Historic Oscars, US-EU travel, Argentinian Google

Chloe Zhao accepts the Oscar for Directing during the live ABC Telecast of The 93rd Oscars in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2021. Todd Wawrychuk/A.M.P.A.S./Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO MARKETING OR ADVERTISING IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE PRIOR CONSENT OF A.M.P.A.S AND MUST BE DISTRIBUTED AS SUCH. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Chloe Zhao accepts the Oscar for Directing during the live ABC Telecast of The 93rd Oscars in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2021. Todd Wawrychuk/A.M.P.A.S./Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO MARKETING OR ADVERTISING IS PERMITTED WITHOUT THE PRIOR CONSENT OF A.M.P.A.S AND MUST BE DISTRIBUTED AS SUCH. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Image: Todd Wawrychuk/handout via Reuters

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

Chloé Zhao made Oscars history. She is the first woman of color to be named best director at the awards for Nomadland, which also won best picture. This year’s ceremony was also notable for looking like an actual movie.

The EU will allow vaccinated Americans to visit this summer. US tourists who have received vaccines approved by the bloc’s regulator will be allowed to enter, though details and timeline are pending. Meanwhile, the EU expects to achieve herd immunity by mid-July.

Boris Johnson was urged to tackle the unrest in Northern Ireland. An open letter signed by a cross-party group of former cabinet ministers warned the UK prime minister of a dangerous political vacuum unless he addresses Brexit’s damage to the peace process.

Countries are sending Covid-19 aid to India. The UK, France, and Germany, as well as the European Commission and the US, pledged to deliver rapid tests, ventilators, and personal protective equipment. Read more below.

It’s time to prepare for the next pandemic. US vice president Kamala Harris will tell the United Nations that countries must collaborate on issues like science investment and increasing capacities for vaccine and test production.

Malaria may be getting an effective vaccine. New research showed groundbreaking vaccination trial results in Burkina Faso, with a 77% efficacy rate in preventing the disease among those who received the jab.

Southeast Asian leaders called for an end to violence in Myanmar. An emergency summit of leaders from nine countries resulted in five demands to the military junta currently in control.

The EU rebuked China over the South China Sea. Brussels blamed Beijing for “endangering peace” in the region and highlighted an international tribunal ruling that rejected much of China’s territorial claims in the sea.


What to watch for

Scheduled to release its first-quarter results today after US markets close, Tesla is expected to show big spikes in earnings per share and revenue, giving investors a reason to stick around as the electric vehicle maker fights to maintain its supremacy in a soon-to-be-crowded market.

A look at the digits:

$0.23: Tesla’s earnings per share in the first quarter of 2020

$0.79: Expected earnings per share in the first quarter of 2021

72%: Expected revenue growth since the same time last year

700%: Share price increase in 2020

3.4%: Share price increase in 2021 as of April 24

$4,400: Cost of the EV currently outselling Tesla in China

5: Days a protester was detained after climbing onto a Tesla’s roof and yelling “Tesla’s brakes don’t work” at the Shanghai Auto Show

Elon, if you’re reading—we went ahead and made you a vision board for Tesla’s future based on your own master plans.


Mapping India’s help from afar

With grim reports and gutting images emerging from New Delhi’s overrun hospitals and cremation sites, experts say that the death toll is much greater than the 193,000 the government has reported. The country of 1.3 billion is now the global epicenter of the pandemic.

Several countries, including India’s political rivals China and Pakistan, are responding to the humanitarian crisis. Amid expressions of solidarity from world leaders, here are the countries that have thus far begun—or said they’ll begin—sending much needed medical equipment, oxygen, vaccines, and treatments.

Image for article titled Historic Oscars, US-EU travel, Argentinian Google

Third-party cookies, explained

How do third-party cookies work?

A cookie is a small text file saved locally on a user’s computer at the behest of a website they’ve visited. It helps the website remember information about them—often for benign reasons, like remembering their login information or making sure the items in their shopping cart will still be there even if they close the page and come back later.

When cookies come from someplace other than the website a user chose to visit, they’re called third-party cookies. They’re not a particularly effective way for digital advertisers to track potential customers, and the public fears the privacy implications of having their every move online surreptitiously tracked. In response to public pressure, lawmakers are passing legislation to protect internet users’ privacy, but the most effective move of all might be a voluntary one by web browsers that have said they will no longer support third-party cookies.

Few will mourn the functional death of the third-party cookie, but there’s reason to be suspicious of what might rise in its place.

✦ Learn more about what to expect in our latest field guide on what the death of third-party cookies means for digital advertisers. All of our field guides are members-only, but we think membership is well worth it. Try it free for a week and see what you think!


Handpicked Quartz

📈 The recent spike in Delhi’s Covid-19 death toll is still likely a huge underestimation

😤 Why is it so hard to get oxygen cylinders in India?

🌞 The next phase of the climate battle is staked out

💼 Why millions of workers are planning to switch jobs after the pandemic

🤸🏽 Simone Biles and Gap’s Athleta brand will both benefit from her split with Nike

⚔️ Netflix is retelling the lost tale of Japan’s first African samurai

Surprising discoveries

Gender reveal parties crossed a line a long time ago. Yet people are still doing them—and causing actual earthquakes in the process.

Town criers will text it in this year. A British competition will use the pandemic as an opportunity to give clever, quieter town criers a chance to shine.

An Argentinian bought Argentina’s Google domain name for $5. The expired domain was legally up for grabs, though Google Argentina has since wrested back control.

€1 ($1.20) homes could revive a Sicilian town. The mayor of Castiglione di Sicilia says that he hopes selling hundreds of abandoned homes for pocket change will give his town a shot in the arm.

Georgia’s governor wants to make daylight savings permanent. Brian Kemp says the bill he recently signed would give the US state’s criminals “one less hour” of darkness in which to operate.



Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, €1 villas, and blocked tweets 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, Itika Sharma, Alex Ossola, Adrian Hill, Anne Quito, Susan Howson, and Jordan Lebeau.