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What to watch for today
Narendra Modi’s government will face a no-confidence vote. Repeated attempts by India’s divided opposition have failed before, but this time, the treasury benches welcomed the move. Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said the ruling government was ready to face the vote on Friday—and win.
Global finance leaders meet at the G20 summit. This weekend in Buenos Aires: The US will address concerns about its trade policies, Argentina and Germany want to uphold a pledge to maintain free trade, and G7 finance chiefs will discuss China’s trade practices.
A contentious casino bill hits Japan’s parliament. Friday’s bill would allow the establishment of casino venues, and has met with strong opposition that cites fears of gambling addiction. Prime minister Shinzō Abe said casinos attract foreign visitors, and the government’s 30% cut would boost regional economies.
Japan’s statistics bureau releases June’s consumer price index. In May, core inflation rose 0.7% from a year prior, and economists expect the June figure to come in at 0.9% (paywall). The Bank of Japan has a 2% inflation target, but prices have become sluggish in recent months despite aggressive monetary easing.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump invited Vladimir Putin over. Just four days after the US president’s controversial meeting with his Russian counterpart in Helsinki, Trump told national security adviser John Bolton to extend the invitation for a visit to Washington, DC in the fall.
Comcast pulled out of the 21st Century Fox bidding war. The announcement ends a major media battle that ultimately racked up Disney’s bid to $71 billion—up from Comcast’s $65 billion offer. Comcast is focusing on its fight against Fox to buy UK satellite giant Sky.
Catalonia’s former president is in the clear. A Spanish judge has dropped the international arrest warrants for Carles Puigdemont and five other politicians over last year’s illegal referendum and declaration of independence, meaning that they no longer face extradition.
Microsoft said Russia is trying to disrupt US midterms. Contradicting president Donald Trump’s previous claims, Microsoft’s vice president for customer security, Tom Burt, said there were hacking attempts by Russia against three candidates, using the same tactics displayed in the 2016 hack into the Democratic National Committee servers.
Emmanuel Macron’s senior aide faces a scandal. A video surfaced showing Alexandre Benalla, Macron’s former chief of security and now assistant to the chief of staff, beating up a protestor in May. Benalla has been accused of violent behavior before, and critics are demanding that the French president take harsher action.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Chelsea Johnson on how tech companies resemble wealthy socialist states: “Techies and their nuclear families will live, work, eat, and play on corporate campuses, guarded by contracted physical security guards tasked to keep away the un-and-differently employed. Life might be pleasant for the privileged few, but rich culture and community will be hard to foster as neighbor-colleagues cycle in and out chasing better perks and prestige.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Apple will beat Amazon to a $1 trillion valuation. Jeff Bezos may be the world’s richest human, but analysts are betting on Apple to make financial history.
Media is either constructive or destructive. Steve Jobs said the axis was no longer “liberal and conservative,” and, eight years later, he’s still right.
Trump most likely isn’t Putin’s puppet. Game theory indicates that he’s probably either worried about his own legitimacy (paywall)—or just deluded.
Surprising discoveries
We’re in the Meghalayan Age. Our current phase in history—marked by a mega-drought that started 4,200 years ago—finally received its official title from geologists.
That 2,000-year-old sarcophagus is a dud. Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities didn’t discover anything priceless or magical, just literal human stew.
Tortilla chips can spontaneously combust. A new, spicy product caught fire and burned up a Texas factory, then did it again three days later.
An indigenous tribe’s sole survivor was spotted. The Rondônian native has been living in the Amazon for more than 20 years.
The concept of “milk” is being redefined. US dairy and vegetable lobby groups are fighting over whether milk is a plant- or animal-based product (paywall).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, ancient disappointments, and chip extinguishers to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our apps for iPhone and Android. Today’s Daily Brief was written by McKinley Noble and Aisha Hassan, and edited by Susan Howson.