Here’s what you need to know
Donald Trump’s acquittal split the Republican party. Seven GOP senators voted against the former president, who survived an unprecedented second impeachment.
India threw a young climate activist in jail. Disha Ravi, 22, is accused of sedition for allegedly editing and sharing an online “toolkit” for supporting protesting farmers.
AstraZeneca began vaccine trials for children. Up to 80% of the 300 enrolled volunteers will receive the Covid jab, while a control group will receive a meningitis shot.
A WHO monitor accused China of withholding information. Microbiologist Dominic Dwyer says officials only provided case summaries instead of raw patient data to the World Health Organization.
Japan’s latest major earthquake is an aftershock from 2011. The 7.2-magnitude tremor on Saturday night (Feb. 13) was a remnant of the devastating 9.0 quake from 2011, Japan’s meteorological agency says.
Ebola is back. Three deaths in Guinea’s southeast region mark the disease’s first resurgence since the deadly wave that ended in 2016.
The WTO is set to name its first female and first African leader. Economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala takes charge at the World Trade Organization, which has been without a leader for six months.
What to watch for
How much will Google and Facebook have to pay for news? Tomorrow, Australia’s parliament will consider legislation that’s set to create global ripples. Google, which has negotiated deals to pay some publishers for their work, has said that if the bill becomes law, it will be so cost-prohibitive for the company that it will have to yank its search capability from Australian internet users.
Just before US president Joe Biden was inaugurated, trade representatives urged Australian lawmakers to take the bill—which has wide bipartisan support—back to the drafting table. But Australia has done its homework, spending years on a study on how the country’s journalism industry has suffered thanks to the shift to digital media. It’s a trend that’s certainly not limited to Down Under, and the world will be keeping an eye on the news—digitally, one imagines—as it unfolds.
Charting global brokerage app downloads
Retail trading was already booming in the US and gaining traction in other parts of the world, and then GameStop came along. Trend: turbocharged.
Freetrade, the UK-based brokerage app, says daily signups surged from 3,000 before GameStop to as many as 30,000 when news was at a fever pitch. BUX, a Dutch brokerage, said it was onboarding three times as many new customers during the GameStop controversy. Downloads also jumped in Brazil, Japan, and Germany, a country that has been culturally wary of the stock market, according to Apptopia.
Over the last quarter-century, online dating went from a stigmatized activity to the most common way couples meet in the US. It has completely, unequivocally revolutionized how we fall in love—and turned into a multi-billion-dollar global industry in the process. It’s only gotten bigger during the pandemic as singles swipe and chat in a socially distant effort to find someone special.
Read our latest field guide on the dating biz.
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Surprising discoveries
Lemurs are helping us understand the chemistry of love. Monogamy, rare in mammals, relies on different parts of the brain to make the love last.
AI is learning to predict human mistakes by studying chess errors. The program could be used to catch misreadings of medical images, among other applications.
Stonehenge was likely first erected 120 miles away from its current location. New research suggests the ancient monument stood for 400 years in Wales before migrants moved the stones.
Companies are racing to age whiskey overnight. If the new technology is successful—that is, if the stuff is drinkable—distillers could shave years and millions of dollars off the production process.
More diverse police departments are less dangerous to citizens. An analysis in Chicago found that Black and Hispanic officers made fewer stops and used force less often than white officers.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, digital roses, and quick-aged whiskey to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Tripti Lahiri, Itika Sharma, Tim McDonnell, Jordan Lebeau, Susan Howson, and Alex Ossola.