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What to watch for today
Emmanuel Macron arrives in Tokyo. The French president, along with other world leaders, is taking advantage of the G20 meeting in Osaka to do some diplomatic work in the area before the summit. Macron and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe will most likely discuss cooperation on maritime security, a key part of France’s developing Indo-Pacific strategy.
NATO defence ministers meet in Brussels. They’re expected to endorse a list of measures that could be taken against Russia to get it to abide by a decades-old missile treaty that the US pulled out of earlier this year, citing Moscow’s non-compliance. “Burden-sharing”—paying more of its costs, as the US wants—and Afghanistan are also on the agenda.
France’s heatwave could set a record. Temperatures in some regions could reach a record-high of 45°C (113°F) today or tomorrow, caused by a plume of warm air from the Sahara desert. High-school exams set to take place this week have been canceled. Other parts of Europe are seeing unusually warm weather too.
Mark Zuckerberg chats about fixing Facebook. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, which it helps sponsor, Facebook’s chief will converse with Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein about regulation, privacy, and the new oversight board it’s setting up.
While you were sleeping
The US House passed a $4.5 billion border-aid measure. The emergency measure comes amid anger over reports of the treatment of migrant children in a Texas center, where lawyers reported there was insufficient bedding and hygiene, and many children were sick. The vote came as John Sanders, the acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner, stepped down.
Hong Kong protesters sent the G20 a message. A morning march to foreign consulates delivered letters urging diplomats to press Chinese president Xi Jinping on democracy in Hong Kong at the G20 summit. China said Monday that it would not allow any such discussion at the event, which begins Friday.
China stopped meat imports from Canada. China said a probe found problems with veterinary certificates accompanying Canadian meat shipments. The move comes amid growing tensions between China and Canada over the latter’s detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou last year at the request of the US.
The White House got a new spokesperson. Stephanie Grisham, first lady Melania Trump’s former communications chief, has the kind of combative relationship with the media that the president loves. It’ll be on display if she brings back the daily briefing, not seen in three months.
San Francisco banned vaping. The hometown of Juul Labs, the biggest US producer of e-cigarettes, became the first city in the country to ban the product, which teens seem to love. Once its mayor signs the ordinance, it’ll be enforced next year.
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It’s day two of our guide to traveling like a pro, and today we’re looking at when to find the best hotel deals, and how to apply for the US government’s expedited screening programs for frequent fliers, including Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. In our members-only video series, we chat with Box CEO Aaron Levie on the questions every founder should answer in their pitch to investors.
Quartz Obsession
Cash is no longer king. In South Korea, 89% of consumer payments are cashless, and paper money is becoming an oddity in Chinese cities. Plus, in an increasing number of communities, local banks have left towns and ATMs high and dry. The Quartz Obsession looks at what happens when cash deserts appear.
Matters of debate
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Trump’s China trade war is changing history. The convergence of one, integrated global market no longer seems inevitable.
There’s nothing new about “biohacking.” We’ve been gradually altering our bodies since the dawn of agriculture.
“Aggression detectors” are dangerous snake oil. Schools have been installing the unproven and invasive surveillance devices to boost security, but they’re flawed.
Surprising discoveries
Tencent ended an era of Chinese hook-up culture. The tech giant ended “drift bottle,” which allowed users to send anonymous messages to prospective lovers.
A desert space camp teaches doctors Martian medicine. Earthlings inhabit a remote Utah silo and roleplay their way through medical disasters on the Red Planet.
A tiny English village museum is a hit in China. More than 400,000 people turned up for a virtual tour of an attraction that has had 75,000 visitors since it opened 50 years ago.
Airbnb will now rent you a tropical island. Its new “luxe” tier also offers medieval castles, with an average listing price of $14,000 per week.
“Plasticrust” is the world’s newest, grossest form of pollution. Scientists are finding scabby, blue-green plastic encrusted onto rocks on the shore of Madeira.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, DIY biohacks, and castle recommendations to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Isabella Steger.