot to perform their last rites. SoftBank’s “Pepper” robot, embedded with chanting software, is available as a funeral priest in Japan.
The next wave of emoji will be inspired by selfies. The Polygram app uses AI and the iPhone’s graphics processing unit to translate facial expressions into emoji.
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