Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
Joe Biden accepts the Democratic Party nomination for US president. The former vice president’s speech capped off night four of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, local time. Earlier in the day, new US jobless claims climbed back above 1 million while household wealth may be at a new record high.
Germany is trying to evacuate Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. A Berlin peace foundation has sent an airplane to Siberia in hopes of bringing back the outspoken critic of president Vladimir Putin, who fell ill on a flight to Moscow yesterday and is in a coma. His spokeswoman suspects a cup of tea he drank at an airport cafe in Siberia was poisoned.
A Hong Kong court rules on habeas corpus for the national security law. The High Court will decide today if the first man charged under the new law is being detained lawfully. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s democracy parties are asking residents whether their lawmakers should continue serving after elections were delayed by a year, and their terms extended.
Russia will start large-scale vaccine trials next week. After the global scientific community questioned the rapid approval of the “Sputnik V” vaccine, researchers said they would conduct mass testing on 40,000 people and provide data to the World Health Organization.
Turkey’s president delivers a mysterious speech. Few details are available about what Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to announce this afternoon but earlier this week the authoritarian leader said he had some “good news” to give the nation, and the country’s finance minister said the address would mark an “axis shift.”
Obsession Interlude: The Climate Economy
We asked two of the minds behind our Climate Economy obsession—Tim McDonnell and Michael J. Coren—to recommend three books about climate change. They gave us four (reporters!):
- A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold. In this meditation on a landscape recovering from the deprivations of humans, Leopold documents nature’s changes from a worn-out sand farm in the hills of Wisconsin.
- Dark Money, by Jane Mayer. A definitive history of Charles and David Koch, the billionaire brothers who have bankrolled organizations that thrust climate denial and environmental deregulation into US politics.
- American War, by Omar El Akkad. In a dystopian novel, El Akkad imagines a not-so-distant future in which a ban on fossil fuels becomes the most divisive issue since slavery—with similar results.
- Cadillac Desert, by Marc Reisner. Resiner’s masterful history traces the development of the American West, and presages the battles to come over precious resources in stressed environments.
Go deeper into the fate of fossil fuels, and keep an eye on Quartz’s Climate Economy obsession.
Belarus’s crackdown could squash a budding tech sector
Recent protests mark the end of an uneasy truce between Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and the tech sector, writes Nicolás Rivero. Over the past two decades, a prosperous tech hub has emerged in the capital city of Minsk. But in an open letter, over 2,500 tech workers say the country’s ongoing political repression threatens to wipe out the $3.1 billion industry.
The turmoil in Belarus—one of many countries that have established growing tech hubs as international companies increasingly outsource software development—highlights how a globalized tech workforce can be vulnerable to political upheavals.
A more valuable—and more Chinese—financial hub
Amid political upheaval, the Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearings has reclaimed its crown as the most valuable exchange operator in the world by market capitalization thanks to the decoupling between the US and China.
The question is whether this recent success is fleeting and whether deeper structural factors—fewer freedoms and changes to the rule of law—will erode Hong Kong’s financial stature over time. Read more in our field guide to Hong Kong’s global fight.
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You asked about the dual purpose of masks
One keeps hearing that surgical masks only protect others but not the wearer. How is it possible for it to work one way and not the other? And if I have to be in an environment where nobody else wears a mask indoors, should I not even bother to wear one for my own protection?
We hear you, reader: Communication about masks is all over the place. The truth is that a mask helps to protect in both directions, but it’s a matter of degree.
If you’re sick, surgical and fabric masks catch most of the virus in your coughs and sneezes, reducing the infectious stuff out in the world for others to inhale. You can be sure that if you wear a mask, you’re lowering the risk that you’ll infect people around you.
You can’t be sure your mask will block every incoming virus. This virus can exist in very small, airborne particles—light enough to wind around the edges of a loose-fitting mask and into your airways. If you do inhale viral particles, your mask can help ensure that there are fewer of them, which could play a role in how sick you get. But it’s not perfect protection.
That’s why, to your second question, you should always wear a mask indoors, especially if others aren’t being careful and wearing their own masks. Some protection is better than none.
Surprising discoveries
Jacinda Ardern might lose to Mittens for New Zealander of the year. The feline flaneur has gained a following with his impromptu visits to tattoo parlors and offices.
Try it sotto voce. Researchers found singing or playing softly makes musicians less likely to spread Covid-19.
There’s a dating app just for Tesla owners. Perhaps its developers will next make one for owners of Tesla stock, which topped $2,000 yesterday.
Alaskan salmon are getting smaller. A study looking at fish size over the last 60 years pointed to climate change as a likely factor.
A Germany university is offering money for nothing. Applicants for “idleness” grants from the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg must show they are committing seriously to inactivity.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, musical whispers, and Mittens sightings 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 Tripti Lahiri, Mary Hui, Katie Palmer, Liz Webber, and Max Lockie.