Quartz Daily Brief—Apple’s patent setback, HSBC’s parliamentary grilling, Chicago’s mayoral run-off, sheep-eating plants

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Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today HSBC answers to Parliament. CEO Stuart Gulliver and chairman Douglas Flint are scheduled to spend two hours answering claims that Britain’s biggest bank helped clients evade taxes—and explaining the strange way Gulliver is paid. Day two of Janet Yellen’s Congressional testimony. Yesterday, the US Federal Reserve chair told the Senate that the central bank will send a signal when it’s ready to start thinking about raising interest rates. Today, Yellen speaks to the House of Representatives. Is Target on target? The US retailer should see a jump in its fourth-quarter earnings, as it recovers from a crippling 2013 data breach. But it might also be losing business as more people shop online. Wowo tries to wow US investors. The owner of 55tuan, known as the “Groupon of China,” starts trading on the Nasdaq (paywall), selling $60 million worth of shares at a $384 million valuation. The Wowo IPO is the company’s second attempt at tapping the public markets, after a 2011 IPO fell through. Motorola’s message in a box. The company will deliver mystery parcels to members of the press before making an “exciting announcement,” as Motorola launches its first new product since being purchased by Lenovo in October—a smartwatch, perhaps? While you were sleeping Apple was hit with a $533 million patent ruling. A federal jury in Tyler, Texas found that Apple illegally used patents owned by Smartflash—a company based in Tyler that makes no products, and which is also suing Samsung, Google, and Amazon—when building its iTunes software. Apple accused Smartflash of “exploiting our patent system” and vowed to appeal. The Chicago mayoral race went to a run-off… Incumbent Rahm Emanuel unexpectedly failed to win more than 50% of the vote despite a huge fundraising advantage and an endorsement from US president Barack Obama. Emanuel will face underdog county commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia on Apr. 7. …As news broke of a secret Chicago police interrogation site.Some residents are denied legal counsel and are “disappeared” by city police to a warehouse where they are shackled and beaten, leading to at least one detainee death, according to the Guardian. Critics say it is the domestic equivalent to a CIA “black site.” AXA reported a 12% profit rise. Cutting costs helped Europe’s second-largest insurer report a net profit of €5 billion ($5.7 billion) in 2014, up from €4.5 billion a year earlier. AXA said it will maintain its international expansion this year as low interest rates make its bond holdings less lucrative. French consumer confidence rose to almost normal. The French statistics bureau’s monthly survey showed confidence rose to 92 in February, from 90 in January, a near-three year high. That is still short of the long-term average of 100. China’s manufacturing took a turn for the better. The flash HSBC/Markit purchasing managers’ index was 50.1 in February, just above the 50.0 mark that separates expansion from contraction, and up from January’s 49.7. HSBC analysts suggested more government stimulus may be needed, as export demand fell sharply and domestic demand remains weak. Hong Kong’s economy slowed. The city’s fourth-quarter GDP grew by 2.2%, down from 2.9% a year earlier, which the government blamed in part on political unrest caused by pro-democracy protests. Hong Kong plans to reduce taxes, boost welfare spending, and support tourism in an attempt to accelerate growth. SPONSOR CONTENT BY CATHAY PACIFIC 11 essential things to see in Singapore. Kopi (coffee) culture, the architecture of Moshe Safdie, and farm resorts are among them. See the full guide to find out how to travel well in the city-state. Quartz obsession interlude Adam Epstein on FIFA’s decision to hold the World Cup in November and December. “The move, in reality, is an act of desperation to save the tournament, masked by FIFA’s flimsy justification that it’s what’s best for players and fans. It’s certainly not what fans want, if the response across social media is any indication. In many cases these fans are also die-hard fans of club teams. Some leagues, backed by the fans, are threatening a boycott.” Read more here. Matters of debate Permanent UN Security Council members should give up their vetoes. They’ve shown they can’t prevent atrocities. What if Vladimir Putin were nice? History actually wouldn’t look much different. Why is science only done in English? Blame it on inertia and the United States—and on Hitler. Silicon Valley is going backwards. Hillary Clinton says financial success comes at a cost for gender and income equality (paywall). Drones are the future of peacekeeping. A UN report argues they are more effective and less intrusive in combat zones. Parks and Recreation will have a better legacy than The Office.The show is a reminder why shorter runs can be better. Surprising discoveries The Sahara fertilizes the Amazon. Phosphorous dust from the African desert blows over the Atlantic. There is a plant in Chile that eats sheep. The thorns of Puya chilensis ensnare the woolly animals until they die, thus fertilizing the plant’s soil. Googling health advice is a privacy risk. Sites like WebMD.com andhealthcare.gov are sharing your queries with marketers. You probably don’t know a good airline deal when you see it.People think flight prices will be higher than they actually are. There’s a wild party on the border of India and Pakistan. The Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally is “all beer and gunshots of joy.” Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, carnivorous plants, and desert jeep rallies to hi@qz.com. You can follow us on Twitter here for updates throughout the day.