Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The EU discusses Covid-19. European Union health ministers are meeting in Brussels for emergency talks, with the disease spreading rapidly. Germany has 16 cases of the novel coronavirus, the highest number in the region.
The US Senate votes to rein in the president’s war powers. The resolution to curb Donald Trump’s ability to declare war on Iran without approval from Congress has bipartisan support and is expected to pass.
Qualcomm faces the Federal Trade Commission. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is reviewing whether Qualcomm’s licensing practices have been unlawful, and in breach of antitrust law.
While you were sleeping
The number of coronavirus cases in China surged. Hubei province alone added 14,840 cases yesterday, taking the total number to almost 60,000 due to a change in the diagnostic criteria. And more officials’ heads rolled, too.
Coronavirus has cut oil demand growth. The outbreak is already slowing Chinese consumption, one of the main drivers of global oil demand, and the International Energy Agency forecasts a drop of almost a third.
The fallout from the Iowa caucuses continued. The chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, Troy Price, resigned last night, while final results from the state have still not been made public.
The Barclays CEO said he deeply regrets his links to Jeffrey Epstein. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority wants to know whether Jes Staley disclosed all the details of his relationship with the late sex offender.
Nestlé has stopped making a low-sugar chocolate bar. The Swiss food giant described demand for its Milkybar Wowsomes as “underwhelming.” The bar contained a type of “hollow” sugar, invented by the company itself.
Australia’s bushfires have finally been contained. But after heavy rain put an end to months of devastating blazes, New South Wales now faces a Category 2 tropical cyclone named Uesi.
Quartz membership
Amazon is struggling to truly go global. Quartz’s Marc Bain walks through the competitors and regulatory hurdles that make international growth one of the few areas where Amazon has fallen short of its outsized ambitions.
Quartz daily obsession
Currently cruising along in interstellar space, the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are the most distant human-made objects—not to mention the longest-running NASA mission. But it doesn’t help that the spacecraft are running on ancient technology. Still, the Voyager mission isn’t done quite yet. The Quartz Daily Obsession directs your gaze towards the little spacecraft that could be around forever.
Matters of debate
Animal rights activists are mostly white men. Silicon Valley startups have a chance to correct that imbalance, but will they?
The Indian auto industry will bounce back. There are blue skies ahead, and Quartz India’s special project explains why.
Recite poetry at work. It could help you tackle day-to-day tasks and make sense of the world.
Surprising discoveries
Zapping the brains of coma patients could wake them up. It’s worked in monkeys.
Scientists found ghost DNA in living West Africans. The discovery is evidence of an extinct branch of humanity that lived a million years ago.
An Uzbek gymnast is aiming for her eighth Olympic Games. Oksana Chusovitina is 44.
Your personal data is for sale in the UK. Even if you use a “confidential” service for poverty or addiction.
Samsung’s new flip phone costs $1380. It’s clearly not aimed at a 90s Motorola crowd.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Nokia 8310s, and Ogden Nash 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 Annabelle Timsit and Hasit Shah.
In yesterday’s edition, we should have said that Amy Klobuchar finished third behind Sanders and Buttigieg in the NH primary, with Warren and Biden in fourth and fifth. Our apologies for the omission.