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What to watch for today
Recep Tayip Erdoğan visits Russia. The Turkish president will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow as fighting in Syria’s Idlib province between Russian-backed Syrian government forces and Turkey-backed rebels risks spilling over into a direct clash between the two nations.
OPEC meets in Vienna. The Saudi-led group of oil producing states is pushing for a cut in output as the impact of coronavirus decreases demand, sending prices 20% lower since the beginning of the year.
Amazon begins its fight against an EU tax. The e-commerce giant is seeking to overturn an order from the bloc to pay $277 million in back taxes. The European Commission said that under an unfair tax deal covering the period of 2006 to 2014, three-quarters of Amazon’s business went untaxed.
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California declared a state of emergency. The declaration came after the state’s first coronavirus fatality, an elderly man with underlying health conditions who contracted the disease on a cruise, and as total confirmed cases crept above 50. Two other states, Washington and Florida, have also declared emergencies.
Flybe went into administration. The UK regional airline canceled all flights and ceased trading of its business as it struggled to raise funds amid a sharp drop in demand due to the coronavirus.
Huawei pleaded not guilty to new charges in a US case. The Chinese telecoms giant had previously been accused of bank fraud and violating sanctions against Iran, charges it pleaded not guilty to last year. The latest charges entail corporate espionage, lying about its business in North Korea, and helping Iran track anti-government protesters.
A US defense department linguist was charged with espionage. She is accused of transmitting “highly sensitive classified” information to a foreign national linked to Lebanese Islamist militant group Hezbollah, and faces up to life in prison.
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Matters of debate
Facebook’s fake news labels don’t work. Putting warning labels on things makes everything else seem more credible.
The US Fed can learn from Chinese central bankers’ coronavirus response. Beijing has been very creative with its economic rescue efforts.
Parasite’s Oscars win should be a wake-up call for Japan. A combination of abuse and mismanagement has greatly diminished the soft power of the world’s third-largest economy.
Surprising discoveries
Twitter is testing out tweets that disappear after 24 hours. It’s calling them “fleets,” and will test them in Brazil.
The new James Bond film is delayed due to coronavirus. No Time to Die had been set to premier on March 31, but the date has now been pushed to November.
Identical sex chromosomes could be the secret to longevity. Comparing the life spans of more than 200 animals, researchers found that the sex with matching chromosomes live nearly 18% longer.
People are trading rare craft beers on Facebook. The online secondary market can make for lucrative business.
Spotify already has more than 65 songs with “coronavirus” in the title. The most popular is “La Cumbia Del Coronavirus.”
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, hard-to-find beers, and Bond films 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 Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.