Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Hong Kong holds its annual pro-democracy march. Anger over an extradition bill, which led to widely covered protests in June, will likely translate into a large rally. Today marks the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China.
A reading on Japanese business sentiment. With a sales tax looming, analysts predict the Bank of Japan’s tankan survey will show a pullback in sentiment for the second quarter. It dropped to a two-year low in the first amid fears about the US-China trade war.
Taiwan’s ban on single-use plastic straws takes effect. The gradual rollout will start with schools, government offices, department stores, shopping malls, and fast-food chains for people dining in. Repeat violators will be fined as much as NT$6,000 ($190).
Japan resumes commercial whaling. Since 1988 the nation has limited itself to scientific whaling, though critics called that a ruse. Now Japanese ships will set forth to openly hunt whales for a profit once again, to the consternation of environmentalists.
Over the weekend
Trump strolled into North Korea. Donald Trump held an allegedly impromptu meeting with dictator Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas Sunday and entered North Korea, which no sitting US president had ever done. The two sides agreed to resume talks.
A cease-fire was called in the US-China trade war. Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to resume trade talks after a breakdown lasting nearly two months. Trump said he would hold off on a tariff threat and lift some restrictions on the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
China’s factory activity shrank more than expected. The Purchasing Managers’ Index for June came in below the expected mark Sunday. That will likely feed worries about stalling growth and a possible global recession, despite the trade talk progress.
The EU-Mercosur trade agreement met with disapproval. Neither environmental activists nor European farmers like the deal, which negotiators finally clinched Friday after decades of on-and-off talks. Mercosur comprises Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Central bankers want in on crypto. The Bank for International Settlements issued its annual report, focusing one of four total chapters on the potential benefits and threats of fintech. In an abrupt about-face from his position just months ago, BIS chief Agustín Carstens now says central banks see the value in creating their own digital currencies.
Quartz Obsession
Still in flight. Air Jordans are so consistently in demand that they’re not just a status symbol, they’re also a potential investment. The culty sneakers turned things around for Nike in the mid-1980s after the company missed the aerobics boom. Now the limited-release shoes get snapped up and resold, often at such a premium that they are considered an “alternative asset class.” Run with the sneakerheads in the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
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Stop fixating how many cars Tesla delivers. What’s more important is whether it goes mass-market or stays luxury.
The big money isn’t in weed. It’s in developing and licensing technologies and services companies will need to get the commodity to customers.
Progressive prosecution is a paradox. Public defenders are becoming chief prosecutors across the US and critics argue that they’re just legitimizing a broken system.
Surprising discoveries
The Tesla of Thailand is also an electric utility. Energy Absolute will build, sell, and charge electric vehicles.
A Spanish football club renamed itself Flat Earth FC. The move resulted in more media coverage, as desired. But then what?
A man robbing a Wendy’s stopped to make a hamburger. It wasn’t his first time.
A Pentagon laser can identify you by your heartbeat. It works from 200 m (656 ft) away, even through clothing.
Movie titles have more punctuation than they used to. Sequels! Prequels! Reboots! Is it any wonder?
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, original movies, and odd team names 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 Steve Mollman and Ephrat Livni.