Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today and over the weekend
Shinzo Abe meets with Donald Trump. The Japanese prime minister is asking business leaders to come up with a “tweetable” batch of US investments ahead of his visit with the US president tomorrow, which will be followed by a weekend golf outing in Florida.
China begins fingerprinting all foreign visitors. The country’s Ministry of Public Security is starting the protocol in Shenzhen, and will eventually expand it to all entry and exit points. The practice is in line with border protocols in the US and Japan.
Australia braces for blackouts. A heatwave that will bring temperatures of 40°C (104°F) to South Australia and New South Wales could lead to demand spikes and electricity shortfalls. Prime minister Malcolm Turnball says an “ideological” shift toward renewable energy has hurt reliability.
While you were sleeping
Twitter proved that influence isn’t everything. A bitterly contested US election that put a tweet-addict in the White House wasn’t enough to help the company’s fourth-quarter results. Twitter failed to add any US users and fell short of revenue expectations, sending shares down more than 12%.
Donald Trump reportedly raised doubts about a nuclear treaty with Russia. Reuters, citing three sources with knowledge of a phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin, said the US president denounced the Obama-era New START treaty limiting nuclear weapon deployment. Arms control experts were aghast at Trump’s apparent unfamiliarity with the pact.
Paris is building a bulletproof glass wall around the Eiffel Tower to fend off terrorists. The €20 million ($21 million) barrier will replace temporary metal fence installed during the 2016 Euro Cup. The French capital has been on high alert because of terrorist attacks for more than two years.
Russian “friendly fire” killed Turkish soldiers in Syria. An air strike on a building thought to contain Islamic State fighters killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11. Russia and Turkey support opposing factions in the Syrian civil war, but joined forces for airstrikes against ISIL in the town of al-Bab in recent weeks.
Germany’s trade surplus hit a new high. Exports exceeded imports by €252.9 billion, creating the world’s largest surplus and the biggest in Germany’s post-World War II history. The new trade data is certain to raise tensions with the US, which has accused Germany of manipulating the euro to suppress domestic demand and make its exports cheaper.
Quartz obsession interlude
Dan Kopf on why schools should nag parents: “Multiple experiments have found that one of the best ways to improve kid’s performance is to badger parents with information about the truth … When parents are consistently informed about what’s actually happening at school, research shows their kids’ grades improve dramatically.” Read more here.
Quartz markets haiku
Like slavering dogs
Investors will buy after
Each loose utterance
Matters of debate
Snapchat must heed Twitter’s missteps. Stagnant user growth and ongoing losses show exactly what Snap shouldn’t do after its IPO.
“Fake news” has become a meaningless phrase. It has been hijacked to mean any news that a politician doesn’t like.
Chronically late people share one positive trait. Tardiness is the optimistic belief that you can do more than is humanly possible.
Surprising discoveries
NASA built a computer chip capable of surviving on Venus. The silicon carbide chip is capable of withstanding temperatures of over 752°F (400°C).
Ultrasound is a shortcut to well-aged liquor. The sonic frequencies hastened the release of the compounds that give brandy its distinct flavor.
Scientists have mapped the quinoa genome. Unlocking the superfood’s genetic code could make it as affordable as wheat.
Researchers think some Dead Sea scrolls were stolen from a cave. Nearly 1,000 have been found at 11 sites, but a 12th location in the West Bank may have been looted.
The former Obama White House photographer is trolling on Instagram. Pete Souza has been posting photos of the former president that slyly criticize Donald Trump’s policies.
In Wednesday’s Daily Brief, we incorrectly reported that Oprah Winfrey reaped a $90 million profit on the sale of a painting. In fact, her profits were slightly more than $60 million.
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