Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
UK prime minister hopefuls go through a second round of voting. Frontrunner Boris Johnson skipped televised debates over the weekend while his conservative candidate colleagues vied for second place. As the others try to secure the required minimum of 33 votes, Johnson will likely remain safe and appear at the BBC debate following the vote.
The US-Africa economic summit convenes. A dozen heads of state and government and about 1,000 private investors and stakeholders will gather in Maputo, Mozambique to discuss agriculture, energy, health, infrastructure, and finance. In what is seen as a slight, the highest-ranking US representative in attendance will be deputy secretary of commerce Karen Dunn Kelley.
Adobe posts results. The software giant surprised investors with a 6.21% hike in earnings in the previous quarter—the third time in four quarters it beat expectations—and is expected to report second-quarter numbers that continue to reflect strong demand for the company’s cloud-based services.
While you were sleeping
US businesses spoke out against China tariffs. In response to the Trump administration’s announcement of tariffs on a further $300 billion of Chinese imports, hundreds of companies began testifying before the Office of the United States Trade Representative in an open hearing that will last for seven days, and could finally cause the government to change its trade tactics.
Ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi died in court. After Arab Spring protests led to the downfall of dictator Hosni Mubarak, Morsi was democratically elected in 2011. The Egyptian military deposed him in 2013 and he spent his remaining years in prison and on trial. Morsi addressed the court for several minutes from his soundproof cage before fainting, never to recover.
A tribunal found that China harvests organs from detainees. The international group announced that China reneged on its 2014 promise to cease the grisly practice, which, the tribunal announced, mostly affects members of the persecuted Falun Gong movement. China denies the allegations.
The UN condemned its own actions regarding Myanmar. The organization concluded that it went into “systemic failure” over the past decade as it ignored signs that violence was ramping up into what it now terms a possible genocide. The report blames clashes between individuals and agencies who used different strategies to address the situation, with disastrous results.
Auction house Sotheby’s was sold for $3.7 billion. French-Israeli media and telecom billionaire Patrick Drahi (paywall) will take it private after 31 years as a publicly traded company. The move may help Sotheby’s compete with rival Christie’s, which is majority owned by a French billionaire and art collector, Francois Pinault.
Gloria Vanderbilt died at age 95. Her son, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, announced that the artist, heiress, and philanthropist perhaps best known for her blue jeans empire succumbed to stomach cancer. In her youth, Vanderbilt was the subject of a much-publicized custody dispute, and would go on to embrace acting, modeling, and writing before starting her own fragrance and denim lines.
Membership
The CBD boom is upon us. The hemp-based wellness serum is showing up in everything from beverages to massage oils, as companies seek to capitalize on changing attitudes toward marijuana and concerns over stress and anxiety. Guiding you through this gold rush is Quartz’s global lifestyle reporter, Jenni Avins. She begins her field guide of CBD with her state of play memo, a comprehensive look at CBD’s past, present, and future.
Quartz Obsession
We can thank the big screen for the little macaron. A current favorite of fashion editors and Instagram influencers, the small French almond cookies owe their recent rise to the 2006 Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette, which portrayed them as part of a luxe life (now available at European McDonald’s locations) before social media fell for the brightly colored confections. Have a tiny taste at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Brands aren’t ready to sponsor an openly gay Indian athlete. Dutee Chand is the first to come out, and sponsors aren’t exactly knocking down her door.
English should be the official language of post-Brexit Europe. It would be a neutral language for European countries with competing mother tongues.
Driverless cars could kill the airline industry. Autonomous vehicles let you pack anything, leave anytime, and maybe even stretch your legs.
Surprising discoveries
The last Inca rope bridge has been rebuilt. The handwoven, grass-fiber bridge has been ceremonially replaced annually for the past 600 years.
We’re one step closer to an anti-stress vaccine. Researchers have identified a fatty acid that decreases stress responses in mice.
Elon Musk did…not delete his Twitter account. The Tesla CEO tweeted “Just deleted my Twitter account” from his active, very much not-deleted account.
US sanctions are cramping the Iranian art scene. Cash-only transactions and scarce supplies make life a logistical nightmare for artists and galleries.
Cryptographers have created reliable randomness. It’s surprisingly hard to generate a random number that isn’t vulnerable to miscreant insiders or outside hackers.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, anti-stress serums, and truly random numbers to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Susan Howson and Nicolás Rivero.