Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Merkel meets with China’s leaders. The German chancellor aims to push Beijing on trade, cyber security, and human rights during the fourth Sino-German joint cabinet meeting. Yesterday she accused China of wrecking Europe’s steel industry by overproducing the commodity.
Apple’s developer conference opens. The tech giant’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco launches with an expected focus on opening its digital assistant Siri to outside developers.
The Morningstar Investment Conference begins. Expect noteworthy speeches and interviews with top fund managers from the annual three-day event, held this year in Chicago. The lineup includes Templeton’s Michael Hasenstab, BlackRock’s Rick Rieder, and Vanguard CEO Bill McNabb.
Over the weekend
The US suffered the deadliest mass shooting in its history. A man identified as Omar S. Mateen killed 50 people and wounded at least 50 more at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida on Sunday (June 12). Law enforcement officials told US lawmakers that Mateen pledged allegiance (paywall) to the Islamic State in a 911 call before the attack.
Hooliganism and trash marred Euro 2016. European governing football body UEFA warned Russia and England their teams would be booted from the tournament if violent clashes continue between their fans in Marseille. In Paris, piles of uncollected trash greeted fans in tourist-friendly districts, the result of ongoing labor disputes.
A bomb went off in Shanghai’s airport. Five people were wounded when a man threw a homemade explosive device near check-in desks at Shanghai Pudong International Airport—and then stabbed himself in the neck.
“Hamilton” dominated the Tony Awards. The blockbuster hip-hop Broadway musical won 11 awards, having received 16 nominations (more than any in history). Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda gave a stirring tribute to the Orlando victims in his acceptance speech.
Quartz obsession interlude
Erik Olsen on the welcome return of great white sharks. “To some, the recovery of the shark is a frightening prospect, conjuring Jaws-inspired images of frenzied man-eaters, hungry for human flesh. But Dr. [Chris] Lowe says these fears are unjustified.” Read (and watch) more here.
Matters of debate
America is wrongly blocking gay men from donating blood to Orlando shooting victims. The government’s guidance against gay male donations is scientifically unjustified, and a reminder of lingering battles facing the LGBT community.
We’ve been eating genetically modified food for 10,000 years. Why stop now? Not all genetically modified food is bad, and plenty of ”cloned” produce is considered ”organic.”
Society writes off feminists and African Americans who get angry. But harnessing the emotion often gives way to problem-solving.
Surprising discoveries
You can train your brain to cope well with stress. There are neuroscience-based techniques that can change brain chemistry ”as much as any antidepressant.”
Robots are beating skilled doctors at surgery. Experiments on pigs found autonomous robots made as good or better stitches than experienced surgeons.
Digital stickers made messaging app Line $268 million last year. The sticker business made up a quarter of the company’s overall revenue.
The Milky Way is disappearing. One-third of the global population can’t see the galaxy because of widespread light pollution that threatens our ecosystem and human health.
Iceland has found a way to turn carbon emissions into rock. The hope is that the deluge of CO2 entering the atmosphere could be permanently stored as solid rock.
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