Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
Europe’s top court rules on a landmark data transfer case. The Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg will decide on the legality of tools used by Facebook, banks, and other companies to move Europeans’ data around the world, in a privacy showdown that could disrupt hundreds of thousands of companies.
Twitter was hit with an unprecedented hack. A wave of high-profile accounts, including those of former US president Barack Obama, US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, were compromised in what appeared to be an elaborate scheme to promote a lucrative cryptocurrency scam.
Serbia and Kosovo resume talks to repair relations. The leaders of the Balkan neighbors and former war foes will meet in Brussels in an attempt to break their stalemate and address unresolved issues, including war reparations. Kosovo wants to gain full recognition of its sovereignty, while Serbia wants to progress in its EU membership bid. Separately, North Macedonia’s general election yesterday has no clear winner, though the pro-EU Social Democrats took a slim advantage.
China’s economy grew 3.2% in the second quarter. Official statistics showed the country rebounding more than what analysts had forecast, following a contraction last quarter—the first such slump since at least 1992. Its industrial output also expanded for the third straight month, even as retail sales continue to fall.
The US is mulling a travel ban on Chinese Communist Party members. A draft presidential proclamation could potentially bar millions of CCP members and their families from entering the US, and also expel party members who are already in the country. Separately, Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong accused the US of “gangster logic and bullying,” in response to president Donald Trump’s executive order to formally revoke the city’s special status under US law.
Some good news on Covid-19 vaccines
You know we could all use some. Here’s the latest from around the world:
- Moderna said its test on 45 volunteers in March exceeded expectations; its final-stage trial with 30,000 participants will start July 27.
- India’s Zydus has started human studies, aiming to recruit 1,000 subjects.
- An initial trial of a new vaccine by Russia’s military had no complications or adverse reactions.
- The US Food and Drug Administration put a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech on the fast track for development and review.
- Oxford University and AstraZeneca, whose vaccine is already in phase 3 human tests, will publish what is rumored to be positive data on phase 1 on July 20.
Charting contact tracing
Over the past three months, about 50 national governments have released contact tracing apps to help warn their citizens if they’ve been exposed to someone infected with Covid-19. Data from mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower suggests that, so far, most apps have not seen the download rates they need to effectively curtail the spread of coronavirus.
These are the eight countries with the most widespread usage, but check out the full chart to get the whole picture.
✦ For members: Transforming companies through literature
Ann Kowal Smith, founder and executive director of Books@Work, suggests discussing literature as a means of broaching conversations about race in the workplace. Research also suggests that reading literature may help increase empathy and understanding (pdf) of others’ experiences, potentially spurring better real-world behavior.
A few of the books and stories on race that Smith has found really resonate with workers:
📖 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot: “It’s an incredible story because it’s all about racial inequality and health disparities,” says Smith—a particularly timely topic given the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on the US’s Black population.
📖 Kindred, by Octavia Butler: “It’s a fantastic novel about a Black woman married to a white man who lives in California in the 1970s, who has a series of dreams that transport her back to the plantation where her grandmother was born. It’s all about the legacy of slavery.”
📖 Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi: This novel, which begins in 18th-century Ghana and goes on to cover eras from slavery to the Jazz Age, “is beautifully constructed and written, but also has this broad, sweeping story through the lens of multiple generations.”
Read Smith’s full list of recommendations here as part of our field guide on how to build an antiracist company. And of course, our recommended reading includes lots of Quartz content, which you can have full access to by snagging a membership. Try it for free for seven days.
We’re obsessed with the work week
Punching the clock. Why, ask modern observers of burnout and critics of our faltering wellbeing, are we still shackled to 40+ hours at a desk, clocking in doggedly, albeit digitally, each day, when many jobs don’t require it? Believe it or not, the work week as we know it was only created as a response to the industrial revolution’s labor excesses. Which isn’t to say we’re working the right amount. Stop whatever work you’re pretending to do, and let the Quartz Weekly Obsession be your boss for a while.
Surprising discoveries
Germany’s largest meteorite was discovered in someone’s garden. It had sat in the yard for decades, unnoticed.
Google launched a hieroglyphics translator. The tool uses machine learning to decode ancient Egyptian language.
Whales might be enjoying less stressful lives right now. Scientists are studying whether the quieting of the seas amid the pandemic is altering the marine mammals’ hormones.
What does the world look like from a beetle’s-eye view? Researchers strapped tiny cameras to the insects’ backs to find out.
The world is going to have a lot fewer babies. A new study predicts fertility rates will drop in nearly every country by 2100.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, quiet seas, and garden-variety meteorites to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Mary Hui, Isabella Steger, Nicolás Rivero, Jackie Bischof, Susan Howson, and Liz Webber.