Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Apple kicks off its annual developer conference in California. Watch out for new laptops and iPads, updates to the iOS and macOS, and potentially a Siri-driven speaker that will compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home. We’re liveblogging the event, which kicks off with a keynote speech from CEO Tim Cook at 10am Pacific Time.
Bill Cosby’s assault trial begins. Although more than 50 women have accused the 79-year-old comedian of sexual assault, the trial will focus on the alleged aggravated indecent assault on Andrea Constand in 2004. Each of the three counts he faces carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $25,000. The court will hear testimony from Constand and a woman who claims Cosby assaulted her in 1996.
The first UN Ocean Conference. Marine experts from all over the world meet in New York from today through Friday to discuss how to save the oceans from overfishing and pollution.
Data on US factory orders in April. Numbers from the Commerce Department are expected to show a slight dip from March (pdf). Also, the Conference Board will issue its Employment Trends Index for May.
Over the weekend
Seven people were killed by terrorists in central London. Three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge on Saturday evening and began stabbing people in nearby Borough Market; 21 of the 50 injured are in critical condition. The suspected attackers were shot dead by police within eight minutes of the first call and around 20 arrests have been made. ISIL has since claimed responsibility but this has not been verified. Campaigning ahead of Thursday’s general election resumes today.
Four countries cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have accused Qatar—one of the world’s richest countries—of financing extremism, collaborating with Iran, and undermining regional security. Saudi Arabia has closed its border with the country and Qatari nationals will be ejected from all four countries. The news caused oil prices to rise on Monday morning thanks to concerns over supply disruption—Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Qatar are all OPEC members.
Tens of thousands gathered to remember Tiananmen Square. An estimated 110,000 people met in Victoria Park, Hong Kong to remember the Chinese Communist Party’s massacre of pro-democracy student protesters in Beijing nearly 30 years ago. Meanwhile, in China, Amnesty reported that an activist who tweeted a photo (paywall) of herself from the square on June 4 was arrested.
Wonder Woman smashed the box office. It seems there is no glass ceiling for the female-led superhero film, with Wonder Woman earning $223 million globally in its opening weekend. In the US, it pulled in $130.5 million—more than Iron Man, Doctor Strange, or Thor when they opened.
Explosions rocked a high-profile funeral in Kabul. Three suicide bombers attacked the funeral of Salim Ezadyar, the son of a senior Afghan senator, reportedly killing at least 12 and wounding dozens. Ezadyar was killed at a protest the previous day, when police opened fire on demonstrators demanding better security following a suicide bomb that killed more than 90 people in the capital last week.
Quartz obsession interlude
Lily Kuo on Kenya’s $3.2 billion rail line—and China’s role in it. “The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), built and funded by the Chinese, officially opened to the public on Madaraka Day, the anniversary of Kenya gaining the right of self-rule. In a ceremony attended by Kenyan and Chinese officials, a Kenyan orchestra performed Chinese patriotic songs underneath the gaze of a bronze statue of Zheng He, a Chinese admiral who led expeditions to Africa in the 15th century.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Algorithms should be regulated like cars, banks, and drugs. They’re deeply embedded in many aspects of our lives, and they sometimes make mistakes.
The rise of Chinese consumerism will reshape the world. Multinationals will orient their R&D towards serving the preferences of the huge and fast-growing market.
The world is facing a $400 trillion retirement-savings time bomb. The US alone will fall $137 trillion short of retirement funds by 2050.
Surprising discoveries
Pacemakers have thousands of vulnerabilities hackers can exploit. Settings could be adjusted to harm or kill the person with the implant.
Making clothes is just a marketing expense for luxury brands. The moneymakers these days are fragrances, handbags, shoes, and accessories.
A flying car may light the torch at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Toyota’s futuristic vehicle with wheels and propellers first needs to work out a few kinks.
Egyptian farmers are going back to school to study climate change. Growers along the Nile river are learning new techniques to deal with changing terrain.
Open-minded people have a different visual perception of reality. Personality affects our experience of the world in more ways than we realize.
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