Jun 26, 2017

Germany refuses Erdogan's bodyguards ahead of G20 summit

Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

Ahead of next week's G20 summit in Hamburg, the German government has told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to leave some members of his security detail at home after they were involved in a massive brawl outside in the Turkish embassy in Washington last month, per CNN.

What went down: Die Welt reports that Germany's Foreign Ministry received a list of those accompanying Erdogan for the G20 summit and blocked those involved in the skirmish in DC saying that "all other guests who travel to Germany must abide by German law."

Stay tuned: There might be as many 100,000 protestors in Hamburg for the G20 next week. Some will be protesting the presence of President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Kurdish groups are also expected to turn up to protest Erdogan's policies.

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Inside hackers' pivot to medical espionage

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A wave of cyber-spying around COVID-19 medical research is once more demonstrating the perils of treating cybersecurity as a separate, walled-off realm.

Driving the news: U.S. officials recently announced an uptick in Chinese-government affiliated hackers targeting medical research and other facilities in the United States for data on a potential COVID-19 cure or effective treatments to combat the virus. Additionally, “more than a dozen countries have redeployed military and intelligence hackers to glean whatever they can about other nations’ virus responses,” reports the New York Times.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow21 mins ago - Technology

The downsides of remote work

Data: Reproduced from Prudential/Morning Consult "Pulse of the American Worker Survey"; Chart: Axios Visuals

The coronavirus pandemic has forced a large-scale experiment in working from home. It has gone well enough that many companies are expanding their remote work expectations for the foreseeable future, and remote employees want to continue to work that way.

Yes, but: The downsides of remote work — less casual interaction with colleagues, an over-reliance on Zoom, lack of in-person collaboration and longer hours — could over time diminish the short-term gains.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow36 mins ago - Economy & Business

Hong Kong's economic future hangs in the balance

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

As Beijing forces a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, the once semi-autonomous city's status as one of Asia's largest financial hubs is at risk.

Why it matters: Political freedoms and strong rule of law helped make Hong Kong a thriving center for international banking and finance. But China's leaders may be betting that top firms in Hong Kong will trade some political freedoms for the economic prosperity Beijing can offer.

Go deeper (3 min. read)Arrow42 mins ago - Economy & Business