Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
A decisive jobs report. Analysts think the US added about 160,000 jobs in May. Any hint of a hiring slowdown could prevent the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates later this month.
Touchy talks over the South China Sea. US defense secretary Ash Carter joins Asian counterparts in Singapore for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue. Beijing is reportedly set to require aircraft in the region to identify themselves to the Chinese military.
At attempt to jump start the Israel-Palestine peace process. The conference in Paris today will bring together representatives from the Middle East Quartet, the Arab League and the UN—but Israel and the Palestinians have refused to attend.
Hong Kong commemorates Tiananmen Square. A memorial for the 1989 massacre in Beijing begins at 6pm local time on Saturday. The annual event exposes growing generational divisions among pro-democracy groups, with younger activists focused on creating change in Hong Kong, rather than seeking reforms on the mainland.
While you were sleeping
Japanese investigators raided Suzuki’s headquarters. The transport ministry is looking into the carmaker’s use of improper fuel economy tests. The company said that, after the 2008 global financial crisis, it lacked the resources to meet regulatory testing standards.
France is struggling to cope with floods. The Louvre in Paris shut as floodwaters lash the French capital and the Seine river burst its banks—it’s expected to rise six meters (20 feet) above its normal level on Friday. Nineteen people have died across Europe due to the floods so far.
A massive rescue operation got underway in the Mediterranean. Over 300 people were rescued by the Greek coastguard from a packed migrant boat that sunk near the island of Crete. Three bodies were also recovered from the sea. The UNHCR said that more than 2,500 people have died trying cross the Mediterranean in 2016.
Wal-Mart partnered with Uber and Lyft for grocery delivery. The world’s biggest retailer launches its online-delivery pilot in the coming weeks, which it hopes will compete head-on with rivals like Amazon’s Prime Fresh service.
United Continental and Delta eyed up Avianca. The US-based airlines are among potential suitors for the Panama-based Latin American carrier (paywall), according to the Wall Street Journal. Avianca, which has a market value of $600 million, is seeking to raise $500 million in capital, but may consider a complete sale.
Quartz obsession interlude
Josh Horwitz on startups’ meaningless jargon. “‘Content.’ ‘Platforms.’ ‘Synergy.’ ‘End-to-end’… These words sound technical and informed. But they mean nothing, and they make it difficult for ordinary people to understand what a company actually does. In an effort to either sound smart and attract investors, or to simply dress up an otherwise boring product, startups that rely too much on jargon end up alienating the users they want to attract.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The right to not be offended hurts free speech—and helps repressive regimes. Western liberals should think twice before insisting offensive words be censored.
China’s tech companies are the future of banking. They’re using their online payment systems to steal business from traditional banks (paywall).
The AB-InBev merger with SAB Miller may crush America’s beer renaissance. The massive company will control the country’s beer distribution and could strangle independent breweries.
Surprising discoveries
Global terror attacks actually fell 13% in 2015, the State Department says. It’s down to fewer attacks in Iraq, Pakistan, and Nigeria.
The Kremlin blames condoms for the spread of HIV. The “Russian model” of prevention relies on heterosexual, monogamous relationships.
Plastic in the sea is like fast food for fish. They choose plastic particles over plankton, and it makes them slow and stupid.
One of the internet’s inventors thinks it should still be capitalized. Vint Cerf has objected to a recent decision by the AP to lowercase it.
The number of Americans who’ve had a same-sex experience has doubled since the 1990s. It’s now 8.7% for women and 8.2% for men.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments,Wal-Mart surge charges, and Kremlin directives to hi@qz.com. You can download our iPhone app or follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.