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Here’s what you need to know
The European Union may block US travellers… Americans, as well as visitors from several other countries, might not be allowed in when the bloc reopens borders on July 1 due to concerns about the coronavirus situation. However, the EU’s recommendations are not mandatory and individual member states will make their own decisions.
…and its data privacy rules are proving hard to enforce. An official review of the implementation of the landmark 2018 General Data Protection Regulation will urge Ireland and Luxembourg, European headquarters to major US tech giants, to do more, and calls for UK compliance with EU rules.
Russia holds a Victory Day parade. Postponed from May 9 due to the pandemic, the annual celebration in Moscow will feature tanks and long-range missiles to mark 75 years since the USSR defeated Nazi Germany. At least 20 cities have cancelled or delayed their parades, but some regions with rising cases will push ahead.
Volkswagen wants to acquire Europcar. The German car maker is in preliminary talks to buy the French rental firm, which has been hard hit by the pandemic. If the deal is successful, Volkswagen would buy back Europcar at a steep discount to what it sold it for in 2006.
North Korea suspended military action against the South. The surprise U-turn comes after Pyongyang threatened to send troops into the demilitarized zone at the intra-Korean border to punish Seoul for sending propaganda leaflets to the North. Separately, South Korea’s trade minister announced her bid to be the World Trade Organization’s first female director-general.
What’s up with new US visa rules?
Monday’s decision by US president Donald Trump to stop foreign talent from entering the country for the remainder of the year puts many students and workers in a tough spot. Here’s how we’re covering the situation:
Who’s in and who’s out? Unless you’re a professor, a researcher, or already in the country, the new visa ban will likely apply. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the order.
Who does this benefit? More than 80% of experts from top universities doubt official claims that the move would free up over half a million jobs for Americans (✦ Quartz member exclusive).
Who can help? Anu Hariharan, a former software engineer who now invests in startups, has some advice for the 202,000 Indian students in the US who are looking for new options (✦).
Charting the retail trading boom
While it’s easier than ever for regular people to buy stocks, they might be surprised to find out that their trades don’t necessarily end up on a stock exchange—at least, not right away. Instead, brokerages like Charles Schwab and Robinhood typically sell their orders to high-frequency traders—also known as market makers.
Robinhood, for example, was paid about $45 million in March, more than twice what it got in January, for selling customer orders to professional trading companies like Citadel Securities.
For Members: Fossil fuels might never recover from Covid-19
Coronavirus presents an existential crisis for the oil and gas industry. In this week’s member-exclusive field guide, we look at what it will take for fossil fuel companies to survive. Here’s how it all comes together:
1️⃣ The coronavirus crisis has set off one of the most devastating downturns in the fossil fuel industry’s 150-year history.
2️⃣ It has highlighted the downside of countries staking their fortunes on the spending power of oil companies.
3️⃣ And widened a trans-Atlantic divide about where the profits of the future will be made.
4️⃣ If there is a future for the industry, it’s in accelerating the energy transition.
5️⃣ The demands of today’s young talent may leave oil companies no choice but to diversify.
✦ To enjoy all the articles, presentations, field guides, and workshops available to members, try it out with a seven-day free trial. ✦
You asked about getting coronavirus twice
After having recovered from Covid-19, can I have the symptoms again? – Héctor
Thanks for writing in, Héctor. While certain symptoms can be shared with a number of other diseases such as pneumonia or influenza, actually contracting Covid-19 twice within a matter of months is more complicated.
Earlier this year in South Korea and China, a number of patients who appeared to be cleared of Covid-19 tested positive for a second time. One explanation could simply be that people can be reinfected. But experts say it seems unlikely that this is the cause of the new positive results.
Another possibility is that the amount of virus in the patients’ bodies dipped, then spiked again. And yet another option could be that a patient is infected with a different strain of the coronavirus. It’s still hard to know what exactly is going on.
Surprising discoveries
Statues of democracy leaders are disappearing in Thailand. Historians say their removals are a reflection of ideological battles over the country’s history.
Snapping shrimps have some of the fastest eyes of any animal. Scientists stuck a thin conducting wire into the eye of a live shrimp, recording the crustacean refreshing their eyesight 160 times a second.
Former Cards Against Humanity employees accused the company of racism. The game says it’s “for horrible people”—and now there are allegations that the multimillion-dollar company is horrible, too.
Astronomers detected a black hole’s collision with… something. But after poring over the data, they’re still not sure what it was.
There’s a good buzz about US honeybees. This winter’s losses were lower than average following a particularly bad 2018-2019 season.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, snappy shrimp eyes, and horrible games to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS or Android and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Mary Hui, Isabella Steger, Liz Webber, Jackie Bischofm John Detrixhe, Alex Ossola, and Max Lockie.