Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Theresa May embarks on her Africa tour. The UK prime minister will visit three of Africa’s largest economies this week—beginning with South Africa today, followed by Nigeria and Kenya—in a charm offensive to boost trade ahead of Brexit.
The UN Security Council discusses a Rohingya genocide report. Investigators have called on the council to prosecute senior military leaders in Myanmar for genocide and war crimes, and to implement an arms embargo and targeted sanctions. But analysts say there is little hope of concrete action due to the veto power held by China, which has backed the actions of the Myanmar government.
Canada rushes to join US-Mexico trade talks. Foreign minister Chrystia Freeland cut short a European trip to fly to Washington (paywall) to discuss a new trade pact that could replace NAFTA after the US and Mexico reached a preliminary deal on Monday.
Primary elections in Arizona, Florida, and Oklahoma. One of the more contentious races is for Arizona Republican Jeff Flake’s Senate seat. Voters will also decide on the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial candidates for the states.
Retailers Best Buy and Tiffany give a report card. Investors, nervous ahead of Best Buy’s earnings, will keep an eye on new products and investments in its online business. Tiffany is expected to sparkle with a rise in sales following a change in strategy to target millennials.
While you were sleeping
The White House lowered, raised, and lowered its flag again to honor senator John McCain. Flags were flown at half-staff briefly on Monday, drawing criticism from Republicans, Democrats, and veterans groups. Donald Trump, who had been conspicuously silent on his Republican foe’s death, later ordered the White House to re-lower the flag.
The US will compensate farmers who’ve been hit by tariffs. The farm-aid package will now include $4.7 billion in direct payments to farmers. The bulk of that will go to soybean farmers, who will receive $3.6 billion, but it will also include payments for sorghum and hog farmers.
Cambodia freed 14 government critics. The members of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party were convicted of insurrection in 2014 and handed sentences of seven to 20 years. Observers say the decision to release them is meant to appease criticism of a flawed election last month that kept prime minister Hun Sen in power.
Toyota will invest $500 million in Uber. The deal, which values Uber at about $72 billion, is part of an agreement between the companies to jointly develop autonomous vehicles (paywall). The future of Uber’s self-driving division looked uncertain after a pedestrian was struck and killed by one of its autonomous cars in March.
Markets rallied on news of a US-Mexico deal replacing NAFTA. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit new highs, and shares in Asia rose after Trump announced the US and its southern neighbor would create a new trade pact, with or without Canada, though details remain scarce.
Quartz Obsession interlude
Lila MacLellan on a to-do list method for people with short attention spans. ”All you do is choose one task that is going to be the focus of your day, even if it doesn’t take you the whole day to complete. You write that item down on a Post-it note, stick it to your laptop (or a wall, we presume) and use it as your lodestar. Look to the note when your mind begins to wander to your waiting text messages, to your dry-cleaning, or to any of the ridiculous things people do when they should be working.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Advertising should be illegal. It’s an obsolete way to provide information, exists purely to manipulate customers, and could be a violation of antitrust laws.
We should ban cigarette butts, not straws. Cigarette filters are by far the most common type of human litter, and they don’t make smoking any healthier.
“Change the world” is a dangerous motto for rich people. The wealthy who have caused society’s problems shouldn’t be in charge of fixing them (paywall).
Surprising discoveries
THC can pass through breast milk. Traces of the mind-altering chemical in marijuana was found in the milk of pot-smoking moms, suggesting it could affect babies’ development.
A meat-vending machine exists for your late-night steak cravings. It’s part of a New York butcher shop’s plan to serve customers 24 hours a day.
Spanish pensioners will sell their flats for half price on one condition. Prospective buyers have to agree to move in after the current owners die.
Bandits in Paraguay replaced stolen police guns with toy replicas. An armory inspection found 42 decoys in place of the powerful FN FAL rifles.
Pumpkin-spice-latte season has already begun. It may still be August, but Starbucks’s cozy autumn drink is back starting today.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, apartment deeds, and Post-its 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 Alice Truong and edited by Isabella Steger.