Super Mario euro drama, Google’s AI clincher, Neanderthal insults
Good morning, Quartz readers!
What to watch for today
A crucial debate for Republicans. Presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich will face off in Miami in the last debate before major contests next week in Florida and Ohio. Trump’s chances of losing the nomination are getting slimmer.
The Chinese government releases key data. Retail sales and industrial production figures will come out, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan will discuss financial reform, and three financial watchdogs will hold briefings Saturday, making it a packed day for economy watchers.
Google’s AI tries to topple the world Go champion. Lee Se-Dol lost the first two games in the best-of-five contest, putting the DeepMind software on the verge of conquering one of the last board games where humans are still on top. The matches are at 1pm Korea time (4am GMT) on Saturday and Sunday.
While you were sleeping
A nervous European Central Bank slashed its key interest rates to zero (and below). President Mario Draghi cut the main interest rate to zero and pushed the rate it charges banks even further into negative territory. The euro plunged, but then rose sharply after he made cautious comments about further action.
Rival Taliban factions clashed. Up to 100 fighters were killed in western Afghanistan, in the latest outbreak of violence following confirmation of Taliban founder Mullah Omar’s death last year. The fighting has complicated efforts to restart peace talks.
OPEC members wavered. Oil prices fell after Reuters reported that an upcoming meeting of major oil producers, meant to discuss freezing production, was unlikely to take place. Iran is the stumbling block; having only just had sanctions lifted, it doesn’t want to talk about a freeze.
Apple tried to drum up excitement. The company announced an event on March 21. It’s expected to unveil a smaller iPhone and updated iPad. That will be a welcome distraction from its slowing phone sales and fight with the FBI.
Obama and Trudeau bonded. The two leaders discussed progressive politics, a joint climate-change measure, and hockey, in the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister to the US in almost 20 years. Trudeau’s handsome looks have Washington in the grip of “Justin Fever.”
Quartz obsession interlude
Alison Griswold on Instacart’s shaky attempt to become the Uber for groceries. “Like many of its Silicon Valley peers, Instacart followed in Uber’s footsteps by betting big on independent contractors and on-demand services. While the “Uber-for-X” model may seem simple, it turns out not to be replicated so easily.” Read more here.
Quartz markets haiku
Mario Draghi’s
Helicopter warming up
Matters of debate
Calling someone a Neanderthal isn’t really insulting. Our ancestors were actually quite smart.
It’s time to break up the Republican party. “True” conservatives need to break away from Trump supporters and build something new.
Frequently changing passwords makes them less safe. The more often people are asked to create new passwords, the lazier they get.
Surprising discoveries
Turkey’s first lady thinks harems were good for women. She said the Ottoman sultans’ harems “prepared women for life.”
A Brazilian man has earned a penguin’s devotion. “Dindim” swims 5,000 miles every year to reunite with the man who rescued him.
There’s an easy way to break into fingerprint-locked smartphones. Copies made on inkjet printers will do the trick.
Someone snuck a baby onto a plane in a carry-on bag. The adult and infant were traveling from Istanbul to Paris on Air France.
Familiar routes increase the therapeutic benefits of running. Being a creature of habit while exercising triggers memories and personal reflections.
Hamas burned 15 tons of Snickers bars in Gaza. That’s one way of dealing with a product recall.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, therapeutic jogging routes, and loyal penguins to [email protected]. You can follow us on Twitter for updates throughout the day.