Rouhani’s ultimatum, Trump vs. NATO, Pompeii’s unluckiest man

[Quartz Daily Brief]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today Iran gives Europe an ultimatum. President Hassan Rouhani visits Switzerland today and Austria tomorrow to drum up support for the nuclear accord as the start date for fresh US sanctions on his country approaches. Iran said it will [resume nuclear activities]( unless key European countries agree to keep trading with it. Poland rolls out a controversial judicial overhaul. The European Commission has protested the new policy that would [force out 40% of the country’s Supreme Court]( justices by lowering the mandatory retirement age. The last of the World Cup’s quarter finalists are confirmed. England play Colombia and Sweden play Switzerland in the final matches of the round of 16—some England fans are already [daring to dream]( of a place in the finals. Sponsor content by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Technological innovation is rapidly changing the business landscape. In an era where disruption takes place at breakneck speed, it’s essential to keep up. Luckily, this chatbot is here to help. From robotic exoskeletons to cloud computing, Hugo is here to guide you through the [tech trends transforming our world](. [Advertisement] While you were sleeping Donald Trump sent snail mail to NATO leaders. In letters sent in June, the president [chastized the leaders]( (paywall) of countries including Germany, Norway, and Canada for spending too little on their own defence. He also warned that the US was running out of patience with the bloc. The boys trapped in a Thai cave can’t be rescued for now. Divers located the 12 boys and their football coach in a flooded cave yesterday after a week-long search. The military said [getting them out could take months]( as they first need to be trained to dive. They will be supplied with food, water, and medication while they wait. US mall vacancies hit a six-year high. Online shopping continued to hurt brick-and-mortar shopping centers in the last quarter, sending vacancy rates to 8.6%, which is the [emptiest they’ve been]( (paywall) since 2012. China’s currency hit an 11-month low against the dollar. Anxious investors bracing for the [looming US-China trade war]( caused the currency to cross the 6.7 per dollar point for the first time since August 2017. The White House will slap 25% duties on $34 billion worth of Chinese products on July 6, and Beijing will match that in retaliatory tariffs. Amazon added six hours to Prime Day. This year’s bargain-shopping frenzy (on July 16) will [go on for 36 hours]( the company said, and it will extend the event to include Australia, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Last year’s Prime Day was the biggest sales day in the company’s history. Quartz Obsession interlude Rosie Spinks on how Hilton Hotels fought the Cold War with ice water, AC, and burgers. “Thanks to omnipresent enterprises like Hilton, it’s remarkably hard for Americans to grasp just how pervasively embedded their country’s dominance and ideology is. It’s hidden in something as prosaic as a glass of ice water, a hamburger, a high-rise hotel room. Wherever Americans go, their way of life—and sense of hubris—is catered to, very often by quintessentially American brands like Hilton.” [Read more here](. Matters of debate Tech regulation must come from companies, not governments. Private [third-party supervisors]( are more effective than slow bureaucracies. Hiring people based on a “culture fit” can damage your business. People who all think the same will [struggle to innovate]( or adapt to change. Amazon’s prescription drug push will be hard to swallow. Buying PillPack was easy compared with [competing against powerful and well-established incumbents](. Surprising discoveries Australia is punishing anti-vaxxers. Parents [who don’t vaccinate their children]( will get money docked from their family tax benefits. “Pompeii’s Unluckiest Man” was no more unfortunate than his neighbors. The [79 AD meme sensation]( (paywall) was killed by suffocation, not a boulder. Japan’s World Cup octopus barely outlasted its soccer team. The creature was [sold for food]( before it could forecast the outcome of the Belgium match. Astronomers photographed a planet’s birth for the first time. The image of a gas giant forming is [equally beautiful and enlightening](. Uniqlo is using Roger Federer to show off its climate-controlling clothes. The [Japanese company insists]( that it’s not a “sports company,” but a technology firm. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, scientific tennis wear, and psychic-octopus salad to hi@qz.com. You can follow us [on Twitter]( for updates throughout the day or download our [apps for iPhone]( and [Android](. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Jill Petzinger and edited by Lianna Brinded. Enjoying the Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here to sign up.]( If you click a link to an e-commerce site and make a purchase, we may receive a small cut of the revenue, which helps support our ambitious journalism. See [here]( for more information. To unsubscribe from the Quartz Daily Brief, [click here](.