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Here’s what you need to know
Microsoft is buying AI voice recognition company Nuance. The $19.7 billion deal, which gives Microsoft a bigger healthcare presence, will be its second largest purchase, after LinkedIn.
Ant Group will become a financial holding company. The restructuring of Alibaba’s fintech arm comes at the insistence of Chinese regulators.
Protests broke out in Minneapolis. Officials said the police officer who killed Daunte Wright on Sunday meant to use a taser, not a gun. The judge in the ongoing George Floyd murder trial, also in Minneapolis, said the jury would not be sequestered due to the news.
Iran blamed Israel for the attack on its nuclear facility. Tehran said the motive was to sabotage multilateral nuclear deal talks.
Twitter is coming to Africa. The social media platform is hiring its first engineering team on the continent in an attempt to expand its user base.
India now trails only Brazil in Covid-19 cases. The surge has not stopped the millions flocking to Haridwar for Kumbh Mela—the largest pilgrimage on Earth.
What to watch for
The world tour of US defense secretary Lloyd J. Austin III began this week with a trip to Israel, where Austin recommitted to a longstanding relationship between the two countries. Here’s a rundown of the stops scheduled.
🇩🇪 Today, Austin will meet with his German counterpart, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, to reinforce the value of their defense relationship.
🇧🇪 In Belgium, with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, Austin will discuss Russia, China, terrorism, climate change, and Covid-19.
🇬🇧 Austin will end his jaunt with a meeting with his UK counterpart Ben Wallace to discuss the importance of UK-US defense cooperation.
Charting Coinbase users
Crypto exchange Coinbase is scheduled to go public on April 14, putting a stamp of legitimacy on a company that could be valued at as much as $100 billion, according to some estimates.
The first risk Coinbase mentions in its S-1 is the whiplash inherent in prices for virtual assets. Interest in bitcoin and other digital assets blossoms when prices are climbing, and can crash when prices tank. User numbers fluctuate accordingly. John Detrixhe lists fun facts from Coinbase’s filing.
What Texas can show Joe Biden about regulation
Orphaned oil and gas wells, many leaking methane gas and spouting pollutants, are poised to pop up around the US, threatening groundwater and air quality.
Targeted in US president Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan to the tune of $16 billion, the goal of plugging wells nationwide is both urgent and admirable.
Still, Texas’s recent energy woes during periods of unusually low temperatures have shown the dangers of lackadaisical regulation of oil companies. Money alone won’t put a cap on the problem, and could leave taxpayers on the hook for years to come.
✦ Want quality news? Tim McDonnell is covering global climate change and energy issues. Don’t have a Quartz membership? Try it for free.
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😷 India’s Covid-19 situation is becoming worse by the day
📈 A techie who once mistrusted the internet is now building one of India’s largest crypto exchanges
🌤 The countries with the highest concentrations of air pollution
Surprising discoveries
The stars aligned for Bhutan’s vaccine administration efforts. The country received doses in January, but administered them last month to coincide with key astrological dates.
A harsh punishment for lockdown violations. Tourists from the US, Mexico, Australia, and Israel were made to write an apology 500 times apiece after ignoring social distancing measures in Tapovan.
A NASA intern stole $21 million worth of moon rocks. He wanted to have sex on them.
Met, American style. With the focus on the US’s fashion community, there will be two separate galas in September.
A Twitch streamer put himself up for sale as living art. He’ll grace your wall for five years, for a cool $5 million.
Correction: In yesterday’s Daily Brief, we said China would be mixing up domestic vaccines and dose amounts to improve efficacy, but the mixing will be of different types of vaccines, possibly sourced from abroad.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, gala looks, and new uses for moon rocks 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 Jordan Lebeau, Susan Howson, and John Detrixhe.