Here’s what you need to know
Thirty people in the UK are getting universal basic income... The trial program bestows £1,600 ($1,989) a month for two years.
... And 2 million in poverty in India are about to get free high-speed internet. Kerala’s launch of KFON makes it the first Indian state to have its own internet service.
US regulators are suing Binance. The SEC is accusing the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume of selling unregistered securities in the US.
For Saudi Arabia, the price of oil is falling too low. The kingdom cut its oil output by a million barrels per day, trying to push the price up to its magic break-even figure: $80.90 per barrel.
Don’t worry, the world’s got another VR headset. Apple got into the game yesterday by announcing the $3,500 Vision Pro, due out next year.
Crypto VC funding has all but dried up
Fundraising for the cryptocurrency world has slowed to a crawl in the first half of this year. Julia Malleck explains why, in non-cryptic fashion.
One big number: 40%
Apologies if you’re reading this over breakfast, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that around 40% of food poisoning cases with a known cause can be traced back to restaurant workers showing up sick.
One way to majorly reduce this number is to provide the folks who make your food with paid sick leave. Annalisa Merelli gets to the meat of the problem.
🤢 Bonus tip: Another way to avoid a debilitating stomach illness is to not go on a cruise.
Spotify’s podcast journey, by the digits
$1 billion: Spotify’s reported investments in podcast production and development, from 2019-2022
$461 million: Net loss reported by Spotify last year due to production costs, despite adding 83 million users
<2%: Share of Spotify’s total 2021 revenue that can be attributed to podcasts
200: Number of employees being laid off from Spotify’s podcast division. Read more about how the changing podcast landscape is affecting even the US’s top podcast publisher
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Surprising discoveries
Japanese seaweed is drying up.... Bad weather and an algae bloom are taking a record-setting toll on the nori industry, which will raise consumer prices on Japanese cuisine and groceries.
… And so is Gatun Lake. You may not recognize the name, but its dropping water levels do not spell good news for the Panama Canal—and thus the global economy.
So it’s a good thing French public television is giving its weather forecasts some climate context. France Télévisions figures it’s time to turn “Today will be a real scorcher!” into “Today will be a real scorcher, and here’s why.”
Making memes could improve your grades. It’s worth a shot, anyway.
Hayao Miyazaki’s final film will drop with no trailers or promotion. You’ll have to just take the Studio Ghibli movie on faith.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, Miyazaki sneak peeks, and forecasts of hope to talk@qz.com. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—become a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Susan Howson.