Quartz Daily Brief—Cement deal unstuck, Amazon’s drones, Malcolm Fraser dies, Clapton in Sanskrit

Good morning, Quartz readers!

What to watch for today

Tunisia tightens security after a terror attack. Additional security troops will be deployed to protect Tunisia’s largest cities, after the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly museum attack earlier this week and warned of more attacks.

Putin visits Kazakhstan. Russia’s head of state will meet his Kazakh counterpart, as well as the president of Belarus, in a meeting rescheduled after Putin’s mysterious disappearance earlier this month.

Europe hosts gas talks between Ukraine and Russia. Brussels will bring together officials from the two countries to resolve a dispute over the price of Russian gas supplies sold to Ukraine. The temporary agreement brokered by the EU last year expires at the end of March.

Lufthansa’s pilot strike drags on. The strike over pilots’ retirement benefits enters its third day, today affecting short- and medium-haul passenger flights. Lufthansa said 75% of flights would still take off.

The skies go dark. A solar eclipse begins at 8:45am GMT and will last for several hours. It will be visible across Europe, most of northern Africa, western Asia, and in parts of the Middle East. Here’s where and how to watch the event.

While you were sleeping

The world’s biggest cement merger is back. Switzerland-based cement manufacturer Holcim and France’s Lafarge agreed on compromises to resume a $40 billion merger. The companies had disagreed over key issues, such as the new company’s strategy.

Amazon got the go-ahead to test drone delivery. The US Federal Aviation Authority allowed the e-commerce giant to test-fly drones that could soon be used to deliver goods bought online. But home delivery may still be years away (paywall), and Amazon’s drones must be operated by a licensed pilot for now.

Chinese business confidence fell for the third consecutive month. The MNI China Business Indicator fell to 52.2 in March from 52.8 in February (paywall), but remained above the 50.0 level that separates confidence from pessimism. The index, which surveys publicly-listed companies, fell despite central bank stimulus measures.

Australia’s central banker predicted “sub-average growth.” Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens said a period of poor growth was “most likely” as Australia transforms away from a mining-led economy. Stevens added that the central bank has discussed further cuts to the base rate, currently at a record low 2.25%.

The US led a rise in diamond demand. Global diamond jewelry demand rose 3% in 2014 to $81 billion compared with the year earlier, according to De Beers, the world’s largest producer of the stones. Demand in the US, the world’s largest market, rose 7%, ahead of China’s 6% increase.

Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser died. Fraser, 84, a Liberal Party leader, became the unelected leader of Australia in 1975 after engineering the dismissal of Labor Party head Gough Whitlam. Fraser went on to win three general elections, supported immigration, an end to South African apartheid, and built the foundations of Australia’s mineral export industry. He died following a short illness.

Quartz obsession interlude

Jonah Goodman on an upcoming artistic experiment with our senses. “What does the color red smell like? How does it taste? Imagine you’re in an art gallery, studying a portrait with a red background. Does your interpretation of it change if you taste ketchup while you look? Or smell blood? Or both? Art lovers will soon be able to find out for themselves at Tate Sensorium, an upcoming exhibition at London art museum Tate Britain, which uses interactive technology to experiment with how our senses change the way we look at visual art.” Read more here.

Matters of debate

Tunisia is in danger of returning to authoritarianism. The government may have to resort to a much tougher approach to curb radical groups.

TV’s current “golden age” is unsustainable. We’re at peak funding for great shows, and the only way is down.

Don’t blame the fashion industry for anorexia. It is a serious disease, not a fashion whim.

Is Richard Branson about to take on Elon Musk? The entrepreneur said one day Virgin may be ”competing with the Tesla in the car business.”

India’s prime minister needs to rethink his reform strategy. Narendra Modi’s incremental changes have big risks attached to them.

Surprising discoveries

A Japanese company made a $7,900 pair of bicycle wheels. Spin them at 18mph (29km/h) and they take six minutes to slow to a halt.

Now you can enjoy Eric Clapton in Sanskrit. “Leela” is a popular cover of “Layla” in India.

A new blood test shows whether a patient requires antibiotics. That could trim the drugs’ overuse.

The US Congress embraces GIFs. The House Judiciary Committee explained its opposition to the president’s immigration stance using a list of GIFs of white people.

Orangutans have learned to disguise their voices. They alter the pitch of their calls to deter predators.

Not all churches embrace the homeless. A San Francisco church installed a system that poured water on homeless sleepers outside its doors.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, voice manipulation techniques, and “Layla” covers to [email protected]. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.