Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Joe Biden visits Turkey. The US vice president is the most senior US official to visit the country since the failed military coup in July. Tensions are high since Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan upped the pressure for the US to extradite cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan accuses of being behind the coup.
Angela Merkel continues her European tour. The German chancellor visits Tallinn to meet with the prime minister of one the the EU’s newer member countries, Estonia. She will also pay a visit to NATO’s center for cybersecurity in Tallinn.
A
sian leaders talk territory disputes.
Foreign ministers from Japan, China, and South Korea
Tokyo to
address
economic cooperation, territorial tensions at sea, and a coordinated response to North Korea’s continued nuclear development.
While you were sleeping
An earthquake struck central Italy, killing 21 people. The magnitude 6.2 quake hit at about 3:30am local time near Accumoli, causing significant damage to several towns. Tremors were felt in Rome some 100km (62 miles) away. Rescue operations are still underway to free those trapped under rubble.
AstraZeneca did an antibiotic deal with Pfizer. The UK pharma company agreed to sell its small molecule antibiotics business to Pfizer for an estimated $1.5 billion, including an upfront payment of $550 million. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year, and AstraZeneca said it wouldn’t impact its 2016 financial guidance.
Glencore kept hammering away at its debt problem. The commodities and mining giant said it lowered its net debt to $23.6 billion (paywall), from its height of $29 billion, by selling off unwanted assets—including a $670 million stake in an Australian mine. The Switzerland-based company posted a 13% drop in underlying earnings in the first half of the year.
The world’s biggest advertising group said it’s “grinding out” growth. WPP reported a 15% growth in pre-tax profit to £690 million ($909 million) in the first half of 2016. Chief executive Martin Sorrell told the BBC that he wants to see Brexit negotiations begin as soon as possible for the sake of his London-headquartered business.
German GDP growth slowed in second quarter. Down from 0.7% in the first quarter of the year, the three months to the end of June saw GDP growth of 0.4% (paywall), underpinned by a healthy increase in exports, and an uptick in government and consumer spending.
A North Korean missile reached Japan’s air defense zone. In a demonstration of improved capabilities, the ballistic missile flew about 500 km (311 miles) and became the first from North Korea to reach into Japan’s air defense identification zone. A South Korean military official told Reuters that North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic missile technology “appears to have progressed.”
Quartz obsession interlude
Sarah Shearman on the EU’s next startup hub. “Romania’s 43 years of communism were characterized by food shortages and secret police, and it remains a painful chapter in the minds of most citizens. Yet some of the legacies from this period, including a strong telecoms infrastructure and a STEM-focused education system, have actually had positive residual effects for a generation too young to remember the oppressive regime.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
It’s time to end the war on drugs. And the sitting president could send a strong message by declaring that fight is over.
Microsoft Word no longer makes sense. Word-processors evolved alongside printers, which means many of them aren’t suited to an online world.
We don’t need no education homework. The time kids devote to it would be better spent on family dinners and a good night’s sleep.
Surprising discoveries
The 2020 Olympic medals will be made from old mobile phones. Japanese authorities deserve a gold medal in recycling.
People will lie to robots to avoid hurting their feelings. Those who form a connection with a robot are more likely (paywall) to forgive it for making mistakes.
Less than 1% of Chinese women use tampons. One brand took to Weibo to tackle women’s tampon aversion by touting their usefulness during the Olympics.
The world’s biggest pearl was kept by a Philippine fisherman as a lucky charm. The 34 kg (75 lb) giant glam pearl is awaiting official verification.
Cave bears went extinct because they were vegan. By studying their bones, researchers discovered cave bears’ limited diets may be why they died off 25,000 years ago.
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