What to watch for today
Europe discusses migrants and Greece. EU foreign ministers are expected to approve a naval mission off the coast of Libya, the source of thousands of migrants making their way across the Mediterranean. Talks also continue with Greece over a deal to unlock another tranche of aid, with hopes of wrapping up a deal by Friday.
India and China’s leaders on a world tour. After meeting each other last week, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi starts a two-day visit to South Korea and Chinese premier Li Keqiang begins a trip to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Chile.
Britain’s parliament reconvenes. The House of Commons meets with its first Conservative majority in parliament since 1992 following the May 7 election. It’s a new world: the official Labour opposition has no leader and the Scottish nationalists are now the third-largest party.
Earnings and economic data. Look for first-quarter GDP from Thailand and the latest measure of property prices from China. On the earnings calendar, reports are expected from Urban Outfitters and Babcock International.
Over the weekend
Egypt’s former president Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to death. The country’s first freely-elected president and more than 100 other people face execution for their roles in a mass prison break in January 2011. The decision will be referred to Egypt’s highest religious authority and a final decision will be announced next month.
Two 19th century Palestinian nuns were canonized as saints. Pope Francis celebrated the women at a ceremony in Rome attended by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Days earlier, the Vatican formally recognized the state of Palestine.
Another Russian rocket malfunction cost Mexico a satellite. A Proton-M rocket carrying a Mexican satellite burned up in the atmosphere over Siberia a few minutes after its launch from Kazakhstan, according to Russian media. Last month, an unmanned Russian supply ship failed to dock with the International Space Station, spinning wildly out of control before burning up in the atmosphere.
Netflix is said to be chatting with Chinese companies. The US streaming giant has held talks (paywall) with Wasu Media Holding—backed by Alibaba’s Jack Ma—and BesTV New Media. Shares in Netflix surged 4.5% on Friday with the first reports of the talks.
Quartz obsession interlude
Akshat Rathi on how most children are happy no matter what, but materialism catches up eventually. “There is also a noteworthy difference in the nature of of kids’ carefree attitudes in rich and poor countries. Despite being generally happy, children in developed countries were relatively less satisfied with their body, appearance, and self-confidence.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The US presidency is an elected monarchy. Executive overreach goes back for centuries.
We should drink more whole milk. Surprise! Dairy fat actually helps stave off obesity.
You can launch a startup with just $99. That’s all it costs to access a ready-made audience of early adopters.
Jay Z can revive the value of music with an artist-led social network. Apple may also have a similar idea.
Surprising discoveries
Some Manhattan women get “wife bonuses” from their rich husbands. For how well they manage the household.
Indonesia demands that female military recruits are virgins. And tests them to make sure.
The web is a great source for constructing time-lapse portraits. Millions of shared photos show how different sites change over time.
Sweden is fighting to preserve a lost forest language. It’s called Elfdalian.
Only two gay world leaders have gotten married in office. They are from Luxembourg and Iceland.
There’s a social network strictly for discussing the weather. Despite sounding perfectly suited to the British, it’s Japanese.
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