Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Jeremy Hunt lays out his no-deal Brexit plan. The foreign secretary and prime ministerial contender—who is trailing rival Boris Johnson—will detail how he intends to mitigate the effects of a chaotic departure from the EU without a deal.
The EU continues talks on top appointments. An emergency summit held to decide who should get the bloc’s top jobs stalled late yesterday as leaders remained split on candidates. Discussions may continue over breakfast today.
Swiss stocks are barred from trading on EU exchanges. The unprecedented step comes after talks between Bern and Brussels over a political treaty ended in deadlock, and will affect almost 300 shares in Swiss companies. Switzerland’s retaliatory move is intended to prevent a sudden loss of liquidity.
Wimbledon kicks off. The two-week-long tennis tournament begins at the All England Club today, with Serbia’s defending champion Novak Djokovic embarking on his bid to to defend his title this afternoon.
Over the weekend
Hong Kong’s protesters occupied roads again. Marking the 22nd anniversary of the city’s handover to China today, they clashed with police in the early hours of the morning ahead of the annual July 1 march. Hong Kong has seen three weeks of protests against a proposed extradition bill, which has been suspended indefinitely.
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 yesterday and entered North Korea, which no sitting US president had ever done. The two sides agreed to resume talks.
A ceasefire 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.
Mass protests rocked Sudan. Seven were killed and nearly 200 were wounded as tens of thousands took to the streets in Khartoum and elsewhere to demand civilian rule, in the first mass rally since a bloody crackdown on demonstrators in early June left at least 128 people dead.
Japan resumed commercial whaling. Since 1988 the nation has limited itself to scientific whaling, though critics called that a ruse. Now Japanese ships have begun to openly hunt whales for a profit once again, to the consternation of environmentalists.
The EU-Mercosur trade agreement met with disapproval. Neither environmental activists nor European farmers like the free-trade deal, which negotiators finally clinched Friday after decades of on-and-off talks. Mercosur is the South American trading bloc comprising of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
Stop fixating on 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.
We should throw menstruation parties for our daughters. It’s a celebration of the transition from girlhood to womanhood.
Surprising discoveries
Vienna is luring tourists with negative travel reviews. The city’s tourist board is highlighting terrible but funny comments.
A Spanish soccer club renamed itself Flat Earth FC. The move resulted in more media coverage, as desired.
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 meters (656 feet) 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 by Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.