Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UN security council meets to discuss North Korea’s latest provocation. Sunday’s missile test showed dramatic improvements in North Korea’s progress toward a long-range missile capable of reaching the US and other targets. That may prompt China and Russia to agree to new sanctions.
Trump has an uneasy sit-down with Erdogan. The Turkish president’s Washington visit has been overshadowed by US support for a Kurdish militia in Syria, which Turkey considers a terrorist affiliate. Turkey is also vying for the extradition of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who it says inspired a military coup last year.
SpaceX launches a satellite to aid in-flight Wifi. A Falcon 9 rocket will send an Inmarsat satellite toward geosynchronous orbit, where it will join the company’s Global Xpress broadband network. SpaceX itself has plans to provide internet from a constellation of satellites starting in 2019.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump reportedly revealed “highly classified” intel to the Russians last week. The Washington Post reports that the president discussed information “from an ally that has access to the inner workings of the Islamic State” with the Russian ambassador and foreign minister during an Oval Office visit. The intel was related to the decision to bans carry-on laptops on some flights.
A judge ordered Uber to return Waymo’s “pilfered” files. In a newly unsealed ruling, Uber engineer Anthony Levandowski, formerly of Waymo, was banned from any work pertaining to “lidar” sensing technology, after a judge ruled that there is “compelling evidence” he stole more than 14,000 confidential files. Waymo lawyers will also gain access to all of Uber’s work on lidar.
The WannaCry ransomware attack lost steam. No new infections were reported on Monday, after a three-day surge that affected 300,000 computers in 150 countries. Researchers expect further variants to spread, however, including some that may use another exploit that was stolen from the NSA.
Google’s AI received “legally inappropriate” access to 1.6 million UK patient records. The company’s DeepMind unit was improperly granted access to National Health Service data, according to the UK data watchdog. DeepMind is developing a mobile app to alert medical staff when patients’ vital signs are abnormal.
The US accused Syria of mass executions and cremations. State department officials released satellite photos and other evidence suggesting that thousands of civilians are executed every year at the Sednaya Prison outside of Damascus. According to Amnesty International, the Assad regime carries out mass hangings at the prison, including some at night to avoid detection.
Quartz obsession interlude
Lily Kuo on the pitfalls of China’s New Silk Road: “The One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, marketed as a modern-day recreation of the ancient Silk Road trading route, is about gaining access to new markets for Chinese goods. In this way, OBOR is similar to Britain’s colonial trade routes, used to take natural resources from its outposts as well as ship finished goods back to its colonial subjects.” Read more here.
Markets haiku
For nice, frothy stocks: / Take a weak dollar, add dollop / of West Texas crude
Matters of debate
Ransomware is great advertising for cybersecurity stocks. Hackers have netted a paltry sum compared to the sector’s soaring shares.
Trump gave the new Silk Road a credibility boost. The presence of a top US official at the summit was exactly what Beijing wanted.
The US is starting a disastrous new war on drugs. A move to re-impose tougher sentencing guidelines is a throwback to an ugly era.
Surprising discoveries
The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs landed in the worst possible spot. Its impact sent vast amounts of sulphur into the atmosphere
A US retailer is giving its workers exoskeletons. They’re designed to transfer energy more efficiently while lifting heavy objects.
Florence Nightingale was great at infographics. The famous nurse used persuasive statistics to improve the healthcare system.
Coca-Cola has quietly been removing sugar from its sodas. Nobody seemed to notice or care that artificial sweeteners have been swapped in.
Americans are still naming their babies after “Star Wars.” Forty years after the uptick in Lukes and Leias, there has been a surge of Reys and Kylos.
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