Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Markets are closed today in the US and UK.
Emmanuel Macron hosts Vladimir Putin. It will be their first meeting since the new French president accused Moscow of meddling in his nation’s elections. They’ll discuss Syria and Ukraine, among other issues. Macron has stated that Russia’s bombing of the Syrian city Aleppo could amount to a war crime.
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn “face off” in prime time. The two party leaders won’t debate head on, but each will be interviewed and then asked questions by a studio audience on Sky News in the UK. Corbyn’s Labour party continues to gain ground on the prime minister’s Conservatives ahead of the June 8 snap election.
BMW pauses production in China. The German carmaker is expected to suspend production in Chinese and South African plants, after an Italian supplier failed to deliver a few necessary steering parts.
Over the weekend
Angela Merkel said Europe could no longer rely on the US and UK. “We Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands,” the German chancellor declared Sunday, after meeting US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Theresa May at NATO and G7 summits last week.
China reminded Hong Kong who’s boss. The country’s third-most senior leader Zhang Dejiang gave a speech in Beijing warning that Hong Kong’s relationship to China “is that of delegation of power, not power-sharing,” and that the city should not overemphasize its “high degree of autonomy.”
Ramadan kicked off around the world. But US secretary of state Rex Tillerson has reportedly decided against hosting a celebratory reception when Ramadan ends, breaking with a bipartisan tradition of honoring the Muslim world’s holy month.
North Korea flaunted a potential new anti-aircraft system. State news agency KCNA released an undated photo of leader Kim Jong-un observing a test launch. Kim reportedly ordered the unspecified weapon’s nationwide deployment.
ISIL-linked rebels threatened the Philippines. Fighting continued in the southern city of Marawi on Mindanao island, where president Rodrigo Duterte recently declared martial law. The death toll reached 100, including 19 civilians, as government forces clashed with terrorists linked to ISIL.
Quartz obsession interlude
Michael J. Coren on a doctor who helps Silicon Valley execs and engineers hit peak performance for a hefty price: “Her concierge medicine practice in San Francisco serves a small number of patients for anywhere from $5,000 for an initial assessment to upwards of $40,000 per year for comprehensive care.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The key to happiness is indifference. You don’t need to take a position on whether the proverbial glass looks half empty or half full.
China is no threat to Hollywood. Censorship keeps Chinese-made films from achieving much in the way of plot.
You don’t have to be a good writer to write a great thank-you note. There’s no formula, you just have to be sincere.
Surprising discoveries
South Koreans are losing their religion. Between work, school, and family, young adults just can’t find time for church.
The historians behind White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s worldview also coined the term “millennial.” According to William Strauss and Neil Howe, millennials will be a heroic generation.
A ship full of Australian convicts landed in Japan at the height of its isolation in the 1830s. A samurai noted the “unbearable stench” coming from the pirate ship.
French president Emmanuel Macron was testing US president Donald Trump last week. “That’s how one gets respected,” Macron later said of their fierce handshake.
Elvis Presley’s private jet has been gathering dust on a New Mexico runway for 35 years. The velvet-upholstered Lockheed Jetstar was auctioned off for $430,000 over the weekend.
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