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Here’s what you need to know
China vs. the world, part 4,352. The US Senate passed a bill mandating sanctions for those who help China limit Hong Kong’s autonomy. New satellite images reveal China isn’t standing down from its border dispute with India, while India’s exporters admitted it would be hard to boycott Chinese goods. And Japan plans to increase coordination with Indo-Pacific allies to keep China in check.
The UK okayed a Huawei R&D center. Hot on the heels of the opening of a new flagship store in Shanghai, Huawei announced plans to invest an initial £1 billion in a chip research facility in Cambridgeshire. Former British prime minister Tony Blair would prefer the UK spurn the Chinese tech company to appease the US, which now says Huawei and 19 other companies are backed by the Chinese military. Meanwhile, Japan is making its own play by investing $600 million in a potential Huawei competitor.
Speaking of Japanese tech… Silicon Valley-based investment firm Sequoia Capital is looking to place some big bets on Japan’s digital startups, while SoftBank Group’s Masayoshi Son is leaving the board of his most successful investment, Alibaba. Separately, a medical startup is launching Japan’s first Covid-19 vaccine trial.
Elsewhere in Asia, the coronavirus crisis is ongoing. Thailand will extend its state of emergency for a third time to manage its economic reopening. And a year-long internet shutdown in parts of Myanmar means some still don’t know there’s a global pandemic.
Australia and New Zealand found a reason to celebrate. The two countries will co-host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The coronavirus living briefing
Check our coronavirus living briefing each business day for updates on how Covid-19 is affecting the global economy. Here’s what we’re tracking now:
Public health: Some policy wonks are using a new metric to measure mortality rates.
The US job market: Last week saw 1.48 million first-time unemployment claims, while the overall number of people receiving benefits dropped by 767,000 to 19.5 million.
Sports: The Boston, Berlin, and New York marathons have been canceled, while London is opting for a postponement.
Restaurants: Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company filed for bankruptcy.
Charting the most expensive alcohol in the world
The cost of alcohol is highly correlated to overall cost of living in a country. Bahrain is an exception. It isn’t a particularly expensive country overall, with prices for goods and services around 25% below global averages. The steep price of alcohol in the country is an example of how factors other than labor costs, including trade, local taxes, and social policy, can determine how much customers pay.
For members: Tips for making better charts
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- Know what you’re trying to show. Before you get to chart-making be sure you know what your goal is. You’re using your charts to communicate information.
- Use charts like sentences. Your charts should say one thing clearly. If cramming five or six series into one chart confuses more than it informs, make them into separate charts.
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You asked about timing your testing
I recently went on a trip and felt it prudent to get tested when I got home. My test was negative, but since it can take 10-14 days for symptoms to show up could I still be infected? Should I get re-tested if I need to continue to go to work?
Way to be thoughtful for those who will be around you at your job, Mari! You’re correct that it generally takes one to two weeks for symptoms to show up. The short answer to your question is that it depends on what kind of test you took.
If you swabbed your nose or cheek, you took a test that could detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in your system regardless of how you feel. These tests are looking for bits of the virus’ genetic material. Your negative test means you weren’t infected during your travels. If a later test turns up positive, you’ll need to self-quarantine for two weeks to make sure you don’t infect anyone else. You might not have enough of a viral load to develop immunity or transmit the virus to others, and you may not feel sick, but it’s still important to self-isolate just in case.
If you gave over a blood sample, your negative result isn’t as meaningful. These tests are called serology tests, and they look for signs that you’ve developed antibodies against the virus. It can take up to 30 days to develop antibodies against any given infection, so even with a negative serology test, it’s still possible that you’ve been exposed to the virus. You could re-test, but in general, serology tests shouldn’t be used to decide whether it’s safe to return to activities; their results can get muddled by some complicated statistics.
Surprising discoveries
Brands want to trademark “Black Lives Matter.” The surge in applications—most say they want to add the phrase to products—will probably go nowhere.
Goldman Sachs’ new font can’t be used to criticize Goldman Sachs. It says so right in the license.
Counterfeit Crimes Unit—assemble! Amazon formed a new squad to chase down and punish counterfeiters.
Python-skin masks fight two organisms. The accessory, which aims to cut down on both coronavirus and the invasive snake species, is a best-seller for one Florida company.
Sled dogs have been the same for 9,000 years. The relationship between Arctic humans and Arctic pups has been relatively unchanged since the latter evolved from wolves.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cobra coverings, and pre-historic pups 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 Susan Howson, Dan Kopf, David Yanofsky, Katie Palmer, Katherine Ellen Foley, and Max Lockie.