Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
South Korea goes on maximum bird-flu alert. An outbreak was discovered in a flock of farm birds on the island Jeju on Saturday, with one case identified as the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain. Starting June 6, transportation of poultry is banned nationwide for 24 hours.
Nikki Haley speaks before the UN body she once called “so corrupt.” The US ambassador to the United Nations will join the Human Rights Council’s Geneva meeting to give a speech on how the intergovernmental organization can stop serving (in her words) as “a haven for dictators.” Haley will also participate in an event focused on human rights in Venezuela.
A panda trio returns to China. Born to Chinese pandas at Japan’s Wakayama Adventure World, four-year-old Yuhin and six-year-old twins Kaihin and Youhin are headed to China’s Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (where they are expected to do just that). Adventure World’s staff hosted a send-off complete with three ice cream cakes.
While you were sleeping
Qatar was iced out by its neighbors. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, and Maldives all severed ties with Qatar, accusing its government of supporting terrorism and compromising their national security. Qatari visitors and residents were given two weeks to leave the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and the country was booted from a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen. Already, Qatar is facing food shortages.
The UK identified assailants in the London attacks… London police named (paywall) 27-year-old Khuram Shazad Butt, a British citizen born in Pakistan, and 30-year-old Rachid Redouane, who claimed to be Moroccan and Libyan, as two of the three perpetrators of Saturday’s deadly London Bridge attack. Butt was already known to police, and appeared briefly in a 2016 documentary about extremists in the UK.
…as election campaigning picked up again. Three days shy of a general election, Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said prime minister Theresa May should resign over cuts she made to police funding. In return, May condemned Corbyn for voting against anti-terror measures in parliament.
Apple unveiled HomePod, its new Siri-enabled speaker. The seven-inch-tall speaker headlined day one of the tech giant’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. HomePod costs $349, and will ship in December. Also announced: new Macs, new iPad and Mac software, and new virtual-reality and augmented-reality kits. (For more details, check our live blog.)
Trump wants to privatize the US Federal Aviation Administration. Federally defunding the air-traffic control system is Trump’s first move toward fulfilling a campaign promise to put $1 trillion toward infrastructure projects. He is expected to deliver a speech on the initiative (details of which are still unclear) in Ohio on Wednesday.
Quartz obsession interlude
Katherine Foley on why we watch gross videos. “Watching pimple-popping videos on a screen—or even horror movies like those in the Alien or Hostel franchises where you know something gruesome will happen—provides enough distance for disgust and curiosity to exist simultaneously. ‘I think it is about experiencing these things in safe ways,’ says Alexander Skolnick, a psychologist at Saint Joseph’s University. ‘It’s gross, but… you have power over it.’” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Democrats need to stop obsessing over Russia. Instead of courting the voters they failed to attract, the Dems’ entire strategy seems to rest on Trump being ousted.
Nobody can “solve” climate change. More political will should be focused on readying for its impact.
The US needs more leaks, not fewer. In a government obsessed with secrecy and over-classification, whistleblowers are more important than ever.
Surprising discoveries
A Senegalese duo is rapping the news. Makhtar “Xuman” Fall and Cheikh “Keyti” Sene use their YouTube show, Journal Rappé, to cover everything from terrorism to the environment.
Being the face of an AI is a human job. Lauren Hayes, the model on whom IPsoft’s Amelia avatar is based, had 3D cameras catalog her expressions (including how she’d react to seeing Brad Pitt).
Wonder Woman isn’t just feminist—it’s also hilarious. In the summer’s first blockbuster, actress Gal Gadot learns how to use a revolving door, and carries her giant sword everywhere.
Craig from Craigslist is now funding journalism. Craig Newmark, who also loves bird-watching, has donated millions to journalism centers like Poynter and ProPublica.
Liquor ads during US football games can’t reference football. New National Football League rules (paywall) also dictate that each game can feature no more than four commercials for spirits.
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