Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
A pivotal US jobs report could eliminate—or confirm—fears of a recession. Analysts expect the US economy to have added 180,000 jobs in March, after an alarmingly low 20,000 the previous month.
Cross-party Brexit talks continue. British prime minister Theresa May will write a letter to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to follow up on their chat yesterday to see if they can reach a Brexit compromise. Meanwhile a one-year “flextension” could be on offer from Europe. That is, if a House of Commons vote that took place earlier this week doesn’t accidentally lead to a no-deal Brexit.
China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan markets are closed Friday for Qingming Festival. The tomb-sweeping holiday, during which people hold memorials for deceased relatives, features the burning of fake currency—which has become so realistic (paywall) that it causes anxiety at central banks.
The Maldives holds general elections. If president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was elected in September, gains a parliamentary majority on Saturday, it will be easier for him to probe financially risky deals with China agreed to by the previous government.
Rwanda remembers its genocide. The 1994 massacre killed hundreds of thousands of Rwandans, mostly of the Tutsi minority. A smattering of world leaders will attend the 25th anniversary event in capital Kigali on Sunday, but French president Emmanuel Macron will not be among them. France’s backing for the Hutu regime, and the role of UN-mandated French soldiers, has cast a long shadow over relations.
Pyongyang holds its annual marathon. This month the two main airlines servicing North Korea increased flights, with more visitors expected ahead of Sunday’s marathon and around key historic dates. The isolated country’s capacity for tourism is limited, though, and it recently placed a daily cap on Chinese visitors.
While you were sleeping
The New Zealand mosque shooter was charged with 49 more murders. A Christchurch judge ordered mental health tests for 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant, who appeared via video in the courtroom, and was also charged with 39 counts of attempted murder. He was not required to enter a plea. Tarrant was earlier charged with one count of murder a day after the March 15 attack.
Donald Trump delayed a US-China summit. The US president confounded expectations of an imminent announcement (paywall), telling reporters he was not ready to invite Chinese president Xi Jinping to Mar-a-Lago until prospects for a trade deal improve. Speaking alongside Chinese vice premier Liu He, Trump said: “If we have a deal, we’ll have a summit.”
A forest fire in South Korea killed two people. More than 5,000 firefighters have been deployed to fight a blaze in a mountainous region near where the country hosted last year’s Winter Olympics. The fire might have been started by a transformer spark.
Japan tried to blast a crater in an asteroid. The Hayabusa2 probe fired a copper projectile (paywall) at the asteroid Ryugu, in hopes the impact would expel material that could shed light on its origins and physical make-up. It’s unclear if the detonation was successful.
Samsung’s first-quarter profit plunged 60%. The South Korean electronics giant saw its biggest drop in quarterly operating profits (paywall) in four years because of lower memory chip prices and slower smartphone sales.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos uncoupled their marriage and fortunes. Under terms of the divorce, MacKenzie will keep 25% of the couple’s Amazon stake, which is currently worth about $143 billion, but will relinquish all voting power. Jeff will also be sole owner of the Washington Post and space startup Blue Origin.
The US has been spying on Huawei for years. Assistant US attorney Alex Solomon told a federal judge that information gathered through secret surveillance will be used against the telecom manufacturer in an attempt to prove fraudulent activity and a disregard for sanctions. He added that the espionage was legal under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Quartz Obsession
Your false eyelashes might have come from North Korea. A Chinese supplier sourced some materials from the DPRK, which Kim Jong Un is pushing to produce “the world’s best cosmetics.” It’s another unlikely turn in curious history of the appendage, which includes hair sewn into eyelids, magnetic application, and a financial opportunity the struggling cosmetics industry is going to great lengths to harness. Take a glance at the Quartz Obsession.
Membership
Since the first battery was invented in 1799 using only copper and zinc, researchers have harnessed many other elements, each with its unique properties. Today we detail all of the elements that could be used to power our world in the future, and take a tour of the world’s largest electric-vehicle battery factory.
Matters of debate
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Fortnite is a public health risk. According to Prince Harry, the wildly addictive game should be banned.
Driving in cities should not be free. The costs of congestion should be shared by drivers and passengers—just as with other forms of travel.
Nike’s Air Jordan was a sea change in menswear. The latest, most expensive sneaker is now the ultimate fashion status symbol.
Surprising discoveries
Spain’s hash is full of feces. The country’s cannabis carries a “dangerous amount of fecal matter” due to the intimate way it is smuggled.
The UN is considering floating cities to cope with climate change. Come aboard, your city’s waiting for you.
Brexit is befuddling financial-news algorithms. The robots that predict currency fluctuations have been overwhelmed by Britain’s legislative paralysis.
It’s easy to text from a locked iPhone—even one that’s not yours. Any phone that can be woken up by “Hey Siri” can be used to send a message or a make a call from that phone.
Cats may be able to recognize their own names. But actually deciding to acknowledge the person who said the name is a different story.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, floating city plans, and recognizable cat names to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Tripti Lahiri and edited by Isabella Steger.