Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China launches its Shenzhou-11 rocket. The spacecraft will carry two astronauts to the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab, where they’ll stay for a month. The operation brings China one step closer to establishing its own space station by 2020.
Iran is accepting applications for energy projects. With global sanctions lifting, the oil-rich country hopes to revitalize a hobbled energy sector by inviting foreign investors to develop its oil and natural gas fields.
Elon Musk reveals a new Tesla product. The electric car company has kept details of today’s unveiling under lock-and-key, though some speculate it’s related to the new $35,000 Model 3.
ZTO begins a global investor roadshow. The Chinese logistics company goes public later this month and could raise up to 1.5 billion. It would be the biggest US IPO this year, and the second-largest by a Chinese company in the US, after Alibaba.
Over the weekend
The US and UK discussed new sanctions for Russia. Ten countries met in London on Saturday to discuss crimes against humanity in Aleppo, Syria. Russian warplanes have played a key role in the Syrian government’s bloody siege of the city.
Donald Trump was the guest of honor at a Bollywood-themed fundraiser. At a Republican Hindu Coalition event in New Jersey, the Republican presidential nominee promised to become “best friends” with India and described Mumbai as a city he understands.
Thailand shut down its tourism hotspots. A list of temporary closures was announced by the national tourism authority. Thailand is mourning the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and tourists have been asked to dress somberly.
Thousands of French people protested gay marriage. At least 24,000 people took to the streets in Paris against a 2013 act legalizing same-sex marriage. So far, though, none of the country’s right-wing candidates for next year’s presidential election have taken aim at the law.
The world’s oldest panda in captivity died. 38-year-old Jia Jia was euthanized due to deteriorating health, at Ocean Park Hong Kong. Jia Jia was born in China’s Sichuan province in 1978, but was moved to Hong Kong in 1999.
Quartz obsession interlude
Elijah Wolfson on how aerospace engineers learned to predict where the cream ends up when you twist an Oreo, with 100% accuracy. “When you’re a kid, you constantly need ways to make quick, unbiased decisions on issues like who gets first pick in the recess basketball draft […]. One quick way was introduced by Nabisco in a mid-1990s TV ad campaign for Oreos, their famous cream-filled cookie sandwich: Hold one side of the cookie while your friend holds the other, twist, and see who ends up with the cream.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Guaranteeing pension returns is a terrible idea. The risks grow as more people sign on.
Twitter is a media company. So stop comparing it to tech companies.
The sun has set on libertarianism. Big government is now just one among many threats to personal freedom.
Surprising discoveries
Boris Johnson’s argument for staying in the EU. His February op-ed was never published.
It took 11 Clinton campaign staffers to draft a tweet. Uncovered in a batch of leaked emails, the short statement was on Puerto Rico’s debt crisis.
How to earn $10 extra per night on your Airbnb listing? Offer a hair dryer.
Karl Lagerfeld designed a $3000 set of colored pencils. There’s already a wait list.
Russian hackers used a simple phishing scheme to hack the DNC. More than 20 staffers fell for it.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, luxury pencils, and untwisted Oreos to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day or download our iPhone app.