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What to watch for today and over the weekend
More travel bans and restrictions are on the way. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing several countries globally to limit travel. Starting today, Australia is barring foreigners and Indonesia is halting its visa exemption policy for all countries for a month. Travelers at the US-Canada border are expected to likely face “non-essential” crossing rules over the weekend.
China gives its economy a boost. Traders and analysts predict China’s central bank will cut its lending rate as part of its monthly fixing today, due to the coronavirus outbreak’s damage on the country’s economy.
Landmark executions in India. The four men who were convicted of a 2012 gang rape and killing on a New Delhi city bus—a crime that ignited nationwide protests—will be killed by hanging today.
India begins a “people’s curfew.” A daytime curfew will take place across the country Sunday, where prime minister Narendra Modi encourages citizens to stay home between 7am and 9pm—only leaving for emergency reasons or essential services.
The Olympic flame arrives in Japan. The fire is still flickering, as are hopes the games can take place as scheduled in Tokyo this summer.
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The ASEAN summit in Vietnam was postponed. The 36th gathering of Southeast Asian leaders would have taken place in early April, and is looking at a postponement date somewhere in late June.
Italy’s coronavirus death toll surpassed China’s. Covid-19 has wreaked havoc in the much smaller European country, which now has had more coronavirus-caused deaths than any other nation. Although, China’s reported cases far exceed Italy’s, and the former country’s data reporting is alleged to be unreliable.
The United States raised its global travel advisory to “do not travel.” In its pandemic-motivated advisory, the government warned against all international travel and recommended that Americans abroad should coordinate “immediate return.”
Harvey Weinstein went to prison. The Hollywood mogul, now convicted of rape and sexual assault, began his 23-year sentence at a maximum security prison near Buffalo, New York, though he will most likely move to another facility. His pending case in Los Angeles has been postponed due to travel and courthouse shutdowns.
Investors are interested in Airbnb. Circumstances would seem to indicate that a travel-dependent business in a time of serious market vulnerability wouldn’t be drumming up much interest from those with deep pockets, but CNBC’s sources say otherwise.
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Growing families. Fertility care has given more trans people the chance to have biological children, and inclusive care providers are leading the way. Learn more in our field guide to the business of fertility.
Here to troubleshoot your WFH situation. So much of it boils down to ergonomics, systems, focus, context, and human contact. Let us explain.
Quartz daily obsession
Quantum computers are straight out of a sci-fi novel. They use the uncertainty at the heart of quantum physics to make certain calculations. Companies like IBM and Google are working feverishly to hit what researchers call “quantum advantage,” but so far the technology can’t supplant classical, binary computing. Let’s try to reduce the uncertainty with the Quartz Daily Obsession.
Matters of debate
Workers are the priority, not shareholders. Money from the huge bailouts might go the wrong place, again.
Handshaking is over. And that’s why the world needs an elbow bump emoji.
It’s the perfect moment to change how we do capitalism. Governments should seize the opportunity to rethink their responsibilities.
Surprising discoveries
Iceland is testing everyone for coronavirus. Yes, that includes people with no symptoms, and the mass-scale testing could help the world.
Climate change is erasing history. Looking back at history to reliably forecast extreme weather is becoming irrelevant because of global warming.
Maybe don’t make a Quarantini cocktail. Emergen-C recommended that people don’t mix its vitamin supplement with alcohol for the viral quarantine-inspired cocktail.
Marvel has a new nonbinary superhero. Snowflake, whose name is causing controversy, will join the New Warriors.
Drone images give us a unique view of the ghost town that is Boston. It could be the opening sequence of a disaster movie.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, elbow bumps, and a safe Quarantini recipe. 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 Patrick deHahn.