Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Germany and China strengthen ties. The two countries are working towards expanding access to each other’s markets, and are expected to sign agreements to that end on Friday during German finance minister Olaf Scholz’s visit to Beijing.
Volkswagen faces a deadline in India. The National Green Tribunal said Thursday that because the Indian branch of the German automaker hadn’t paid Rs 200 crore ($28 million) by its November deadline, it expects full payment on Friday on pain of imprisonment for the company’s directors. Volkswagen Group India said it plans to comply.
Paweł Adamowicz is laid to rest. The funeral of the late mayor of Gdańsk, Poland, who died after being stabbed onstage at a charity event earlier this week, will be held on Friday as the country reels from the latest, brutal evidence of its divided society.
Sweden elects a prime minister. Stefan Löfven, who lost a no-confidence vote and was ousted in September, will be running again on Friday now that his Social Democrat party has come to a policy agreement with the Centre and Liberal parties.
While you were sleeping
Facebook removed Russian propaganda pages. The platform announced it had taken down 364 pages, groups, and accounts used by the state-run Sputnik news service to covertly spread misinformation in 14 countries within Russia’s sphere of influence. Some groups had been operating on Facebook for more than six years.
Michael Cohen admitted trying to rig polls for Donald Trump. The US president’s former lawyer said he bankrolled an IT firm that tried to tilt pre-campaign CNBC and Drudge Report polls, but he never actually paid the full $50,000 for the operation. Cohen also reportedly started a Twitter fan club (paywall) in a bizarre ploy to make himself a sex symbol.
A Colombian car bomb killed nine people. A truck exploded at a high-security police academy in Bogotá, injuring at least 54, according to the city’s health department. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the leftist National Liberation Army has been targeting police since peace talks with conservatives stalled.
Cai Dongjia was executed. The so-called “godfather of crystal meth”—sentenced to death in 2016—was the central figure of drug production in China’s Boshe village and the city of Lufeng, which yielded more than three tons of meth, 23 tons of other evidence, and nearly 200 suspects arrested during a 2013 police raid.
The US considered easing up on China tariffs. The Wall Street Journal reports Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin wants to roll back trade penalties (paywall) to help foster negotiations with China and calm nervous markets. Pressure is mounting ahead of a March 1 deadline, though the White House says a deal is “nowhere near completion.”
Mixed Netflix earnings fell short of expectations. The company reported a record number of subscribers, but fell short of analyst estimates for quarterly revenue and future subscriber targets. The results, which came after a sharp run-up in Netflix shares, sent the stock down about 4% in after-hours trading.
Quartz obsession interlude
Air traffic controllers are hired for their ability to work under pressure. But with the US government shutdown dragging on, an already super stressful job has gotten more so. Take a closer look at the hidden heroes who make air travel possible in the Quartz Obsession.
Quartz Membership
Duncan Clark, earlier an investment banker with Morgan Stanley, advised Alibaba in its early days. It’s now a $400 billion company, with an empire that spans far beyond e-commerce. Clark himself has a ringside view of how Alibaba is battling its competitors, and talks to Quartz’s Tripti Lahiri in an exclusive interview for members. Sign up now for a free 30-day trial.
Matters of debate
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Open banking is a seismic moment for fintech. Sharing banking data through APIs will bring in new players and shake up incumbents.
Africa needs public-private partnerships for education. Deals that bring together capital and expertise are not just for infrastructure.
A deadly ISIS attack shows the US has no strategy in Syria. Though ISIS no longer controls major cities, its fighters are still engaging in an effective insurgency.
Surprising discoveries
The world’s coffee is doomed. Poor conservation efforts have put 75 out of 124 known coffee crops in danger of extinction.
Pop songs are getting shorter. Streaming royalties pay musicians a flat rate regardless of runtime.
Legos are a better investment than gold. The toys’ small size and high resale value gives collectors an impressive ROI (paywall).
A Japan robot hotel fired its robots. Tech problems and user error (paywall) made the robots far less reliable than human employees.
Reggae is being used to teach Jamaica about inflation. The educational ad blitz by the nation’s central bank features billboards, radio jingles, and campaign videos with music from local musicians.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, unemployed robots, and quick tunes 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 McKinley Noble and Susan Howson.