Amazon’s air force, Sunni military might, Facebook selfie filters
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton debate in Miami. The dueling Democrats go on stage at 9pm ET (10am HK), one day after Sanders’s upset primary win in Michigan. With Univision co-hosting, expect questions on immigration and a focus on Hispanic voters.
The European Central Bank considers more stimulus measures. Mario Draghi could announce drastic action to pump up the euro zone economy. In addition to another interest rate cut, analysts predict the ECB might start buying more government and corporate bonds.
Sunni countries wrap up a show of force in Saudi Arabia. The “Thunder of the North” training exercise will deploy troops from 20 countries including Egypt and Pakistan, whose leaders are flying to Riyadh. Amid rising tension between Saudi Arabia and Shia-dominated Iran, Pakistan is considering strengthening military ties with the Saudis.
While you were sleeping
Amazon started its own air force. The company added 20 Boeing 767 jets for ultra-fast delivery to the Amazon Prime members in the United States. The move reduces dependence on FedEx and UPS, and could cut costs and delivery times.
A detainee claimed ISIL has weaponized mustard gas. Under interrogation by US forces, Sleiman Daouad al-Afari, a high-level Islamic State operative, detailed how the group loaded the chemical weapon into artillery shells.
Facebook got into the selfie filter business. The social network giant purchased Masquerade, an app that puts special effects onto live videos, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition is a reaction to increased competition from Snapchat, which offers popular filters that let users do things like vomit rainbows.
Poland’s constitutional crisis deepened. The country’s top court rejected legislation that would increase the right-leaning government’s influence over the judiciary. The decision deepens a standoff with the ruling Law and Justice party, which is facing international pressure over its aggressive domestic policies.
The co-director of The Matrix came out as transgender. Lily Wachowski announced her transition after the Daily Mail threatened to out her. Wachowski’s sister and co-director, Lana, came out as transgender four years ago.
Quartz obsession interlude
Erik German on the human implications of Google’s Go-playing artificial intelligence. “Duels like these don’t come often. That’s because the vast majority of human-versus-machine contests are rarely worth watching at all. But every once in awhile, a technological moment comes when the man-machine match-up gives us a fight worth watching.” Read more here.
Quartz markets haiku
A great galleon
Afloat on a sea of oil
Matters of debate
Google is creating a new type of capitalism based on surveillance. The company profits from monitoring and modifying human behavior.
We’re eating too much to fight climate change. The planet can’t cope with the emissions from food production and eating-related activities.
America’s productivity miracle is over. The labor-driven growth that created one of the world’s most affluent societies is in the past.
Surprising discoveries
IKEA’s frugal founder buys all his clothes at flea markets. “I want to set a good example,” billionaire Ingvar Kamprad told reporters.
Germany’s most popular soda looks like swamp juice. Makers of spezi, a brownish citrus-cola, want to market the drink in other European countries.
An AI can identify terrorists from their V-signs. Hand geometry may be a useful biometric identifier.
Riding side-saddle is coming back in style. It’s less about modesty and more about elegance.
A flower show in China caused a spike in iron ore prices. Steel mills were forced to shut down so the gathering would be pollution-free.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, swamp juice, and Go strategies to [email protected]. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.