Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and this weekend
The markets go on holiday. Most major stock exchanges in Europe and the Americas are closed today for Good Friday. Please note that US markets will reopen on Monday but most in Europe remain closed.
Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington state hold Democratic primaries. Washington is the biggest prize, with 101 delegates up for grabs. Bernie Sanders is expected to do well, though even a string of wins won’t be enough to overcome Hillary Clinton’s lead.
The Rolling Stones play Cuba. The historic free concert at Havana’s Ciudad Deportiva is expected to attract thousands of fans in a country where Western pop music was banned as subversive until 15 years ago.
Daylight Saving Time begins in Europe. Early on Sunday, clocks go forward by an hour from Greenland to the Ukraine.
While you were sleeping
Terror arrests in France and Belgium. The man arrested in Paris—accused of plotting a major attack—was convicted in absentia last July of being part of a jihadist network in Belgium, police sources told AFP. Six men were also arrested in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels, days after the devastating attacks on the airport and metro system.
Vladimir Putin and John Kerry talked Syria. The Russian president and US secretary of state agreed to an August deadline for completing a draft constitution for Syria and a political transition plan for the Assad regime. They didn’t discuss whether or not president Bashar al-Assad himself would remain in power.
China continued its media crackdown. After it published an open letter calling for President Xi Jinping’s resignation, 16 individuals that worked for online media outlet Wujie News have gone missing. A columnist that went missing when the letter first spread has been detained by police, according to his lawyer
France beat its 2015 deficit target—by borrowing a lot. It cut its public deficit to 3.5% of GDP, beating its promised goal of 3.8%. While this is the country’s smallest deficit since the start of the global financial crisis in 2008, borrowing to finance the budget shortfall pushed gross debt to a record high of 95.7% of GDP. Separately, the French economy grew 0.3% in the final three months of 2015 from the previous quarter.
The Nigerian army rescued over 800 Boko Haram hostages. While troops freed hundreds of people being held by the Islamist terror group in the north-eastern state of Borno, another 16 women were abducted in neighboring Adamawa. Over 17,000 people have been killed since Boko Haram launched an insurgency in 2009 to create an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria.
Quartz obsession interlude
Aamna Mohdin on how borders hurt Europe’s counterterrorism strategy. “Some have blamed the European Union (EU) itself for yet another catastrophic attack on a member state’s soil. But the Brussels attacks suggests the problem is the complete opposite: it’s Europe failure to work together across the region that’s the issue.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The cage-free egg revolution is here. It reflects a changing view of the moral universe.
There is a strategic logic to suicide attacks. Recent bombings in Europe show that ISIL is cornered in its home territory.
Should parents stunt the growth of their disabled children? Some say it’s the only ethical way to care for them.
Surprising discoveries
Russia banned a Polish “Communist Monopoly” board game. It paints Soviet-era shopping in an unflattering light.
The man who invented British Summer Time is the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. Who has a hit called “Clocks.”
Even vultures avoid North Korea. Scientists have found that the scavengers fill up on food in China first.
A North Carolina man was arrested for failing to return a videotape 14 years ago. The rental store has since closed.
Angolans used Facebook to create a secret file-sharing network. They used a “Free Basics” version of the social media network.
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