Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
World leaders converge in Sicily for the annual G7 meeting. Climate change and international trade policy are on the agenda for the Friday and Saturday event. US president Donald Trump is skeptical of both issues.
AlphaGo goes for the sweep. The suspense during Saturday’s match between Google’s Go-playing AI and world number one Ke Jie will be minimal, after AlphaGo swept the first two matches. On Friday, the AI will compete against a team of top humans working together.
India opens its longest bridge near the disputed border with China. The 9.2 km (5.7 mi) bridge runs from Assam across the Brahmaputra River to Arunachal Pradesh, which China has claimed as South Tibet. It will help Indian troops reach the northeast province and keep an eye on its neighbor.
While you were sleeping
Donald Trump scolded NATO leaders. Heads of state got an earful from the US president, who criticized alliance members for not spending enough on defense. In a day of diplomatic stagecraft, Trump exchanged some intense handshakes with France’s Emmanuel Macron, called Germany “very, very bad,” and shoved aside the prime minister of Montenegro.
A US appeals court declined to reinstate Trump’s travel ban. Judges confirmed a lower court ruling that the ban discriminates on the basis of religion. Trump has vowed to fight the ruling, and the case will likely make its way to the Supreme Court.
OPEC extended production cuts for nine more months. Nigeria, Libya, and Iran will be exempt from the cuts, which will now last until next March. The market was underwhelmed, sending oil prices down by more than 5% to less than $49 a barrel.
Target went to the mattresses for bedding startup Casper. The company invested $75 million in the online retailer as its own brick-and-mortar sales continue to fall. Target had previously announced a partnership that allowed customers to buy Casper beds and accessories.
A 3D-printed carbon-fiber rocket launched from New Zealand. Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket took off from a launchpad on the Mahia Peninsula on Thursday. Though it didn’t make it into orbit, the Electron’s voyage represents an important milestone in the race to make space travel more affordable.
Quartz obsession interlude
Akshat Rathi on the Chinese company training US coal miners to become wind farmers: “If you want to truly understand what’s happening in the energy industry, the best thing to do is to travel deep into the heart of American coal country, to Carbon County, Wyoming (yes, that’s a real place).” Read more here.
Markets haiku
Mallrats can rejoice / Best Buy shows retail’s not dead / Sears? Um, not so much.
Matters of debate
The $11 million budget for “Star Wars” was the best film investment ever made. The film, released forty years ago, pulled in almost $2 billion and spawned a money-making empire.
Nafta is good for America—and Canada and Mexico can explain why. The countries’ foreign ministers are debunking Trump’s myths about trade.
Saudi Arabia is OPEC’s weakest link. The looming IPO of Saudi Aramco will make it impossible to support the cartel’s attempts to cut production.
Surprising discoveries
The World Bank’s chief economist was demoted for his crusade against “and.” Paul Romer pushed staff to write more clearly and avoid “Bankspeak.”
Scientists have discovered the first snakes that hunt in packs. They hang from the mouths of caves in Cuba to catch bats.
Texas has approved the hunting of feral pigs from hot air balloons. They’re a lot more stealthy than helicopters.
A Swiss watchmaker is trolling Apple with a faux-smartwatch. The analog timepiece from H. Moser & Cie “cultivates this ambiguity in irreverent fashion.”
Kuwaiti officials caught a drug-smuggling pigeon wearing a backpack. It was carrying nearly 200 pills over the border from Iraq.
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