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Here’s what you need to know
Kabul could fall to the Taliban in a month. Fighters took control of Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city, and two more provincial capitals on Thursday. US officials are preparing to evacuate personnel from the country.
The UK saw a rare mass shooting. A gunman opened fire in Plymouth, in southwest England, killing five people, including a child, and then apparently shooting himself. Police say it is not a terror-related incident.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved booster doses for vulnerable people. People with compromised immunity, including those with cancer or HIV, don’t get enough protection from two shots, the agency said.
A Tesla factory is getting help from an East German communist fund. Victims of the former regime are not happy about the €8.1 million ($10 million) subsidy.
Paytm’s IPO could be delayed by a former director who wants his due. The 71-year-old claims he never received shares for an investment two decades ago, Reuters reports.
China gave tech companies more bad news… The country announced a five-year plan for tighter regulation of the digital economy, monopolies, and national security.
…and Alibaba is addressing sexual harassment. The Chinese e-commerce company will set up a committee of five female executives to investigate complaints after a rape allegation sparked a backlash.
What to watch for
England, Germany, and Spain’s top soccer leagues kick off this weekend. They’re three of the wealthiest sporting competitions in the world, though all were badly hit by the lack of spectators during the pandemic. Now, crowds are finally back and ready to sing.
Of the world’s major sports, soccer’s schedule is particularly relentless, largely because of multiple, overlapping TV deals that demand year-round content.
This season, all eyes are on Paris. The city’s Qatari petrodollar-funded team has assembled an extraordinary array of talent over the summer, spending fortunes to lure some of the world’s best players, including the greatest of them all—Lionel Messi.
Charting India’s VC industry
The growth of India’s tech startup has not only mainstreamed entrepreneurship but also led to a boom in the local venture capital industry. The top 10 Indian VCs have participated in nearly 600 funding rounds and backed over 420 ventures in just the last 30 months. A decade ago, there were barely four or five mainstream Indian VC funds that mostly made very safe bets, largely in the enterprise space.
Now India boasts at least 55 unicorns, and the momentum is giving those with capital a lot more options to venture into. Though these investors may not have pockets as deep as some of their international counterparts, they believe they have one important leg up: being acutely aware of the Indian experience.
The case of the blockheads
On Aug. 10, hackers pulled off what looked to be the largest cryptocurrency heist in history, stealing more than $610 million from the blockchain exchange platform Poly Network.
Their triumph appears to have been short-lived. We still don’t know who the hackers are, but they were clearly spooked by Poly Network’s stern tweets that cybersecurity experts were on the trail.
The episode highlights the vulnerability of crypto exchanges, which have been increasingly targeted by hackers in recent years. But it also underscores a golden rule that hackers must follow to avoid complications: Don’t steal too much in any single attack.
✦ Nicolás Rivero is keeping a close eye on the ways cyberattacks threaten—or don’t—businesses and governments alike. Follow along with a Quartz membership, now 40% off with code QZEMAIL40.
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🧩 IPCC scientists still haven’t cracked Africa’s biggest climate mystery
Surprising discoveries
A $1 billion space suit is holding up NASA’s 2024 moon landing. It’s not easy to build a one-person space vehicle that can withstand temperatures of 260°F to -280°F.
The Belarusian defector is selling her medal on eBay… Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said she would use the money to support other athletes from her country.
…while a Japanese softball player is getting a replacement. The mayor of Nagoya tried to take a bite out of Miu Goto’s Olympic gold medal.
Quartz crystals are the secret to Stonehenge’s longevity. They make the stones stronger and less susceptible to erosion from the elements.
This little wildflower has a secret. The western false asphodel likes to eat insects.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, spacesuit designs, and as many quartz crystals as you can find 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, Ananya Bhattacharya, Nicolás Rivero, Hasit Shah, Susan Howson, and Liz Webber.