Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The EU holds a high-stakes vote on a Brexit delay. With just days left before an April 12 deadline, European Council president Donald Tusk is urging leaders to offer a flexible extension of up to one year for the UK to leave the EU; Theresa May has asked for a delay until June 30. Any EU decision must be unanimous.
We get to “see” a black hole. The Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration will release visual results of “groundbreaking” data gathered from a constellation of telescopes. The image of Sagittarius A, a supermassive black hole 26,000 light years away, will only show orbiting hot gas, since black holes themselves allow no light to escape.
The European Central Bank stays put. Analysts believe the ECB will ignore president Mario Draghi’s urgings to reconsider its current negative interest rate policy (paywall).
While you were sleeping
Israelis voted in a tight general election. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is neck and neck with challenger Benny Gantz. Exit polls showed Gantz’s Blue & White party with slightly more seats, but Netanyahu’s Likud party seems to have a better chance to form a coalition government.
Protests heated up in North Africa. Algerians protesting the appointment of interim president Abelkader Bensalah were confronted by police officers wielding water cannons. Meanwhile, demonstrators in Khartoum demanded an end to the 30-year rule of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir—and reportedly received protection from the army when they were attacked by pro-Bashir militias.
Wynn Resorts called off a $7.1 billion offer to buy Australia’s Crown Resorts. The international casino giant was caught off guard (paywall) when Crown Resorts disclosed the buyout talks, and cited the “premature disclosure of preliminary discussions” for its decision to pull out.
Boeing’s 737 Max orders shrank to zero. The company received no orders for the plane in March, after the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet, and only 10 in the first two months of the year. That compares to 112 planes ordered in the first quarter of 2018, and 5,000 of the 737 Max plans have been ordered overall.
The IMF warned that the world economy is in a “delicate moment.” The organization cut its 2019 growth forecast to 3.3% from 3.5%—its fourth downgrade in nine months. The IMF cited the US-China trade war, tighter credit policies in China, and downturns in Argentina and Turkey as major causes for the slowdown.
Quartz Obsession
99% of the wasabi the world consumes is fake. Made of Western horseradish and green food coloring, the spicy paste that adorns most sushi (and some peas) is an imitation of the real deal—the stem of the Japanese horseradish, one of the most valuable vegetables on earth. Taste the full story in today’s Quartz Obsession.
Membership
In a banner year for tech IPOs, reporter Alison Griswold asks if we’re inflating the next dot-com bubble. Over at Private Key, Matt De Silva examines why even terrorists want to avoid cryptocurrency—despite fears that it could be used to bankroll attacks.
Matters of debate
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It may be too soon for #MeToo comebacks. Apologies may not be enough to convince a public to forgive, forget, and let an entertainer reclaim the spotlight.
Is Abiy Ahmed Ethiopia’s best hope? Africa’s youngest leader has brought home a diaspora of writers and activists to the continent’s second-most populous state.
Sexism is making the global tuberculosis epidemic worse. In many of the world’s hardest-hit areas, men won’t support women getting screened or treated.
Surprising discoveries
Ancient Greek shipwrecks are now open to scuba divers. A cargo vessel that sank in the 5th century could herald a new age of underwater tourism.
Singapore seized 14 tons of pangolin scales. Superstitious beliefs about their medicinal benefits could wipe out the species.
The era of “janties” is upon us. The denim undies are the logical successor to short shorts.
An immense ice core could reveal 1.5 million years of climate history. The Antarctic site is so thick that scientists’ drills will take three years extract a sample.
A Florida man was caught shoplifting days after he bought an $8 million island. His alleged larceny including trying to return a coffeemaker to Kmart with just a basketball in the box.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, scuba gear, and non-denim underwear 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.