Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
The euro zone measures manufacturing health. Economists expect the composite purchasing managers index to decline only slightly in February (paywall). The survey will shed light on whether a modest recovery has been affected by policy uncertainty.
France’s independent candidate campaigns… in London. Emmanuel Macron, considered a presidential frontrunner alongside François Fillon and Marine Le Pen, will address expat French voters in Westminster. With a 300,000-strong French community, London has been called the “sixth biggest French city.”
Mining giants report earnings. BHP Billiton and Anglo American are expected to make strong showings (paywall) following a dramatic turnaround in commodity markets. Copper has surged more than 30% in the past year. BHP investors will want an update on the company’s pledge to find $1.8 billion in productivity gains.
While you were sleeping
Russia’s UN ambassador died suddenly. Vitaly Churkin fell ill in his office at the UN’s headquarters in New York, and later died at a nearby hospital. The cause of death was not immediately known. Churkin had held his post at the UN since 2006. Today would have been his 65th birthday.
Trump named his new national security adviser The US president chose military strategist H.R. McMaster to replace Michael Flynn, who resigned over his failure to disclose the full extent of a conversation he had with a Russian diplomat. McMaster’s list of recommended reads suggests he’s steeped in military history.
Facebook added international money transfers to its chat app. The service comes via London-based startup TransferWise in the form of a Facebook Messenger chatbot. It enables transfers to and from the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Last April Facebook opened up Messenger to developers to create chatbots.
Simon & Schuster canceled a book deal with Milo Yiannopoulos. The move followed the release of video clips in which the right-wing commentator endorsed sexual relations between “younger boys and older men.” Yiannopoulos was disinvited from speaking at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC.
Quartz obsession interlude
Steve Levine on journalists’ response to Trump: “Reporters around the world know this drill—a leader who feels a need for an enemy in order to rule effectively. And so he creates one. As for the wild praise of his followers, I and colleagues have seen that, too—the president who plays to the galleries. Trump does not hate the media—for him, it is theater.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Deleting Uber is the least you can do. It’s time for consumers to take an ethical stand that Uber’s board, financiers, and executives won’t.
It’s morally right to keep great apes in zoos. There’s rarely a viable alternative to captivity.
Trump will kill the press and the press will kill Trump. The US president is going to destroy the mass media that got him elected, and that’s OK.
Surprising discoveries
Barns are red because of nuclear fusion. Red paint is cheaper, but why it’s cheaper has to do with the size at which nuclei stop producing energy.
A tiny failed satellite became an unlikely hero in the Rosetta space mission. After falling short in its primary mission, Japan’s Procyon spacecraft helped Rosetta gather data.
Citronella candles are useless against mosquitos. Also ineffective: sonic mosquito repellers and bracelets containing herbal extracts.
Russians are obsessed with a blob-like sculpture. Artwork meant to symbolize the experience of waiting to see a doctor has become an internet meme.
You’re a completely different person at 14 than you are at 77. At least that’s the conclusion of the longest personality study ever conducted.
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