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The Taliban took control of Afghanistan’s second largest city. The rapid fall of Kandahar, a populous and strategically important provincial capital, means that Kabul is next.
The US is becoming less white. Census data show a surge in Hispanic and Asian populations over the last decade, and will help direct $1.5 trillion in federal funding.
The US Food and Drug Administration approved Covid vaccine boosters. People with compromised immunity don’t get enough protection from two shots, the agency said.
The heir to the Samsung fortune is out on parole. Lee Jae-yong spent 207 days in a South Korean prison after his conviction for bribery and embezzlement in January.
Britney Spears’ dad will no longer be her conservator. Jamie Spears says he is stepping down from the controversial, 13-year-old legal arrangement, but not imminently.
Amazon is moving its Lord of the Rings production from New Zealand to the UK. The big-budget series, whose first season already cost $465 million, is shifting locations as part of a plan to increase the company’s footprint in Britain.
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 more than 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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🤰 Getting a Covid vaccine during pregnancy is even more urgent as ICU beds fill up
⛓ Cameroon has detained an influential tech figure on unknown charges
đź’‰ Prisons are where America most needs vaccine mandates
🧩 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.