The Taliban speaks, Robinhood earnings, plants with human genes

Plus: Why Walmart’s e-commerce growth is cooling off. [Quartz]( Sponsored by Good morning, Quartz readers! Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here](. Forward to that friend who won’t stop [sending you TikToks](. Here’s what you need to know The Taliban is attempting a charm offensive. The group said it would work with other nations and [allow women to participate]( in the government, in accordance with its interpretation of sharia. Thousands are being evacuated from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, [India is issuing emergency e-visas]( to Afghan nationals, and [Uganda will host]( 2,000 refugees for three months. The World Health Organization identified fake Covid vaccines. Authorities in India and across Africa have been finding [counterfeit versions of Covishield](, the Indian-made version of AstraZeneca. Europe is on fire. A wildfire that started Monday night in the [French Riviera]( forced 6,000 people to evacuate, and parts of [Greece]( and [Portugal]( are also still ablaze. Japan extended its state of emergency. The response to Covid-19 will remain in place through Sept. 12, beyond the Paralympic Games, and has been [expanded to cover]( seven additional prefectures. IKEA is a utility now. The furniture giant will sell wind- and solar-powered energy directly to [Swedish homes]( starting in September. Sponsor content by Asana A manager’s guide to hybrid collaboration. To keep teams engaged and productive outside the confines of the office, leaders will need a clear game plan, new tech solutions, and more. Read our [five tips for making it work.]( What to watch for Robinhood reports second-quarter results today, its first release as a public company. Here’s what we’re watching: Has meme stock trading cooled off? Robinhood has profited from the meme stock mania—but trading activity, which was particularly high during the first two months of 2021, has returned to “levels more in line with prior periods” in recent weeks, the trading app said in its [amended prospectus]( filed Monday. How worried is Robinhood about SEC scrutiny? Robinhood’s main business, selling clients’ stock orders to market makers [who handle the trades](, has caught the attention of US regulators who are [concerned]( retail traders aren’t getting the best trade execution. What’s on retail investors’ minds? Robinhood won’t just be fielding questions from Wall Street but also from the “little guys” through a [platform it just purchased](. Some of the most [upvoted questions]( include: “Will Robinhood pay out a dividend in the future?” and “Is Robinhood getting a crypto wallet?” Charting Walmart’s plummeting e-commerce sales growth Last year, Walmart’s US e-commerce sales grew 97% in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2019, the fastest rate on record for the world’s largest retailer. But Walmart yesterday reported e-commerce sales in the US [rose just 6%]( during the three months through July 31. [A line chart showing Walmart's e-commerce sales growth in the US from 2018-2021. Quarterly year-over-year growth hovered around 40% until the start of the pandemic, when it spiked to over 90%, but in the latest quarter it dropped to 6%.] The slowdown was inevitable as pandemic restrictions eased and customers returned to shopping in stores. However, in its latest filing, Amazon said its North American sales grew 22%, and it is currently on track to overtake Walmart as the largest US retailer in the next few years. Five things to do that don’t require a phone 🔭 Go outside. 🧩 Do a puzzle. 📚 Read a book. 🏊 Take a swim. 🥧 Bake something. ✦ The pandemic got you spending more time on devices than usual? Get useful tips on how to break your tech addiction with [our most recent How To email](, exclusively for Quartz members. If you want to know how to [get 40% off a membership](, the trick is to use the code QZEMAIL40. Quartz announcement Small businesses are the backbone of the global economy. But individually, they are contending with rapid change that’s disrupting their livelihood, including tech innovation and rapidly evolving consumer expectations and behaviors. How will they keep up? What lessons have they found most useful, and what advice do they have to share? Sponsored by American Express, our series [Built for Small Business]( explores these questions and more. [Read more]( Handpicked Quartz 🇦🇫 [Why Afghanistan’s US-built military collapsed so quickly]( 🤝 [How you can help Afghanistan]( 🤐 [China is policing speech that supports “living with Covid”]( 🦠[Has Covid-19 gone from pandemic to endemic?]( 🎟 [How to hold an in-person conference during a pandemic: Lessons from TED]( 🌮 [Taco Bell wants to reinvent the drive-thru]( Surprising discoveries TikTok’s 100-million-follower club has a new member. It’s a [21-year-old former factory worker]( living in Italy on a Senegalese passport. Researchers added a human protein to plants. It can [increase food crop yields]( by as much as 50%. Denmark is only big enough for one Little Mermaid statue. The heirs to the artist behind the original have [sued an imitator](. A supercomputer calculated pi to the 62.8 trillionth digit. It only took [108 days and 9 hours](. Sharks generally don’t care about humans. Drone footage shows [close encounters are pretty common]( but most of the time the great whites just swim on by. SPREAD THE WORD Over 500k readers and counting. You already know why half a million people read the Daily Brief, so why not spread the word? [Share the Daily Brief today]( and get rewarded. Correction: A surprising discovery in our Aug. 11 brief claimed hermit crabs were “sexually excited” by a chemical released by plastic garbage. The researchers have since clarified the crustaceans were [just hungry](. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, Little Mermaid feuds, and shark tales 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, Michelle Cheng, Marc Bain, Annaliese Griffin, and Liz Webber. [facebook]( [twitter]( [external-link]( Enjoying Quartz Daily Brief? Forward it to a friend! They can [click here]( to sign up. 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