EU startup fund, Covid-19 origins, hearts love gravity

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Here’s what you need to know

Europe’s startups want a sovereign tech fund. At a meeting today with the EU’s innovation commissioner, startup founders will lobby for a €100 billion ($118 billion) fund to support the industry.

The World Health Organization publishes its Covid-19 origins report. Leaked ahead of its release, it doesn’t provide a concrete answer to how the coronavirus began spreading in China. And while it judged the possibility of a lab leak “extremely unlikely,” it didn’t rule it out.

Canada paused the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine… The jab will be suspended for those under 55 following concerns over blood clots.

…while Pfizer and Moderna vaccines passed another “real world” test. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the shot reduced infections by 90% in fully vaccinated people.

The US accused Malaysia’s Top Glove of using forced labor. Customs officials have directed ports to seize goods from the world’s largest medical glove manufacturer after finding evidence of worker abuses.

Washington suspended a diplomatic trade agreement with Myanmar. A US official said cooperation wouldn’t start up again “until the return of a democratically elected government.”

Nike sued the rapper Lil Nas X over a pair of sneakers. The retailer alleges copyright infringement after the artist released a pair of controversial “Satan Shoes,” modified Nikes with a drop of human blood in the soles.

The Archegos dust began to settle. Brokerages assessed the damage after the massive block sale last week, as more information emerged about the chaos surrounding the hedge fund’s liquidation.

What to watch for

France has long struggled with Islamist terrorism, and 2020 provided little relief. President Emmanuel Macron argues that the solution is to better integrate Muslims into French society, notably by promoting a secular-friendly “Islam of France.”

Today, French senators begin debating a controversial bill (link in French) that many believe will expand state powers to tackle Islamist terrorism. The bill comes as Macron is seeking to poach as many conservative voters as he can from the far-right politician Marine Le Pen, his likely rival in upcoming elections.

Some of the most high-profile items in the bill include:

✍🏻  The bill’s name. Right-wing senators (link in French) reportedly want the text of the bill to more explicitly state that its goal is to “combat separatism.”

🎒  No school from home. The bill bans homeschooling for children older than 3.

🖥️  Watch what you say online. The bill toughens the punishment for those who spread information, online or otherwise, about someone that “allows them to be identified or located,” with the aim of putting them or their family in harm’s way, with tougher penalties when committed against civil servants.

💰  Our money, our rules. As a condition of receiving public funds, community groups will need to promise to use the funds “in accordance with republican principles.”

France’s left views the bill as an example of unacceptable statist encroachment, while the right thinks it isn’t strong enough (both links in French). Both sides have until April 8 to amend and debate the bill.

Charting women in investing

After Brittany Floyd lost her job with an airline and her side gig leading foreign tours, she had no intention of returning to a life of struggle. She read books and online forums before eventually downloading Robinhood, the popular brokerage app, and investing in stocks that aligned with her interests. She wasn’t alone.

In 2020, Fidelity reported a 9% increase in female customers, outpacing the 7% rise in male customers, while Robinhood saw the women on its platform quadruple in February. One reason could be that American women’s income levels are picking up.

Fracking companies are mining bitcoin

Gas flaring is responsible for at least 1% of global carbon emissions, wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of natural resources while endangering our environment at the same time. As flares made fracking companies easy targets for regulators, companies have begun to mine their own creative solutions.

One such fix? Bitcoin.

By turning waste gas into electricity with a generator, bitcoin miner Sergii Gerasymovych figured out he could keep his mining farm afloat while cleaning up a notoriously dirty industry.When Gerasymovych thought of his idea in 2018, companies laughed. Now, after the price of natural gas dropped during the pandemic and drilling ground to a halt, companies are listening.

✦ Take a look at our deep dive into the world of cryptocurrency to discover how to speak fluent crypto. A Quartz membership is emission-free, requires no drilling, and will net you zero bitcoin.  Try it out for free.

Handpicked Quartz

😘  Bitcoin is wooing the millions of workers who send their earnings abroad

🦍 Godzilla vs. Kong proves the world wants to go back to the movies

🏀 From Norwegian salmon to basketball, a brief history of China’s patriotic consumer boycotts

⚠️ WeWork’s plans to go public expose the danger of SPACs

😓 McKinsey faces its moment of reckoning

Surprising discoveries

The “Goldilocks” black hole is just right. There are big ones and small ones, but perfect intermediate sized ones are difficult to find.

Our hearts love gravity. Weightlessness—whether from being in space or on a transatlantic swim—makes a human heart shrink.

The Apophis asteroid will fly right by. Originally thought to collide with the Earth in 2068, the enormous rock will leave us alone for at least another 100 years.

A teenager invented color-changing sutures. The high schooler and her beet-based dye are headed for a patent.

Brood X is coming. Higher temperatures mean potential earlier emergence dates for the billions of cicadas who are about to blanket parts of the US (and if you want, you can eat them.)

Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cicada recipes, and your highest achievement from your teenage years 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 Mary Hui, Tripti Lahiri, Annabelle Timsit, Jordan Lebeau, and Susan Howson.