WTO and vaccines, Apple v. Epic, Kiwi Covid-19 killer

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Here’s what you need to know

The US and the World Trade Organization talk vaccines. Washington’s top trade negotiator will discuss with the WTO how to resolve intellectual property issues to distribute Covid-19 shots more widely.

The G7 meeting kicks off in London. Foreign ministers from the world’s seven richest countries are meeting in person to discuss issues including climate finance targets and fighting disinformation from Russia and China.

India reported more than 400,000 daily Covid-19 cases. To cope with the continuing crisis, a New Delhi court ruled that government officials who prevent life-saving oxygen from reaching hospitals would be punished. Separately, prime minister Narendra Modi’s party lost in a key battleground state election.

Australia is reviewing Chinese ownership of a port. The defense department will examine national security implications of a 99-year lease to a Chinese firm of a Darwin port used as a base for US Marines.

Four astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. They returned from the International Space Station in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Protests postponed an English Premier League game. In continued blowback from soccer’s failed Super League, Manchester fans angry about the club’s role in the breakaway attempt broke into Old Trafford and delayed the match with Liverpool.

Italy’s Colosseum is getting a retractable arena floor. It will get a €18.5 million ($22 million) hi-tech stage to allow visitors to see the underground network of tunnels and rooms while protecting them from the elements.

Warren Buffet blasted Robinhood. He says the trading app is contributing to the casino-like nature of recent trading activity.

What to watch for

Apple and Fortnite-maker Epic Games are heading to court this week. The question at hand: Is Apple’s App Store a monopoly?

The backstory: Apple’s App Store is the only way iOS users can download software. Developers must follow Apple’s rules and use its payment system, which automatically takes Apple’s 30% bite out of each purchase. Such limitations have made things difficult for Epic, which since March 2020 has been adding new titles to its own Games Store in an effort to beef up its offerings to gamers.

Last August, Apple removed Fortnite from the App store after Epic updated the game to give users the option to pay Epic directly. Epic responded with a PR campaign, a hashtag, a 60-page legal complaint, and a video parody of one of Apple’s most famous ads.

How it’ll go down: Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who will decide the case, has made it clear she’s not sympathetic to Epic, chiding the firm for knowingly violating Apple’s rules.

Charting India’s impact on African vaccinations

Covid-19 is a global disease, and India’s crisis is the world’s crisis. India’s devastating second wave is already impacting Africa.

In March, Covax, the global vaccine-sharing initiative, confirmed its plans to allocate the AstraZeneca vaccine to African countries, which make up 40 of the 64 low-income countries being supported by the initiative.

That plan came to a grinding halt when the Serum Institute of India restricted exports of vaccines towards the end of March, as a more virulent wave of Covid-19 swept through the country.  With some of the vials already distributed, vaccine programs on the continent have been thrown into disarray, as countries scramble to delay and find supplies for a second dose.

What kind of public listing are you?

IPOs have traditionally been a black box, with Wall Street in charge of who gets shares at what price. Entrepreneurs complain that banks reward their clients with sweetheart deals at the issuing company’s expense. So they’re turning to alternatives. Which alternative is right for you based on your personality?

🎲 You’re edgy and like to take chances: You’re a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC)—basically a big pot of money looking for an acquisition target. You’re a little unusual and risky, but that’s sexy right? Let’s roll the dice.

🚀 You have big ambitions but it takes time to get to know you: You’re a traditional listing. You might be the next mega-cap stock, but you’re not a consumer name everyone already knows. Taking some time to explain your story to investors could be worth the time and money.

👯 Everybody knows you, everybody loves you, and you’re a big deal: You’re a direct listing. As a company people already love and use regularly, you don’t need to hold investors’ hands. They know who you are and are salivating over your shares.

👶 You don’t like scrutiny and never want to grow up: You should stay in the private market. This way you don’t have to deal with a share price that twitches on every scrap of news, cope with pesky short sellers, or show the entire world your dirty laundry via regular financial statements.

✦ Read all about the new ways companies are going public in this week’s field guide, the future of the IPO. Not a member yet? Try it free for a week!

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📈 Surging oil profits could actually be good for the clean energy race

🔐 Google holds the keys to web privacy in Africa and Asia

📺 Amazon’s streaming audience is almost as big as Netflix’s

🗺️ Mapmakers once referred to the southern Atlantic Ocean as the Ethiopian Ocean

Surprising discoveries

Zoe Roth made $500,000 by selling an NFT of her “Disaster Girl” meme. The college senior will use the money to pay off student loans and donate to charity.

Streams and lakes are suing for their rights. The listed plaintiffs attempting to stop a Florida housing development are Wilde Cypress Branch, Boggy Branch, Crosby Island Marsh, Lake Hart, and Lake Mary Jane.

A new pedestrian bridge in Portugal will make you afraid of heights. The 1,700-foot (500-meter) metal bridge claims to be the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, and, yes, it hangs over a canyon.

Kamala Harris will be the first US vice president to appear in Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. No luck with the Chuck Taylors—her replica will don the purple suit Harris wore at her swearing-in ceremony.

A Kiwi-made coating is a coronavirus killer. Inhibit Coatings has developed technology that “can kill 99.9 percent of human coronavirus in two hours” on a variety of surfaces, according to CEO Eldon Tate.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, space capsules, and wax politicians to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Mary Hui, Jane Li, John Detrixhe, Alexandra Ossola, and Jordan Lebeau.