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 gathered in Brussels 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 the US Federal Reserve releases meeting minutes. After officials U-turned on policy and ditched any further interest rate increases this year, investors will be looking to glean insight (paywall) into how policymakers came to their decisions at their March meeting. New inflation data will also be released today.
Top bank CEOs will be grilled by Congress. Executives from banks including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America will testify before the House Financial Services Committee and make the case that their institutions are much safer in the decade since the financial crisis.
While you were sleeping
Israelis voted in a tight general election. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is neck and neck with challenger Benny Gantz, but appears poised for a fifth term. 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.
Wreckage of a crashed Japanese warplane was found. The F-35 stealth fighter jet disappeared from radar over the Pacific Ocean yesterday, and the pilot remains missing. The country has grounded its 12 remaining F-35 fighter jets temporarily.
Airbnb cancelled its ban on West Bank settlement listings. The home-sharing company reversed its November decision to remove around 200 Israeli settlement listings located in the disputed territory. Instead, it will donate any profits from listings to humanitarian aid groups.
New details emerged about Uber’s IPO. The ride-sharing firm will seek to sell around $10 billion of stock for a valuation of up to $100 billion when it goes public, making it one of the biggest technology IPOs of all time. The company plans to make its IPO registration public on Thursday.
New charges were filed in the college admissions scandal. The US Justice Department charged 16 parents, including actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, with money laundering and conspiring to commit fraud. The indictment comes just a day after 14 co-defendants agreed to plead guilty for playing a role in a multimillion-dollar scheme.
The Dalai Lama was hospitalized with a chest infection. The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader was admitted to a hospital in New Delhi, but is in a stable condition. Last month marked 60 years since he fled Tibet for exile in India after Chinese troops crushed an unsuccessful revolt.
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 and forget.
We should have adult slumber parties. Childhood sleepovers can be rewarding for grown-ups, too.
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 (12.7 tonnes) 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 by Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.