Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The UK leadership race officially begins. Eleven candidates are jockeying to succeed former prime minister Theresa May, who stepped down last Friday. They have until 5pm local time today to submit their nominations, which need to be backed by at least eight MPs. The first in a series of secret ballots begins Thursday.
Huawei answers questions from the UK parliament. An executive from the Chinese telecom-equipment giant will be grilled amid concerns it poses a security risk as a supplier to next-generation networks. Meanwhile, a White House office has asked Congress to give US government agencies more time to comply with last year’s ban on working with companies that deal with Huawei.
Japan takes on Argentina in the Women’s World Cup. Japan’s team, which won in 2011 and placed second in 2015, returns with a young squad seeking another title ahead of the Tokyo Olympics next year.
US House Democrats start hearings on the Mueller report. A procession of votes and hearings this week kicks off today with a House Judiciary Committee session on “presidential obstruction and other crimes.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi prefers a slow, methodical approach to investigating Donald Trump, rather than starting impeachment proceedings. Separately, senators will take steps to force a vote on US arm sales to Saudi Arabia.
Kazakhstan’s presidential election results. There’s little doubt the winner will be former prime minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, handpicked by Nursultan Nazarbayev, who recently resigned as president following nearly 30 years in charge of the oil-rich nation. Protesters Sunday viewed the vote as undemocratic.
Over the weekend
A massive protest in Hong Kong turned violent overnight. Crowds thronged the streets yesterday calling for a proposed extradition law to be scrapped—and setting a protest record. A tense confrontation between police and protestors spilled over into violence shortly after midnight, with the standoff continuing into the wee hours of Monday. Nevertheless, Hong Kong’s chief executive said today she plans to press ahead with legislation that would let suspects be extradited to mainland China for trial for the first time.
G20 finance leaders worried about the US-China trade war. Meeting in Japan, they agreed that the dispute between the world’s two largest economies was intensifying and could lead to a global crisis. A key meeting between Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping takes place later this month. Still, China’s May exports unexpectedly grew, though that may have been due to businesses trying to get ahead of any further US tariffs.
More people died as Sudan began a national strike against the military. Millions of people heeded a call from pro-reform groups to stay home Sunday, the first day of the work week, in an attempt to dislodge the interim military government. Four more people were killed over the weekend, following raids on protesters last week that killed at least 60.
United Technologies and Raytheon will combine forces. The new company would be the biggest aerospace and defence firm after Boeing, with $74 billion in annual sales of everything from Tomahawk missiles to the engines that power passenger planes.
A Moscow court put Ivan Golunov under house arrest. Police had detained the investigative journalist last week for alleged drug offenses, rattling Russia’s media community. His employer, Latvia-based news website Meduza, said Golunov was being persecuted due to his reporting on corruption.
The IAAF extended Russia’s track-and-field ban. The track world’s governing body reported on backsliding in the nation’s doping reforms. If Russia can’t convince regulators otherwise, its athletes will have to compete under a neutral flag during September’s IAAF World Championships in Qatar.
Quartz Obsession
A legendary psychological experiment about tyranny may have led us astray. The Stanford Prison Experiment pitted 24 students against each other as “prisoners” and “guards,” and spiraled into horrifying psychological abuse. Does authority turn people authoritarian? New criticisms of this foundational study say… well, it’s complicated. Roll call at the Quartz Obsession.
Matters of debate
Join the conversation with the new Quartz app!
Specializing is overrated. In today’s world the trick to excellence is being a bit of a dilettante.
Working around a huge problem beats trying to make it go away. Just ask the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Not washing your clothes is the next big thing. That’s what the startup Unbound Merino wants you to believe, anyway.
Surprising discoveries
Police in Tehran shut down nearly 550 cafes and restaurants. The eateries were apparently flouting “Islamic principles” by playing illegal music or otherwise permitting “debauchery.”
China’s carmakers are sponsoring rocket launches. They claim the partnerships will pave the way for technological advances for their automobiles.
A Japanese prison has a mandarin orange as its mascot. The cuddly creature, Waka-Pi, represents Wakayama Women’s Prison.
Fungi savvily trade resources with plants. Researchers have observed them hoarding phosphorus to inflate the amount of carbon they get in return.
An Indian village rises from a river once a year. Curdi was submerged in 1986 but every May its former residents get a chance to visit their old home.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, unwashed clothing, and resurrected villages to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Mary Hui and edited by Tripti Lahiri.