Delhi lockdown, European Super League, spider jams

Plus: Why we really love small businesses. [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know Delhi is back in lockdown. Almost all commercial establishments and public places, except essential services, are [shut until until April 26](. The [Indian rupee fell](, and UK prime minister Boris Johnson [canceled his trip](. The global chip shortage casts a shadow over a major auto show. The [Shanghai event opened today](, with Volkswagen’s China head Stephan Wöllenstein complaining that the lack of supplies is “really like fire-fighting.” Europe’s soccer elite is making its own rules. Twelve major teams are forming a breakaway, multibillion-dollar [European Super League](, to widespread condemnation. The US and China are cooperating on climate change. Ahead of a US-led climate summit this week, the world’s two top carbon emitters [jointly pledged]( to tackle the crisis. Alexei Navalny is close to death, according to his doctor. Allies of the jailed Russian opposition leader, who is on hunger strike, [called for protests on Wednesday]( (April 21). Facebook is announcing new audio products. The company is [taking on Clubhouse](, which is [reportedly valued at $4 billion]( after its latest financing round. Sponsor content by Sailthru What customers value most from brands: personalization. Sailthru’s Retail Personalization Index digs into how personalization is evolving and why it is critical for retailers to retain their best customers post-transaction and beyond. Check out the [top 100]( brands acing this approach. What to watch for [Passengers arrive from New Zealand after the Trans-Tasman travel bubble opened overnight, at Sydney Airport] Reuters/Loren Elliott After several delays, a relatively [unrestricted travel bubble launched today]( between two of the world’s most Covid-19 cautious countries, Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to minimal cases, the New Zealand-Australia bubble won’t involve mandatory testing, proof of vaccination, or quarantines, in a bid to try and recoup some of their pre-Covid travel. Bubbles are far more helpful toward restarting travel than one-way relaxations of the sort Australia extended to New Zealand last year. While the latter might work just fine for a citizen trying to return home and stay put, leisure travel requires both being able to leave and return just as easily. Still, a bubble is exactly what it sounds like: fragile and liable to pop at any moment, which could lead to an abrupt and costly end to trips for passengers—a risk both would-be travelers and the industry must monitor. As New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said: flyer beware. Charting why small businesses actually matter Small businesses that stay small—fewer than 100 employees—aren’t efficient, according to key metrics. [Unemployment in the US, broken down by business size.] Small businesses tend to pay their employees less, provide them less generous benefits, and offer fewer opportunities for advancement compared to larger enterprises. Small businesses aren’t as productive as big businesses—it’s called economy of scale for a reason. Heck, most small businesses don’t even last that long. So why do we prefer them, both anecdotally and in our neighborhoods? It turns out our reasons for encouraging small businesses that pay less and and last a short time might be more social than economic, writes Tim Fernholz: People insert local businesses when they describe the neighborhood of their dreams, and surveys of downtowns that are consistently rated the best in the US find that they [boast a preponderance of independent firms](. Taking the long view on solar energy Last August, Spanish solar developer Enerland offered to sell electricity for €11.14 (US$13.12) per megawatt-hour (MWh), one of the lowest auctioned electricity prices in history. One megawatt hour is slightly more than the average home in the US consumes per month. Sellers undercutting themselves in Portugal aren’t throwing their money away, however. They’re betting the superior economics of solar power, and a coveted connection to the country’s crowded electricity grid, will cover any losses over the first 15 years before firms are free to sell power at market rates. Developers are willing to pay big money to sell cheap power into the grid. As renewable energy prices drop even further, says Jenny Chase, who leads solar analysis for BNEF, developers will find innovative ways to bring wholesale electricity prices even lower and [return those savings to the grid](. ✦ Concerned about climate change? [Michael J. Coren]( covers the people, technology, and policies addressing it. Concerned you don’t have a Quartz membership? [Try it for free](. Handpicked Quartz 🎸 [Is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ready for Fela Kuti?]( 🤔 [Taser stun guns have a big design problem]( 🚘 [Uber drivers in Africa are taking notes from their triumphant British peers]( 💸 [Brexit’s tab as banks leave for Europe: $1.2 trillion and counting]( 📖 [How new discoveries in west Africa could rewrite pre-history]( ⌛️[Max Levchin on how Affirm plans to survive the land grab in “buy now pay later”]( Quartz announcement Join us for 'A Better Kind of Business Journalism,' a new Quartz seminar series. In this series, we’ll discuss the fundamentals of business journalism and the ways it could become more accessible to both journalists and readers. Our inaugural event on April 21 at 12pm US eastern time will bring together a panel of journalists to answer the question: [Is business journalism a good career choice for you?]( [Register now!]( Surprising discoveries Adobe’s co-founder once survived a kidnapping attempt. Charles “Chuck” Geschke, [who developed the PDF](, died at 81. Listen to the sounds of a spiderweb. Researchers used algorithms to turn the [frequencies of a vibrating web]( into music. The hottest new locale for wedding photography. A small volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula has led to a [flurry of glamor shots in Iceland](. A Canadian lawmaker was caught naked on a Zoom call. It appeared to be [an honest mistake](. Go-kart drivers are taking over the streets of a small UK town. Droitwich residents insist the “[real-life Mario Kart](” is no laughing matter. SHARE TO EARN SWAG Coffee cups, tote bags, free membership, and more. Refer the Quartz Daily Brief to friends, family, and coworkers to earn all of these premium prizes. [Share the Daily Brief today]( and start reaping the rewards. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, a go-kart, and megawatt hours 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 Hasit Shah, Mary Hui, Tripti Lahiri, Michelle Cheng, Jackie Bischof, and Jordan Lebeau. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. If you’re looking to unsubscribe, [click here](. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10010 | United States Copyright © 2021 Quartz, All rights reserved.