Brussels explosions kill 13, more US primaries, surfing the Arctic Circle

[Quartz - qz.com] Daily Brief sponsored by What to watch for today Brussels under attack. At least 13 have been [reported dead] and dozens injured after explosions in the departure hall of Zaventem airport around 8am local time. A separate explosion [went off] at Maelbeek metro station shortly afterwards. It comes days after Salah Abdeslam, the suspected ringleader in the Paris attacks last year, was captured in Brussels. Three US states hold primaries. Republican and Democratic voters in Arizona and Utah will choose presidential candidates, while in Idaho only Democrats go to the polls. Ted Cruz is expected to [win big in Utah], where front-runner Donald Trump is not popular. Britain votes on the budget. Chancellor George Osborne will defend his budget after a minister resigned over “indefensible” cuts to disability payments as [the House of Commons gathers to approve it]. Osborne has now dropped those cuts, which leaves a £4-billion ($5.7-billion) hole in his budget and much ill-feeling. Nike reports third-quarter earnings. Analysts expect the sports-gear maker [to report] profit growth of 9% in the three months to the end of February to $862.6 million, thanks to the boom in the athletic-leisure market. While you were sleeping Aung San Suu Kyi was given a seat in Myanmar’s new cabinet. Suu Kyi will [head up] foreign affairs, energy, and education. The leader of the National League for Democracy party was barred from the presidency and wasn’t expected to serve in the ministry. The tennis chief at the center of a sexism storm quit. Indian Wells tournament CEO Raymond Moore [quit after he was roundly criticized] for saying that the women’s game “rides on the coat-tails” of the men’s game and they should “should get down on their knees” to thank them. Legend Martina Navratilova said his comments were “extremely prejudiced.” The former Congolese rebel leader was convicted of war crimes. The International Criminal Court in the Hague [found Jean-Pierre Bemba guilty] of rape and murder during an attempted coup in the neighboring Central African Republic in 2002 and 2003. This is the first time the ICC has focused on rape as a weapon of war. The Justice Department delayed Apple’s hearing. The FBI said they have [learned how to unlock] a suspected terrorist’s iPhone without Apple’s assistance, meaning the company’s head of product security and privacy will no longer need to testify. It comes hours after Tim Cook [reiterated the company’s stance] on user privacy as it [unveiled] an updated smaller iPhone and new iPad Pro. Sponsor content by XEROX Why working more doesn’t mean more work done. Despite an expanded workday and workweek as well as huge investments in technology, productivity is still down. We need to reengineer how people, process, and technology can [work better together.] So work itself can work better. Quartz obsession interlude Joon Ian Wong on why Americans think they’re more productive than they actually are. “Why do Americans think they’re so much better than their fellows at work? It’s difficult to say, Qualtrics’ global insights head Mike Maughan told Quartz, but it could be an overhang from the financial crisis of 2008.” [Read more here]. Matters of debate The rise of robots is why we need a universal basic income. Many jobs will soon disappear, but that [doesn’t mean people should starve]. Global authoritarianism is on the rise. “Trumpism” is a manifestation of a [transnational trend]. It’s game over for coal. [Market trends and new regulations] spell the end of a once-dominant energy source. Surprising discoveries A comet flies close to Earth today. It will “safely” pass within 2.2 million miles of us, making it the [third-closest comet fly-by] in recorded history. Norwegians are surfing in the Arctic Circle under the Northern Lights. Thanks to the jet stream, [sea temperatures are a balmy 6℃] (43℉). A record number of Americans blame humans for climate change. But it’s still [only 41%], according to Gallup. The Netherlands is suffering from a criminal shortage. It may have to close [five prisons due to a lack of inmates]. The most powerful nuclear plant in the world is in Germany. The Grohnde power plant in Lower Saxony [has produced more energy] since 1984 than any other in history, putting out 10 billion kWhs every year. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, Arctic surfboards, and lumps of coal to [hi@qz.com]. And [download our new iPhone app] for news throughout the day. You’re getting the Americas edition of the Quartz Daily Brief. We’d also love it if you shared this email with your friends. They can sign up for free here. Want to receive the Daily Brief at a different time? [Click here] to change your edition. To unsubscribe entirely, [click here]. Like us on [Facebook] and follow us on [Twitter]. Quartz | 233 Park Ave S, 2nd Fl | New York, NY 10003 | United States