Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
WHO puts a forum together to fight coronavirus. Global researchers will convene to share information over the next two days in hopes of accelerating the international response towards the epidemic. The Geneva event is expected to boost the production of testing equipment, medical products for treatment, and, hopefully, a vaccine.
New Delhi’s election results are announced… Millions cast their ballots to elect a new Legislative Assembly, although it was a turnout lower than prime minister Narendra Modi hoped for after waging an aggressive campaign. The results will largely be seen as a vote of confidence in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
… and New Hampshire holds its own election. The US Democratic Primary season is moving right along, despite both Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders calling for recanvassing in Iowa. The state of New Hampshire’s primary election typically helps donors decide which candidate to back.
While you were sleeping
Amazon tried to haul Donald Trump into court. The firm’s cloud computing arm is seeking to depose the American president and defense secretary Mark Esper over the US government’s decision to select Microsoft for a $10 billion Pentagon cloud contract last year.
Volvo and Geely discussed a merger. The Swedish and Chinese automakers are both owned by billionaire Li Shufu, who has aspirations to build China’s first car manufacturer with a global reach. Talks are still preliminary, but Geely executives predicted they’d wrap up by the end of the year.
The US accused China of a massive data breach. American prosecutors formally charged four Chinese military members of the 2017 hacking of Equifax, which uncovered the personal data of 145 million Americans, in an alleged attempt to compromise US officials and intelligence officers.
SoftBank’s Vision Fund saw its first outright failure. Direct-to-consumer startup Brandless announced it’s closing up shop after fulfilling existing orders. While other Vision Fund projects have downgraded or taken major steps back, Brandless is the first to give up the ghost entirely, never having reached the benchmarks that would have triggered the full SoftBank investment.
Oscars viewership fell to an all-time low. Neilsen revealed that just 23.6 million people watched the ceremony, down from 29.5 million last year, despite an effort to boost viewership by shortening the show and replacing the host with a wide ensemble of celebrity presenters.
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Matters of debate
Dog parks are too risky for young dogs. They might not be safe spaces for puppies to learn how to socialize.
The Academy entered a new era. Parasite made a hole in the glass ceiling that films from Italy, France, and Spain may now be able to climb right through.
Blame your laptop. It wasn’t your smartphone that ruined your work-life balance—lightweight, portable computers blurred the line irreparably.
Surprising discoveries
North Korea’s internet use surged 300% since 2017. It reflects the regime’s embrace of cybercrime in response to tougher sanctions from the Trump administration.
Chinese cities halted cold medicine sales to get coronavirus patients into hospitals. Authorities aim to flush out infected people staying at home and self-medicating.
The T. rex had terrifying great-grandparents. A new tyrannosaur ancestor discovered in Canada, dubbed the “reaper of death,” devoured hapless herbivores 79 million years ago.
Amazon’s bookstore dabbled in censorship. The company’s original philosophy was to include “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” but it’s made an exception for Nazi books.
You can spruce up your cubicle with a fake skylight. Mitsubishi built an LED panel that mimics real sunlight, no matter how many floors lie between you and the sky.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, faux windows, and T. rexes that are just the normal amount of scary, 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 brought to you by Susan Howson and Nicolás Rivero.