What to watch for today
Apple shows what it’s been working on. Apple watchers expect the company to unveil a revamp of OS X, its Mac operating system, designed by the man who splashed colors all over iOS 7 last year. Apple isn’t expected to unveil a new device at its annual developer conference, but you never know.
The White House cracks down on greenhouse gases. President Obama will bypass Congress to propose a plan that will force power plants to cut their emissions by 30% (from 2005 levels) over 15 years. Coal-producing states and power companies won’t take the news lying down.
World Cup teams finalize their players. The 32 nations fighting for the 2014 cup must announce their squad line-ups by today (paywall). Brazil itself hasn’t been meeting its construction deadlines.
Over the weekend
China factory activity hit a five-month high. The official purchasing managers’ index for May reached 50.8 in its biggest rise this year, though still barely above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction. The activity beat analysts’ expectations and bodes well for China’s plan to stabilize its slowing economy.
Euro zone PMI slipped. The purchasing managers’ index fell to a six-month low of 52.2 in May, from 53.4 in April, as strength in Germany was offset by weakness in France. The lower-than-expected data will raise pressure on the European Central Bank to stimulate the economy when it meets later this week. Britain’s PMI slipped to 57.0 from 57.3.
Malaysia backtracked on finding pork in Cadbury chocolate. The Muslim-majority country said additional testing determined that Cadbury bars did not contain pork DNA after all, in the wake of a product recall and calls for a consumer boycott.
Thai coup protests went Hollywood. Demonstrators used social media to evade the military with small hit-and-run protests, which utilized the three finger salute made famous by the blockbuster Hunger Games trilogy. Meanwhile, junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha announced that he will take to TV and radio every Friday for a program called “Returning Happiness to the People.”
China tried to erase recent history. More than 50 people have been arrested (paywall) in recent weeks to stop them from commemorating this week’s 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and has blocked internet services including Google and foreign news sites. In Hong Kong, however, memorials of the anniversary are going strong, with a street march over the weekend and a planned vigil on June 4.
Spain’s King Juan Carlos abdicated. Crown Prince Felipe will take over from his father, who reigned since the 1975 death of dictator Francisco Franco.
Qatar’s World Cup bid was won with bribes. A Sunday Times exposé reveals how a country with no football infrastructure bagged the rights to host the world’s biggest sporting tournament in 2022 (paywall). Following a FIFA ethics investigation, the decision could go to a re-vote.
Quartz obsession interlude
Mark DeCambre on the colorful cast of characters facing US insider trading investigations. “What do star golfer Phil Mickelson, corporate raider Carl Icahn and famed Las Vegas gambler William T. Walters have in common? Federal insider trading probes. The trio reportedly are ensnared in a series of investigations led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission concerning trades made based on non-public information—otherwise known as insider information—report the Wall Street Journal (paywall) and New York Times (paywall), both citing people briefed on the probes.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Minecraft can solve technology’s gender gap. The way to get girls into coding is “meet them where they are.”
The ailment of the modern era is “surveillant anxiety.” It’s the fear that our digital footprints reveal too much about us.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s election victory was the easy part. The new Egyptian president’s real test will be fixing the economy.
Hollywood and Silicon Valley don’t have much in common, besides California. When it comes to financing, communication and culture, the two industries are worlds apart.
Surprising discoveries
The US constitution may have a fatal flaw. Mathematician Kurt Gödel noticed that the section on amendments can itself be amended.
The world already produces more farmed fish than beef. But the danger is repeating the industrial-scale problems of the past.
Bruce Lee’s biggest strength was between his ears. The secret behind his ”one-inch punch” was exquisite neurological timing.
The moon has WiFi. MIT and NASA researchers used four telescopes and a laser to transmit a WiFi signal from a base in New Mexico.
Drones are for drug dealers, too. Traffickers have reportedly set up a manufacturing plant in Mexico to make drones for cross-border runs (paywall).
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, constitutional conundrums, and lunar WiFi passwords to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.