Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
Leaders of the world’s richest nations got together online. During the weekend virtual G20 summit, China’s Xi Jinping proposed a global QR code system to enable cross-border travel, host country Saudi Arabia mostly avoided damaging attacks on its human rights record, and Donald Trump skipped out on pandemic preparedness events.
Pennsylvania dismissed Trump’s lawsuit. The US president’s attempt to stop state officials from certifying Joe Biden was tossed out by a US district court judge who said the challenge was “unsupported by evidence.” Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin says he won’t recognize Biden as president (at least not yet).
South Korea is tightening social distancing restrictions as coronavirus cases rise. Starting Tuesday, Seoul will close nightclubs, halt late-night restaurant service, and ban indoor dining at coffee shops, internet cafes, and fitness centers for two weeks.
Germany will introduce a mandatory quota for the number of women in senior level positions. Listed companies with more than three members must include at least one high-ranking woman in the future. Women currently make up only 12.8% of the management boards of German companies on the Dax index.
What to watch for this week
Monday: Brexit trade deal talks resume in London. The International Emmy Awards are held.
Tuesday: Chinese foreign minister begins four-day visit to Japan and South Korea. The US consumer confidence index is released. Grammy Award nominations announced.
Wednesday: The UK’s spending review numbers are announced. The US government releases a number of important metrics, including personal spending, GDP, and residential sales.
Thursday: 🦃 US Thanksgiving. US initial jobless claims are released.
Friday: Black Friday.
Workplace software is having a moment
With in-person meetings still limited or impossible, companies are looking to software to make their operations easier and secure. That means the companies that provide that software are seeing a significant boost—one that might be here to stay, as remote work arrangements become permanent.
Here’s what’s in demand:
💻 Online HR systems like Workday
⛅ Cloud computing services
💼 Workers for India’s IT firms (in both hardware and software roles)
💫 Proprietary software, which helps make businesses less prone to disruption
Charting the cost of Jollof rice
Jollof rice might be as close as Nigeria gets to a national dish. The availability of its ingredients is one of the reasons the spicy rice meal cuts across ethnic divides; it also makes the dish a good benchmark for the cost of living in Nigeria.
Turns out, the cost of food has skyrocketed over the past year, leaving citizens to bear the brunt of a deteriorating economy, which has now officially tipped into recession. Yomi Kazeem explores why food costs so much, and when respite might come.
How we eat now
Nine months into the pandemic, Quartz looked at the biggest gastronomical shifts around the globe, and the impact on local and multinational businesses. Who benefits, who’s harmed, and when this is all over, which changes will last?
Whether it’s shifts in home cooking, the suffering restaurant industry, or the role of food in our culture and politics, we found a mix of creative solutions to difficult situations, ingenious adaptations to short-term shortages, and even some hope for the future. Read more in our field guide to how we eat now.
✦ Still hungry? Sign up for a free trial of Quartz membership for great reads by the plateful.
Surprising discoveries
Remarkably preserved remains of two men were unearthed in Pompeii. The man and his slave were thought to be looking for shelter, and the ash captured details down to the folds of their clothes.
China looks for moon rocks. The country is launching a lunar-bound, unmanned probe in the first attempt to retrieve samples from the moon’s surface since the 1970s.
An eight-person Thanksgiving meal is as harmful to the planet as a three-hour car trip. The spread, including roast potatoes and apple pie, releases the equivalent of 30 kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Canada’s only NBA team is not allowed in Canada. The Toronto Raptors will kick off the National Basketball Association season in Tampa, Florida, where they will play their home games until non-essential cross-border travel returns.
Hokkaido has a monster wolf. The Japanese city installed the mechanical animal, which makes howling sounds and flashes red eyes, in an attempt to ward off nuisance bears.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, moon rocks, and plates of Jollof rice 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 Yomi Kazeem, Tripti Lahiri, Jackie Bishof, Amanda Shendruk, and Alex Ossola.