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What to watch for today
The US and India hold trade talks. Chief American diplomat Mike Pompeo arrives in New Delhi to lay the groundwork for a meeting between Donald Trump and Narendra Modi at the G20 summit later this week. The sides will talk about tariffs, US restrictions on visas for Indian professionals, and India’s controversial data storage requirements.
FedEx and Micron Technology report earnings. Investors are feeling pessimistic about both companies. FedEx has woefully underperformed, thanks in part to higher costs and trade uncertainty. Meanwhile, Micron expects to see its revenue drop more than a third in the face of weak demand for semiconductors and the US blacklisting of Huawei.
Nissan shareholders get together. The annual meeting is expected to go well for chief executive Hiroto Saikawa. Shareholders are likely to get behind him for saving the company’s relationship with Renault, after a shaky year following the legal troubles of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.
SpaceX attempts its “most difficult launch ever.” The company’s Falcon Heavy rocket will carry 24 payloads—including research equipment, a solar sail, and the ashes of 152 Earthlings—to three different orbits. Watch the launch here at 3:30 UTC.
While you were sleeping
The suspected leader of Ethiopia’s coup was killed. General Asaminew Tsige, who prime minister Abiy Ahmed accused of launching a failed coup on Saturday, was shot dead while trying to flee his hideout in the Amhara region. The government has cut internet access, and loyalist troops have flooded Amhara and the capital, Addis Ababa.
The US announced new sanctions against Iran. In retaliation for “a series of aggressive behaviors,” including shooting down a US drone last week, Donald Trump officially announced a raft of measures designed to punish Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with military officials and foreign minister Javad Zarif. The Trump administration says it still wants to negotiate with Iran without preconditions.
Capgemini bought Altran. The $4.1 billion deal will allow the French consulting giant to offer its clients access to Altran’s engineering and digital services.
Boris Johnson continued to falter. Jeremy Hunt, Johnson’s last rival in the race to lead Britain, urged the frontrunner not to be “a coward” after he ducked a televised debate. Instead, Johnson is plotting a carefully orchestrated media blitz following a domestic incident on Sunday night. Meanwhile, a new poll found that Scotland would vote to leave the UK if Johnson were elected.
US trademarks got a little more profane. The Supreme Court struck down a 114-year-old law banning trademarks on “immoral” or “scandalous” words. A Los Angeles streetwear brand named “FUCT”—and any other company with swear words in its name—can now be approved for official protection from the US patent office.
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Matters of debate
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Infants could be protected from adversity before it happens. Researchers are trying to identify the children most vulnerable to stress with a resilience test.
Pump the brakes on your autonomous car excitement. Self-driving vehicles that passengers will trust with their lives—and are still fun to “drive”—are a long way off.
Young people are getting less tolerant. A survey showed a surprising drop in LGBTQ acceptance that could be due to louder, more accessible hate speech.
Surprising discoveries
Bacteria could power our planet. Scientists want to extract liquid hydrocarbons from oceanic cyanobacteria to make fuel and plastic.
Neo-Nazis went thirsty. A German court banned beer at a far-right festival in hopes of keeping aggression contained, and it may have worked.
McDonald’s discovered fresh beef. Getting rid of frozen patties boosted sales by 30%.
A rare giant squid took a trip to the Gulf of Mexico. The young 10-footer was caught briefly on camera—the first known appearance in that part of the world.
Alphabet designed a city-within-a-city for Toronto. The high-tech area would serve as a testing ground for robot deliveries, public WiFi, and other futuristic innovations.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, krakens, and city plans 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.