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Here’s what you need to know
Everyone’s talking trade. Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen is pushing closer trade ties with the US. China will reportedly bring up the US ban on WeChat and TikTok in trade talks this week after president Xi Jinping has been calling for China to rely less on foreign markets. Japan is making progress on its UK trade negotiations, but New Zealand is “frustrated.” And EU duties levied on some Cambodian exports due to human rights concerns went into effect Wednesday.
Tencent’s online game revenue jumped 40% in the second quarter. The surge helped the Chinese conglomerate handily beat earnings expectations, but the consequences of the aforementioned US ban on WeChat loom large. Meanwhile, Apple supplier Foxconn reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, and Cathay Pacific clocked a record first-half loss.
Three were killed in clashes in Bengaluru. Protests over a Facebook post that offended Muslims began Tuesday night in India’s tech hub and turned deadly when police fired into the crowds. The city invoked an emergency law banning large gatherings.
New Zealand went back into lockdown. The country’s first Covid-19 cases in more than 100 days may have been imported by freight. South Korea also has a new cluster of cases, many linked to churches in Seoul and the surrounding province. And the Philippines said it will start clinical trials on Monday for the Japanese antiviral drug Avigan.
Microsoft set a launch date for its foldable phone. The dual-screen Surface Duo, arriving Sept. 10, functions like a desktop PC using multiple monitors. The company said earlier this week that its next-generation Xbox Series X console will roll out in November.
After healthcare workers, who’s next in line for a vaccine?
The first US recipients of any potential Covid-19 vaccine are fairly uncontroversial: Healthcare workers directly interacting with coronavirus patients. But who comes next?
That broadly depends on whether the US chooses to prioritize recipients’ personal risk or potential to spread the disease. A risk-focused approach tends to emphasize protecting groups such as the elderly or immunocompromised people. Alternatively, vaccines could first be given to those more likely to act as vectors for the virus, such as bus drivers and supermarket employees. And some global health experts are making a serious argument for prioritizing vaccine recipients based on race, as Latino and Black Americans are at higher risk of contracting and dying from the disease.
If prioritization sounds complicated in theory, it’s even more complex in practice. Currently, several panels of US healthcare experts are developing plans to guide these tough decisions.
Charting the buoyancy of Jordans
Last December, Jordan Brand, which Nike turned into its own subsidiary in 1997, recorded its first-ever billion-dollar quarter. Even when Nike reported a drop in total sales for the fiscal year through May due to Covid-19, Jordan stood out as one of the most resilient segments of the business.
Jordans—in particular the retro models—have a nearly unmatched cachet in the sneaker world, continuing to earn them fans and driving hype around the brand. Sales of the shoes also got a real assist from ESPN’s Michael Jordan docuseries The Last Dance, which aired in May.
How to get over the company culture shock of 2020
With so many working from home, how can a company keep an eye on its employee morale? We interviewed employers who are trying to preserve their company culture during Covid-19. Here are some of their tips:
- Scheduling informal catch-up chats to mimic serendipitous hallway conversations
- Inviting guest speakers to talk to staff during special occasions like Pride Month
- Social video calls, including movie evenings, workouts, coffees, and bingo
- Embracing and even inviting employees lives onto calls, including kids, spouses, and pets (our favorite Quartz pet is editor Oliver Staley’s cockatiel, who sits on his shoulder during meetings and makes it impossible to be in a bad mood)
- Elaborate pranks that require a deep level of commitment of which we believe you are capable
Read more in our latest field guide, Reimagining the Office. It’s available exclusively to members, who also get to fully explore all of Quartz’s culture (though we have yet to introduce them to Oliver’s cockatiel) with no paywall and plenty of perks. Interested in joining up? It’s currently 40% off your first year.
Essential viewing
If you’re concerned about company culture suffering because of the pandemic, you might want to also take a look at what it was like to work at your company before anyone had ever heard of Covid-19. Our latest Remote Control workshop from Quartz at Work (Thursday at 11am EDT) continues to tackle one of the toughest questions of our times: “What’s the most effective way to build an antiracist company?”
This is the second part of our antiracism workshop series, where our panel of experts will continue to answer your questions on how to make things more equitable at your own place of business. Register here for this free virtual workshop.
We’re obsessed with natural capital
Natural capital—the dollar value of the services nature provides, from clean water to breathable air—is worth more than $160 trillion every year. Think of that like free interest from nature’s bank account, only we’re quickly depleting the principal and running a deep deficit. Now an entire field of economics and ecology has sprung up to define, map, and track the world’s declining stock of natural capital. Get in the right mindset with a playlist of music inspired by—or directly made by—nature itself, then try to avoid resource bankruptcy with the Quartz Weekly Obsession.
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Surprising discoveries
Apple is suing a tiny company with a pear logo. A-pear-antly it thinks customers might get confused.
French’s released a mustard beer. At least it has the potential to be better than last year’s mustard ice cream.
Stem cells could bring back an extinct rhino. And a horse could be used as a surrogate.
A man commissioned a life-sized wax statue of his late wife. She died before their dream home was finished.
Don’t push slow friends out of the way if a bear attacks. The US park service published some useful tips.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, condiment beer, and wax statues of everyone in this byline 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 Olivia Goldhill, Jackie Bischof, Marc Bain, Liz Webber, and Susan Howson.