Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A fresh look at oil. New US stockpile data will shed light on the shifting crude oil market (paywall), with analysts expecting stockpiles to fall for the sixth time in seven weeks, according to Bloomberg. Prices rose on Tuesday on signs that China would introduce new stimulus measures.
Australia’s damage control in the South Pacific. Prime minister Scott Morrison will visit Vanuatu and Fiji in an attempt to repair bitter differences over climate change. Australia’s refusal to curb coal production has opened the door for China to strengthen trade and military ties in the strategic islands.
Theresa May faces a no-confidence vote. After the historic defeat of her Brexit proposal (see below), opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has tabled a no-confidence motion that will be debated throughout the day, with a vote due around 7pm local time. A two-thirds majority is required to remove her, which would result in a general election.
While you were sleeping
The UK parliament soundly rejected Theresa May’s proposed Brexit agreement. The 432-to-202 vote—the biggest House of Commons defeat of a sitting government in history—was the culmination of two years of political chaos following the Brexit referendum. The UK is now heading for a general election, a second referendum, or a cliff-edge no-deal Brexit—the default option, unless legislators take action ahead of a March 29 deadline.
Trump’s attorney general pick staked out ground on the special counsel probe. Nominee William Barr assured senators that he would allow Robert Mueller to finish his investigation, but suggested the final report might not be made public. Barr is likely to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.
A terror attack in Nairobi killed at least seven people. Gunmen and a suicide bomber from the Somali Islamist group Al-Shabaab stormed a business and hotel complex, located in the same neighborhood as a shopping center that was targeted in a deadly 2013 assault by the same organization. At least 25 people were wounded.
Netflix raised prices, and investors rejoiced. The streaming giant hiked subscription fees for US customers by up to 18% after spending more than $8 billion on original programming last year. Netflix shares, which were already up 30% in 2019, rose more than 6% on the news.
An El Chapo associate said Mexico’s former president took a $100 million bribe. Colombian drug lord Alex Cifuentes Villa, a close associate of Mexico’s Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, told a New York jury that Guzmán’s cartel paid the bribe to then-Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto through an intermediary.
The Congolese election results were fraudulent. The Financial Times obtained overwhelming evidence (paywall) that Felix Tshisekedi, who ostensibly won the controversial presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, actually received only 19% of the votes. His rival, Martin Fayulu, won the popular vote by 59%, but Tshisekedi is suspected to have cut a deal with outgoing president Joseph Kabila.
Huawei’s CEO said the company has never spied for China. Ren Zhengfei made a rare public appearance (paywall) to insist that the Chinese government doesn’t require companies to install back doors, and Huawei would refuse any such request were it to happen. He also called Donald Trump a “great president” and waits to see if the US leader will intervene in the case of his daughter, Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in December in Canada.
Quartz obsession interlude
The Trump administration is taking aim at rubber bands in its trade war with China. Beijing has allegedly been subsidizing elastic makers, allowing them to dump their wares in the US at below-market value. But the true genesis of the modern rubber band—the kind that binds everything from cilantro bunches to lobster claws—dates back to Alliance, Ohio, in 1923, when William Spencer got fed up with chasing his local newspaper across the lawn on blustery days. Read more about the ubiquitous stretchy fastener in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Quartz Membership
Alibaba is poised to reinvent retail. The Chinese e-commerce giant is supporting a push for what it calls “new retail” by digitizing and merging traditional department stores with online platforms. But there’s a catch: You can only pay with Alibaba’s payment app Alipay or cold, hard, increasingly unpopular cash. Sign up for a free 30-day Quartz membership trial and learn more about the company that could be taking over the digital world.
Matters of debate
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Big brands can change cultural norms. Gillette’s bombshell ad attacks toxic masculinity in a way that could make a true difference.
Dating apps are addictive to validation-seekers. The long search for the perfect match may not be helped by lightning-fast technological tools.
We’re ignoring digital pollution, at our peril. Governments need to address the toxic waste generated by our internet use.
Surprising discoveries
The first plants have sprouted on the moon. The seedlings are in a special container on China’s lunar lander, and could change long-term space travel.
Toto will sing “Africa” for eternity. An art installation in the Namib Desert runs on solar power to bless the rains on permanent repeat.
Germany has produced the world’s ugliest coin. The commemorative item celebrates 70 years of currywurst with an image that’s difficult to unsee.
K-pop stars were too cool for school. South Korea’s ministry of education is revoking college diplomas for seven singers who cut deals with their universities to skip class.
A rapper topped the charts with only 823 album sales. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie made up for it with 83 million digital streams of his album Hoodie SZN.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, everlasting pop hits, and moon plants to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written and edited by Susan Howson and Adam Pasick.