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Here’s what you need to know
The US finally had a presidential debate. In a far more substantive encounter than their distinctly unpresidential face-off last month, president Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden sparred over the election’s defining issue—the US’s handling of the coronavirus. Separately, the US signed an anti-abortion declaration with a group of largely authoritarian governments.
UK lawmakers launched a money-laundering inquiry. Parliament is probing what progress regulators and law enforcement have made to prevent money laundering, following the FinCEN investigation that showed how major global banks moved trillions of dollars in suspicious transactions. Meanwhile, the UK and Japan signed a trade agreement, marking Britain’s first major post-Brexit trade deal.
Armenia and Azerbaijan hold talks in Washington. The two countries’ foreign ministers will meet separately with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo today in the hopes of brokering a solution to the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory, but the prospect of a ceasefire looks slim.
Chile’s constitutional referendum. Introduced by the repressive military regime of Augusto Pinochet, the 1980 document has been widely blamed for the country’s social and political problems, and could be scrapped if voters approve a rewrite on Sunday.The referendum comes amid mass protests that turned violent last weekend
Ant Financial’s IPO shapes up. Launched 16 years ago as the payment arm of Alibaba, the Hangzhou-based company is on the verge of likely the world’s largest IPO and a valuation of more than $300 billion. John Detrixhe’s latest report rounds up what investors are saying about the company, which is conducting price consultations today for its Shanghai offering and setting the price on Monday.
The US election enters the homestretch
Trump and Biden may have had their final debate, but there’s still plenty of time for more election drama:
🇮🇳 A Kamala Harris meme upset Hindu groups for its use of religious imagery.
📹 In some swing states, YouTube has run out of slots for political ads.
☑️ US voter turnout was 56% in 2016. Would compulsory voting be better or worse for democracy?
Charting India’s fantasy sports startups
Cricket fans in India are flocking to fantasy sports. The surging popularity has translated into strong growth for these startups, and total industry revenue spiked by three times to Rs2,400 crore ($326 million) during the 12 months ended on March 31.
Apart from Indians’ unending love for cricket, cheap data plans (thanks to Reliance Jio) and increased smartphone penetration have made these startups winning bets for investors, who have pumped $112 million into India’s sports fantasy platforms.
You asked about flying safely
I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about how we can fly safely if we wear masks. The holidays are coming up…is this accurate?
Researchers have been trying to answer this question since the beginning of the pandemic, and last week one of the more involved studies (pdf) made headlines. It used a mannequin that simulated the breathing of a passenger with Covid-19, tracking the movement and concentration of “infectious” particles around an actual cabin.
You should take its results—which showed that passengers wearing masks wouldn’t be exposed to infectious doses of viral particles—with a few grains of salt. For one, the study was funded in part by United Airlines, which obviously has a vested interest in returning passengers to the sky. And the mannequin setup, while fun, didn’t account for human behaviors like talking, moving around the cabin, and using the lavatory. (Not to mention what happens before and after boarding.)
If you must fly, there’s evidence to suggest that the air filtration and circulation in planes do a good job at reducing passengers’ exposures—especially if everyone around you wears their masks appropriately. But the risk isn’t as low as this best-case-scenario study would suggest.
The unstoppable podcast boom
Even with fewer people commuting to work—a popular time for listening—Covid-19 couldn’t stop the rise of podcasting. Downloads of podcasts in the US have soared in 2020, according to data from podcast measurement company Chartable.
The pandemic does seem to be responsible for a shift in tastes. Podtrac, another podcast data firm, tracks podcast downloads by genre. For the shows Podtrac measures, overall downloads by US listeners grew by 42% from October 2019 to October 2020. Yet there was a huge disparity across genres. Find out which genres exploded, and which have seen virtually no growth, in our field guide to the podcast business.
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Surprising discoveries
A team of creatives rearranged the Bible in alphabetical order. The project by the Sideline Collective breaks down the holy book to show which words are used most often.
A pandemic palette has emerged. Paint sales are up and everyone is choosing the same colors.
This beetle’s crush-resistant shell could inspire sturdier structures. Scientists hope that the diabolical ironclad beetle could teach them about building stronger planes and vehicles.
NASA is playing tag with an asteroid. And we really hope that it doesn’t tag us back.
Activists are using facial recognition to identify cops. Frustrated with law enforcement officers who hide their identities and use unmarked vehicles, some protesters are turning the technology against police.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, soothing paint colors, and beetle armors 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.