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, and we’ll be watching to see if Macron delivers one of his crushing handshakes. Syria and Ukraine are on the agenda—Macron has said that Russia’s bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo could amount to a war crime.
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn “face off” on prime time. The two opposing British party leaders won’t debate head on, but each will be interviewed and then asked questions by a studio audience on Sky News. 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 being forced to suspend production at Chinese and South African plants, after an Indian supplier failed to deliver steering parts.
Over the weekend
Angela Merkel said Europe could no longer completely 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 the NATO and G7 summits last week. Merkel noted that the G7 talks pitted “six against one” (the one being Trump) and were “very difficult” and “very unsatisfactory.”
Donald Trump returned to Twitter. Fresh from his nine-day international trip, the president took to the social media platform to slam as “fabricated” the Washington Post report that his son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner wanted to set up secret “back-channel” communications with Russia and the Trump presidential transition team. The president is reportedly considering a White House staff shakeup (paywall) as he struggles with the ongoing Russia investigation.
North Korea fired its third missile in three weeks. The launch of the short-range ballistic Scud missile—which flew about 280 miles before landing in Japanese waters—came one day after reports the country was debuting a new anti-aircraft system. US defense secretary Jim Mattis warned on Sunday that a military conflict with North Korea would be “probably the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetime” as the country is close to so many densely populated nations.
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 nearly 20-year-old bipartisan tradition of honoring the Muslim world’s holy month.
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.
Your organic cotton t-shirt might be worse for the environment than regular cotton. More land is needed for lower-yield organic plants and they require twice as much water as genetically modified ones.
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.
Burger King angered the Belgian king. The Belgian royal family contacted the fast-food chain to complain about its use of King Philippe’s image in its ads.
A ship 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.
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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