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What to watch for today
The US raises tariffs on Airbus planes. Duties on aircraft from the European plane maker are expected to increase to 15%, from the current 10%, as Washington retaliates against the EU for illegal subsidies to Airbus.
EU transport ministers hold an emergency online meeting. They will discuss the novel coronavirus pandemic’s impact on travel and airlines, as well as a proposal to set up fast track lanes to speed up access for trucks delivering essential supplies.
Talks resume to form the next Irish coalition government. Following January’s elections, in which no party emerged with enough seats to govern, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are scheduled to exchange policy papers, even as the Green party called for the discussions to be suspended amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Tencent looks for a turnaround. The Chinese tech conglomerate reports 2019 fourth-quarter earnings as it seeks to move past recent disappointing results. BMW and Zara parent Inditex also have investor updates.
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The UK rolled out a massive stimulus package. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced government-backed loans of at least £330 billion ($400 billion) to soften the economic blow of the escalating coronavirus outbreak. Separately, Canada today will detail its plans for a $25 billion Canadian dollar ($17.5 billion) aid package.
Joe Biden won the Illinois, Florida, and Arizona primaries. The former vice president widened his lead over Bernie Sanders, who looks increasingly unlikely to clinch the Democratic nomination.
Australia banned non-essential gatherings. Groups of more than 100 people will be barred from congregating as part of a series of sweeping measures aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. However, schools will remain open. Separately, casinos in Las Vegas will close starting at noon local time.
Taiwan shut its borders to all foreigners. The government said that the temporary suspension would not apply to diplomats and foreign residents, and that anyone arriving at the country would be quarantined for 14 days. The measures take effect at 11:59pm tonight.
Softbank backed away from its planned WeWork bailout. The Japanese investment giant will not go through with (paywall) its $3 billion buyback of the co-working space company’s shares as a result of several regulatory probes into the startup.
California ordered Tesla to shut its Fremont factory. The electric vehicle maker kept its plant in operation yesterday in defiance of San Francisco Bay Area’s coronavirus lockdown measures, but county officials said the company is not exempt as it is not an essential business.
Quartz membership
Conception costs. Fertility care provides hopeful parents with a chance of conceiving a child, but it’s mostly limited to the wealthiest people in the world. We trace the paths to fertility and related costs, and the efforts to make treatment less expensive, in our field guide on the business of fertility.
Conception booms. With much of the world on lockdown, we could be looking at a spike in births… but also break-ups.
Quartz daily obsession
Oh snails, snails, snails. They may be dismissed as slimy, slow, and disease-prone, but the little creepers are also associated with luxury, from snail dye to escargot dishes and facials. Inch into the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Matters of debate
Generalists are more successful. By building a formidable skill stack, they beat out specialists.
Don’t work all the time. With so many working from home during these fraught times, what we need is maximum flexibility.
Show your friends your boring life. Now that social media can’t be about showing off exotic vacations, mundanity is what brings us together now.
Surprising discoveries
Donkeys may have had higher status in ancient China than we thought. Archaeologists excavated bones of an ass buried with a noblewoman, and think she rode the steed for polo games.
IKEA and Pizza Hut are making a full sized pizza table. The small, three-legged piece of plastic in the middle of the pizza will be manufactured at human size.
Norway banned its residents from their own vacation homes. The government fears that rural hospitals will get overrun if people flock to their cabins to shelter from the pandemic.
South Koreans are coming to the rescue of the country’s potato farmers. Shoppers have flocked online to buy boxes of spuds.
Chad is repaying a $100 million debt in cattle. The country will send Angola 75,000 cows over 10 years.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, budding spuds, and cattle-based debt repayments to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android and aAAAbecoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was written by Mary Hui and edited by Isabella Steger.