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Poland’s presidential election was inconclusive… With no candidate reaching the 50% of votes needed for an all-out win, incumbent Andrzej Duda will face centrist Rafał Trzaskowski in a run-off next month. A record 63% of voters turned out for the election.
…and Malawi’s opposition leader delivered a shocking victory. Lazarus Chakwera, a former Pentecostal preacher, won almost 60% of the votes in last week’s presidential election rerun. Malawi’s constitutional court annulled the incumbent’s victory in February due to allegations of vote tampering.
Lebanon-US tensions mounted. The country’s foreign minister has summoned Dorothy Shea for a meeting today, after the diplomat called Hezbollah a terrorist group. A judge in Lebanon banned media outlets in the country from broadcasting Shea’s comments and accused her of stoking sectarian divisions.
The UK’s top civil servant stepped down. Cabinet secretary and national security advisor Mark Sedwill will be leaving his posts in September as part of a wider shake-up in the UK civil service, spearheaded by top No. 10 advisor Dominic Cummings.
Global Covid-19 cases passed 10 million. The number of deaths also exceeded 500,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. New cases continues to soar in Russia and the US, while Germany reimposed lockdowns in some areas. Amazon warehouse workers also plan to strike in Germany after dozens of staff caught the coronavirus.
Russia offered Taliban-linked militants bounties to kill American troops. That’s the conclusion of US intelligence officials, who call it part of the Kremlin’s broader plan to destabilize the West. US president Donald Trump claims he was not briefed on the matter, and Russia denied it.
What to Watch For
Monday: The UK could ban Huawei from its 5G network; Boeing 737 Max test flights can begin; the Pentagon updates Donald Trump on troop withdrawal plans in Europe; Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel meet in Germany; face-to-face Brexit talks take place in Brussels, and China’s Luckin Coffee will be delisted from the Nasdaq.
Tuesday: The national security law for Hong Kong is expected to pass in Beijing; Singapore’s election campaign begins, and new manufacturing data from China is released.
Wednesday: Europe reopens to travel with exceptions; Germany takes over the EU presidency; the UK hits its Brexit extension deadline; NAFTA’s replacement kicks in, and Hong Kong marks the anniversary of its handover to China after police banned the annual July 1 protest for the first time.
Thursday: World UFO Day, plus a glut of US reports and forecasts, including June jobs, trade deficit data, and an updated 10-year economic forecast.
Friday: Hamilton comes to Disney+; Korea welcomes baseball fans back into stadiums, and US businesses observe Independence Day.
Charting Nike’s pandemic sales
Nike is one of the stronger retail performers in the US, and arguably better insulated from the pandemic than many others. But when Covid-19 hit, the impact was too great for even Nike to withstand.
For two months, about 90% of Nike’s physical stores were closed in North America, Europe, much of Asia (excluding China), and other regions. Digital sales were up, but they couldn’t make up the brick-and-mortar deficit. For the full fiscal year that ended May 31, Nike’s sales fell 4% versus the same period last year.
For members: How to build a walkable city
The history of Paris offers a lesson for today’s commuters.
By the mid-19th century, the French capital was reeling from decades of violence and disease. Cholera was in the water, and the end of the 1848 revolution lingered in the air. In 1853, Napoleon III tasked Georges-Eugène Haussmann with modernizing the city. The French official opened up the city’s dense medieval alleyways, transforming them into the broad boulevards Paris is famous for today while relieving overcrowding. The result was a healthier, more beautiful and open city. (The new expansive streets also helped to hinder insurrectionists and provide quick passage for troops.)
The design, which created a core with numerous walkable streets, helped the city of Paris navigate its Covid-19 reopening more successfully than others. But so have modern politics and policy.
✦ Read more about what cities can learn from Paris in our field guide on the commuting revolution. It’s available exclusively to members—start with a seven-day free trial! ✦
Surprising discoveries
The first-ever degree in ninja studies was awarded. A 45-year-old student at a Japanese university spent two years perfecting martial arts and survival skills.
NASA needs your toilet ideas. The US space agency is soliciting thoughts from the public on the best way to build a bathroom on the Moon.
There’s going to be a patron saint of the internet. A tech-savvy Italian teen who died from leukemia in 2006 is close to achieving sainthood after the Vatican attributed a miracle to him.
Amazon wants hairy actors. The company’s upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series put out a casting call for actors with “funny looking” physical features.
A bear needs a stay of execution. Animal rights activists want a full investigation before a bear is euthanized for attacking a father and son on a hiking trail in Italy.
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