Good morning Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
China’s trade update. The trade balance report is a closely watched measure of the country’s imports and exports. China posted its first monthly trade deficit in three years in February; analysts will want to know if that was an anomaly or a sign of continued global economic recovery.
The US and the Philippines train together. This is the first annual “Balikatan” military exercise under presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Donald Trump, who have been quite chummy. This two-week event, now in its 33rd iteration, will focus this year on disaster relief and counterterrorism training.
Judges weigh Trump’s revised travel ban. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia will consider the administration’s case for its executive order suspending visas for people from six predominantly Muslim countries. Normally only three judges consider such appeals at first; this case, however, will go straight to the full 15-judge bench.
Over the weekend
Emmanuel Macron won the French presidency. A projected 66% of voters picked the 39-year-old centrist banker after a bruising second-round campaign against the far-right’s Marine Le Pen. While turnout was relatively low, the vote suggested that France isn’t yet ready to accept the populist, anti-EU sentiments rising elsewhere in Europe. But now what some call the “real election” begins: Macron must get enough seats for his fledgling party, en Marche, in next month’s parliamentary vote, else he’ll find it hard to govern.
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger bestowed some wisdom. During a highly anticipated annual Q&A, Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO and vice chairman spoke about the pitfalls of capitalism, the benefits of AI, and plans for the company after Buffett’s death. Buffett also slammed Wells Fargo’s response to a fraud scandal; the bank responded that it agreed with him.
Boko Haram released 82 kidnapped Chibok girls. Nigeria’s government said the girls were returned as part of a prisoner exchange brokered with the help of the Red Cross and the Swiss government. It’s the second such deal to be struck, but more than 100 girls remain missing after being kidnapped by the group in 2014.
North Korea detained another US citizen. The arrest of Kim Hak Song, a professor at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, for unspecified hostile acts on Saturday brings the number of Americans now being held by the hermit kingdom to four. It’s unclear if Kim’s arrest is related to the arrest earlier this week of Kim Sang Dok, another Korean-American accounting professor from the same university.
US business schools reported a Trump slump. GMAC, which runs the GMAT entrance exam for MBA programs, said 64% of US business schools saw applications drop (paywall) in the six months ending March 2017—the biggest proportion in the last 10 years. Indians especially are being dissuaded by fears that the administration will make it harder to get work visas after their studies.
The two-hour marathon remained elusive. Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge missed the mark by just 25 seconds. His time, which was the fastest recorded marathon, won’t be counted as a world record due to the use of pacers.
Quartz obsession interlude
Sarah Kessler on how algorithms are failing Facebook. “Facebook doesn’t just enable communication, but sets the boundaries and rules around it. And its influence—whether on culture, on elections, or on anything else beyond its own digital borders—means that those decisions impact us all, whether or not we use it.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
The 1917 Russian Revolution still matters. The overthrow of Russia’s tsars is a poignant reminder of how quickly things can change when people are unhappy.
Brown people are all the same to Westerners. Non-whites are still treated as a homogeneous “other” in real life and on screen.
Phishing emails will never stop duping people. Curiosity always gets the better of humans.
Surprising discoveries
A Vanuatuan tribe worships Prince Philip. Younanen villagers believe the recently retired 95-year-old royal is the son of a mountain god who can bestow blessings on citizens and crops.
China wants to challenge the US with a giant robot. The gladiator robot, known as Monkey King, was created after the US and Japan agreed to a giant robot duel.
A tiny Swedish village is a top-secret location for car makers. They use Arjeplog, population 3,000, as a testing ground (paywall) for prototypes.
A record label is releasing albums that are almost impossible to play. The modified cassettes are a commentary on how easily accessible music has become.
Male cuttlefish have flashy fights over females. The battling cephalopods display stunning zebra motifs, tangle their arms and tentacles, and spray ink at each other.
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