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What to watch for today
Lebanon misses a payment. Amid a major financial crisis the nation will default on a foreign debt payment for the first time in its history. On Saturday prime minister Hassan Diab warned that more than 40% of the population could soon be in poverty.
Taiwan releases trade figures. Investors will look to the February numbers for an indication of how hard supply chains have been hit by the Covid-19 epidemic. Analysts expect exports to be flat.
Scrutiny over a 2014 plane downing intensifies. A Dutch court opens the trial of men who allegedly helped move a Russian missile into Ukraine that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. The Kremlin has denied involvement, but evidence to the contrary will be made public.
Over the weekend
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China reported plunging exports. The impact of Covid-19 on the world’s second-largest economy came into focus Saturday as trade officials delivered the numbers. For January and February combined, overseas shipments fell 17.2% (and imports 4%) from a year earlier.
Italy followed China’s lead on coronavirus containment. Prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced a travel ban for Lombardy and other northern provinces, effectively placing up to 16 million people under quarantine. Many doubted it would work.
SpaceX made a special delivery. A Falcon rocket with 4,300 lbs of supplies (including Hot Tamales, Skittles, and grapefruit) took off for the International Space Station. The launch marked SpaceX’s 20th ISS delivery and the Falcon’s 50th landing.
Aramco took a dive. For the first time since its December initial public offering, the Saudi state oil company’s share prices fell below their opening IPO price on Sunday. The slump came after Russia rejected OPEC’s plan to restrict crude output.
Quartz membership
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Quartz daily obsession
The slow wear-and-tear of toxic stress can change lives. When a child faces constant and unrelenting stress, from neglect, abuse, or living in chaos, it may derail normal development. Figuring out how to address stressors before that happens is one of the biggest questions in the field of childhood development. Take a breath, then read the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Matters of debate
“Parasite’s” ram-don is the perfect coronavirus quarantine meal. The ramen-udon mash-up is cheap, delicious, and shelf-stable.
Network for the greater good. Building relationships doesn’t have to just be about advancing your own career.
Your burger won’t wreck the climate. Instead of agonizing over which plant-based alternative to buy, put that energy toward lobbying governments to regulate carbon-emitting companies.
Surprising discoveries
Crooks keep posting clues to their crimes on Facebook. Police are turning to social media for leads on drug traffickers, extortionists, and bank robbers.
An early PlayStation prototype auctioned for $360,000. It may be the only existing artifact of a failed 1991 partnership between Sony and Nintendo to create a new console.
A Hong Kong school hosted a virtual sports day to keep quarantined kids active. The ESPN-style broadcast (with a little less production value) aimed to break the boredom of sitting at home.
Google’s location data turned a cyclist into a burglary suspect. The innocent man was swept up in the investigation because his bike-tracking app showed he rode past the scene of the crime.
Your honey might be a hoax. Store shelves are oozing with adulterated honey that’s artificially mixed with sugars to drive down prices.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, vintage video games, and authentic honey 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 Steve Mollman, Jenni Avins, and Nicolás Rivero.