Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
OPEC talks oil curbs. The 14-nation cartel meets in Vienna today and with allies, including Russia, tomorrow. OPEC and Russia have reportedly agreed to extend a deal on production cuts for up to nine months, in an attempt to maintain prices as US production soars.
US manufacturing data comes in. May’s index of factory activity was the lowest in nearly three years. Economists forecast an even worse showing in June, as the US-China trade war and global economic unease drag on the manufacturing sector.
The EU continues talks on top appointments. Leaders are reportedly close to selecting Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans to lead the European Commission, after a marathon 18-hours of talks on the bloc’s top jobs. Discussions continue today, ahead of the new European Parliament convening for the first time tomorrow.
Wimbledon kicks off. The two-week-long tennis tournament begins today, with Serbia’s defending champion Novak Djokovic embarking on his bid to to defend his title this afternoon.
Over the weekend
Donald Trump took a stroll with Kim Jong Un… He became the first sitting US president to enter North Korea after the two leaders held an allegedly impromptu meeting at the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas yesterday. The two sides agreed to resume talks.
…and called a trade war ceasefire with Xi Jinping. China and the US agreed to resume trade talks after a nearly two-month pause. Trump said he would hold off on a tariff threat and lift some restrictions on the Chinese tech giant Huawei.
Hong Kong’s protesters occupied roads again. They clashed with police and tried to breach the legislature ahead of the annual July 1 march marking the 22nd anniversary of the city’s handover to China. Hong Kong has seen three weeks of protests against a proposed extradition bill, which has been suspended indefinitely.
The EU-Mercosur trade agreement was 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 comprised of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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. It was the country’s first mass rally since a bloody crackdown on demonstrators in early June left at least 128 people dead.
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.
Membership
The quest for a carbon-neutral oil company. Today we feature Occidental Petroleum’s Vicki Hollub, the only female CEO of a major international oil company. Hollub is harnessing the oil industry’s superior knowledge of geology to produce “carbon-negative oil.” In our members-only video offerings, Quartz editor-in-chief Kevin Delaney talks to IMF managing director Christine Lagarde; and we travel to Brazil, where China’s taste for meat is reshaping that country’s economy and environment.
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 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 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.
Reddit’s CEO is a cross-stitch lurker. Steve Huffman says he finds sewing subreddits “really endearing.”
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, understated movie titles, and endearing subreddits 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 Adam Rasmi and edited by Jackie Bischof.