Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Iran’s supreme leader delivers a sermon. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will lead Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight years, amid a growing crisis following the accidental downing of a passenger jet, escalating tensions with the US, and public anger at the regime.
Germany holds a peace conference for Libya. The talks on Sunday in Berlin aim to end nine months of fighting between the forces of general Khalifa Haftar and the UN-recognized government in Tripoli. US secretary of state Mike Pompeo will also atttend.
Xi Jinping makes his first presidential visit to Myanmar. The Chinese leader is expected to lend his support to the regime amid international condemnation of its treatment of the Rohingya minority. The two sides are expected to sign large infrastructure deals during Xi’s four-day visit, which starts today.
The Women’s March steps up for a fourth year. Protesters across the US will congregate tomorrow to re-ignite the movement that started the day after president Donald Trump’s inauguration, in hopes that it could propel fresh enthusiasm in an election year.
While you were sleeping
China’s economic growth hit a multi-decade low. GDP last year came in at 6.1%, the lowest level in 29 years and down from the 6.6% recorded in 2018, due in part to the trade war with the US. More stimulus is expected.
Microsoft pledged to be “carbon negative” in less than 10 years. The tech company said it would invest in several negative-emission technologies to eventually account for all the emissions it’s contributed to the planet since 1975.
A second person died from the new SARS-like virus in China. Officials said the death was recorded in the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started last month. It comes after Japan identified a case, the second country outside of China to do so.
WhatsApp backed off from adding advertisements. Facebook dissolved a team—and deleted their coding work—that was set up to integrate ads into the chat app, which currently has 1.5 billion users.
Alphabet’s market cap hit $1 trillion. Google’s parent company joined Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon in achieving the milestone (although Amazon has since fallen below the mark).
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Matters of debate
Canada shouldn’t allow Harry and Meghan to live there. Doing so would upset the delicate balance between the country and the British crown.
Don’t blame bad algorithms for the breakdown in democracy. Instead, figure out why people are so drawn to misinformation.
Build “dumb” cities, not “smart” ones. The solutions to many urban problems lie in ancient technologies.
Surprising discoveries
Internet Explorer is finally dead. Microsoft Edge has replaced the OG.
Lebanon finally paid the UN. And was able to regain its full voting rights after doing so.
Mexico City’s subway has a pee problem. Many escalators break down each day because of “corrosion due to urine.”
Scorpions may have made landfall first. A newly found fossil is thought to be the oldest land creature—and it very closely resembles the stinging arachnid.
Nike’s Vaporfly shoes are too fast. They may be banned from competition because runners are breaking so many records.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, UN dues, and sugary cereals to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android, and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Isabella Steger and edited by Tripti Lahiri.