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European leaders meet to discuss Brexit. The EU and UK will reportedly extend today’s deadline for reaching a Brexit trade agreement, as the bloc gathers for a two-day summit where they’re expected to express disappointment over the stalled negotiations with London but press for more intense talks to seal a deal by January. Meanwhile, Germany will pressure France to back down on its demands over fishing, a major obstacle in the trade talks.
Thailand declared a state of emergency. The government issued a ban on gatherings of more than four people, and put restrictions on the media, in response to mass pro-democracy protests yesterday that saw thousands of demonstrators peacefully confront a royal motorcade. Authorities also arrested several protest leaders.
Ant Financial might be added to a US blacklist. The Trump administration is reportedly considering a move against the Chinese fintech company, which is preparing to go public in a dual Shanghai and Hong Kong listing. Meanwhile, the State Department warned international banks over doing business with 10 individuals—all of whom had already been sanctioned, including Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam—responsible for curtailing freedoms in the city.
Twitter defended its restrictions on a New York Post story on Joe Biden… The site said it blocked links to two articles containing unconfirmed claims about Biden’s dealings with Ukraine as vice president for violating platform rules against the unauthorized sharing of personal information. Facebook limited distribution of the main article, but it could still be liked, shared, on commented on.
…and Australia decided not to prosecute a war journalist. The government decided there was no public interest in charging Daniel Oakes, whose reporting on alleged war crimes committed by the country’s special forces in Afghanistan, based on classified information, prompted a federal police raid on ABC’s Sydney newsroom last year.
Charting China’s shaky global status
To the dismay of human rights activists, China was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council this week. Left unsaid was a slightly more uncomfortable truth: support for China at the election was actually its weakest since the council’s founding in 2006.
It’s the latest in a series of indications that Beijing’s global reputation is taking a beating as governments grow increasingly disturbed by its actions at home and abroad. But even small changes in China can have huge effects worldwide, which is why we’re obsessed with everything that happens Because China.
Words of wisdom
If you look at the history of exclusions to overtime provisions—agricultural worker, domestic workers, until recently home healthcare workers—they’re jobs primarily held by people of color. It is a law that works in a systematically racist fashion, and if we don’t recognize that, we have failed.—Judy Conti, government affairs director, National Employment Law Project
To learn more, read Quartz editor Oliver Staley’s latest piece on the racist origins of US overtime laws. And for regular updates from Quartz at Work, sign up for The Memo newsletter below.
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Consulting jobs cool down
The pandemic has frozen the US consulting industry. A deeply uncertain economy and global travel restrictions have put the industry’s hiring on pause, making it an incredibly difficult time to break into a firm. The jobs listings site Indeed says that as of mid-September, postings for US-based consultant jobs were down 56%, compared to just 18% for jobs overall. Glassdoor, another jobs site, also shows consulting job listings down 45% in September compared to last year, compared to 14% overall.
Limited layoffs, low turnover, and a drop in business travel are all likely contributors to the lack of new jobs. Find out more in our guide to consulting’s new challenges.
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Obsession interlude: Rethinking Cities
Here’s a fun way to speak up for your city: Mobile app Earth Speakr allows users to overlay their faces on any object in their surroundings using AR technology, then record messages in real time. Imagine making buildings talk, a plastic bottle scream, or an overflowing trash bin weep. Anyone can download the app for free, but Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, who came up with Earth Speakr, says it’s meant to get children involved in urban design and climate change conversations at an early age. Adults are encouraged to listen for a change.
Augment your own understanding of the urban landscape by keeping tabs on our Rethinking Cities obsession.
Reclaim your focus and your time. Join us today from 11am-12pm US eastern time for our free workshop on how to be indistractable while working from home. Our experts will share advice and practical tips on locking in and managing your workload.
We’re obsessed with lungs
The thing about lungs is that when they’re working well, we barely notice them. It’s only when they’re threatened by something like a global respiratory pandemic that we start to pay attention to just how talented these organs actually are. Although they can temporarily be replaced with ventilators, nothing on Earth quite measures up to the lungs’ ability to fill our cells with what they need and toss what they don’t. Take a deep breath with the Quartz Weekly Obsession.
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Surprising discoveries
Thailand’s protest movement features skateboarders. They’re part of a new generation of activists—alongside graffiti artists, rappers, and DJs—who are demanding an end to dictatorship.
Finnair is selling its plane food in supermarkets. It’s the closest thing to a taste of travel that they can offer right now.
Robot dolphins might be coming to a theme park near you. Instead of wild animals in captivity, life-like animatronics could entertain crowds— for $3 million to $5 million apiece.
Does this sound funny to you? New tech analyzes subtle changes in sound to determine when factory machines are prone to failure.
Russia is replacing older teachers with students. University students, trainees, and recent graduates will teach in Moscow’s primary schools to protect those most at risk from Covid-19.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, teaching tips, and defiant skateboards greens to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Mary Hui, Tripti Lahiri, Liz Webber, and Max Lockie.