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Here’s what you need to know
The UK votes on coronavirus lockdown tiers. The new restrictions are set to take effect from tomorrow despite growing opposition from within prime minister Boris Johnson’s party over the hit to the economy. Separately, the UK plans to set up a center to monitor trade disruptions in the event no Brexit deal is reached with the EU this week.
Canada unveils plans for a digital tax. From 2022, Ottawa will tax goods and services from platforms such as Netflix and Airbnb, and use the money to build out childcare. The US is already in a spat with Europe over similar efforts there. Meanwhile, Facebook will pay British publications from next year for using their articles in its news service.
The Royal Dutch Shell climate lawsuit begins. A Dutch court will hold the first hearing in a suit brought by environmental groups to demand the energy company reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
The US begins deciding who gets the first coronavirus vaccines. As hope grows of a vaccine authorization by the end of the year, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control will vote today on their recommendation that healthcare workers and people in long-term care get first priority.
Debenhams will be collateral damage to Arcadia’s collapse. The news that Topshop’s owner has entered liquidation is expected to prompt JD Sports to exit talks to rescue the British department store, which sells a number of Arcadia brands. That puts 12,000 jobs at risk.
Hong Kong’s investigative journalism took another hit. Private TV channel i-Cable announced it would lay off 40 news staff, including three journalists from its flagship investigative show. The layoffs come the same month a journalist at Hong Kong’s RTHK public broadcaster was arrested in connection with her reporting into police misconduct.
Survival of the fitting rooms
The culling of weak retailers due to Covid-19 that was predicted by experts is now playing out. Arcadia Group, the retail empire of British tycoon Philip Green and parent company of fashion chain Topshop, is on the verge of crumbling, and its collapse could lead to a selloff of its brands. Blame the pandemic, if you prefer, but really it just put pressure on the retail industry’s already cracking structure.
If only traditional retail had looked to Netflix for help. Chess sets are spiking due to the hit series The Queen’s Gambit, as the streaming platform is proving itself to be a major driver of certain product sales.
Charting NextEra’s rise
True to its name, NextEra Energy, a company that has built the world’s largest collection of wind and solar farms, offers a glimpse into the future.
NextEra leap-frogged its way into becoming the most valuable energy company in the US in October. The upset, to be fair, was more a result of the turmoil oil majors have faced during the pandemic than any new moves by the Florida-based electric power provider. But its unseating of Exxon broke a symbolic dam. Tim McDonnell looks at NextEra’s—and the industry’s—next era.
Pandemic leadership is a work in progress
Cut yourself a little slack—none of us has managed a team through a global pandemic before, and it’s still not clear what it demands from those in leadership. Do any of these questions sound familiar?
- How vulnerable should you be with the people you manage?
- How can you show appreciation to employees who somehow keep the trains running?
- How do you possibly measure success when performance has been this disrupted?
Our latest field guide on leading through change collects the emerging wisdom—even when it’s unconventional—on these and other questions that managers around the world have been grappling with since the first rounds of lockdowns began.
✦ Another question: Should you get a Quartz membership? Maybe a seven-day free trial will convince you.
Surprising discoveries
A Chinese artist is taking advantage of a diplomatic row. Wuheqilin claimed to be the creator of an illustration that Australia’s government called “repugnant.”
A Japanese octopus grew a ninth leg to repair a wound. Alas, the extra limb wasn’t enough to save it from a fisherman’s pot—but it will go on display at a local nature center.
Why did the reptile cross the road? A 90-foot (27-meter) tall bridge aims to give forest creatures a safe way to cross a busy Indian highway.
The missing monolith has returned. The metal structure—or one like it, anyway—showed up in Romania (likely the work of Arthur C. Clarke fans).
Steal Darth Vader’s helmet, you will not. Police thwarted an attempt to make off with the prop and other Star Wars memorabilia.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, extra-armed cephalopods, and missing movie props 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 Tripti Lahiri, Mary Hui, Susan Howson, and Liz Webber.