Quartz Daily Brief—Ukraine’s ceasefire holds, US drone rules, Apple’s test drive, NSA valentines
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
Will Ukraine’s ceasefire last? The latest attempt to keep the peace in the eastern reaches of the country is generally holding despite some limited fighting. The town of Debaltseve, where Ukrainian forces are encircled, is still experiencing shelling, after pro-Russian separatist groups said they would not observe the truce there.
The euro zone and Greece search for a compromise. Finance ministers from the economic bloc will meet with Greek officials to discuss the country’s attempt to alter the terms of its bail-out after the current agreement expires this month. Greek leaders are refusing to accept any conditions that would force the country to continue harsh austerity measures.
Public holidays for very different leaders. The United States celebrates Presidents’ Day, honoring George Washington and his successors, and financial markets there are closed. Meanwhile, North Korea marks the birthday of Kim Jong-Il, the late father of current leader Kim Jong-Un, in its biggest holiday of the year.
Over the weekend
The FAA finally released its commercial drone rules. Draft guidelines would require drone pilot licenses and forbid flying at night or beyond the pilot’s line of sight, among many other limitations. The US aviation regulator only considered a tiny handful of possible business uses, dismaying companies like Amazon.
Japan emerged from recession but still fell short. The country’s GDP grew by an annualized 2.2% in the fourth quarter, bouncing back from two consecutive quarters of contraction. But growth was less than analysts expected, suggesting a fragile recovery hampered by low domestic and global demand.
A weekend of violence in Denmark. A 22-year-old went on a rampage at a cafe in Copenhagen where a controversial Swedish cartoonist was speaking, and then at a local synagogue, killing a total of two people and injuring several police officers. Danish-born gunman Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein was later killed in a shoot-out with police, who are investigating a possible link to the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
ISIL claimed a new atrocity in Libya. The Islamist extremist group released a video that purports to show the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Tripoli. The killings points to an expansion of ISIL beyond its core territory in Iraq and Syria, and also could prompt Egypt, the most populous Arab state, to become more directly involved in the US-led anti-ISIL coalition.
Apple took the auto industry for a spin. Multiple reports suggest the company is exploring a serious foray (paywall) into cars, including hundreds of workers who are reportedly working on an electric minivan and exploring self-driving cars. Tesla’s Elon Musk may be finally getting the competition he’s been asking for.
The king of chocolate died on Valentine’s Day. Michele Ferrero, Italy’s richest man and the creator of Nutella, passed away at the age of 89, after a life of hazelnut chocolate-coated success that also included the creation of Kinder Eggs, Tic-Tacs, and a $23.4 billion fortune.
Fifty Shades of Grey dominated the weekend. The sadomasochistic love story earned a record $158.3 million at the global box office, as audiences—68% female, at least in the United States—flocked to see the big-screen adaptation of the best-selling erotic novel.
Quartz obsession interlude
Jason Karaian and David Yanofsky map and explain Angela Merkel’s crisis world tour. “The German chancellor has logged some 17,500 miles (28,000 kilometers) crisscrossing the globe over the past two weeks, darting from one crisis to the next. ‘Merkel here, Merkel there, Merkel everywhere,’ noted Deutsche Welle. ‘Merkel is needed, now more than ever, to put out the world’s fires’.” Read more here.
Matters of debate
Apple will buy Tesla for $75 billion in 18 months. Wait any longer and Tesla will be too expensive.
The FAA’s drone rules still don’t make sense. For starters, how will they ever be enforced?
The Copenhagen free-speech wars have come full circle. Attacks against cartoonists began there 10 years ago.
Privacy is a matter of “life and death.” Apple CEO Tim Cook has a warning for US president Barack Obama.
Surprising discoveries
Driverless cars could own themselves. After a “birth loan” they could eventually become financially autonomous.
The NSA celebrated Valentine’s Day with some creepy tweets. “No, we don’t listen to your pillow talk.”
The US government sells peanut butter for $761 a jar. It’s not for sandwiches, but to calibrate scientific instruments.
The NBA is being dominated by nobodies. The superstar era is over.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, government peanut butter, and NSA valentines to [email protected]. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.