🌍 Chill, zero-covid

Good morning, Quartz readers!

Here’s what you need to know

Economic pain got to China’s top leaders. In one of its first major decisions, the nation’s newly appointed Politburo Standing Committee eased the gas on some strict zero-covid policies.

A suspected terrorist attack rocked Istanbul. At least 81 people were wounded and six people have died from the blast, which took place on a shopping street in the city’s Taksim Square.

World leaders met in Cambodia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The US and Russia failed to reach consensus on a joint statement following the summit, a tension that’s expected to color the G20 meeting this week.

FTX faced a criminal probe. The Bahamas Securities Commission is investigating any possible misconduct behind the cryptocurrency exchange’s collapse.

Celebrations broke out in the Ukrainian city of Kherson after Russian troops left. Before liberation, it was the only regional capital that Moscow had controlled since February.

Tens of thousands of people protested the cost of living in Albania. Prices for necessities like food and fuel have increased by 8% this year.

What to watch for

Joe Biden is meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in person for the first time since becoming president of the US, and the list of issues to discuss is a lengthy one.

The duo, who have met in the past when Biden was vice president, will be attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 14. Biden has been championing dialogue with China to avoid unintended conflict while also pursuing policies that diminish US dependency on Chinese manufacturing, such as the America Competes Act.

The two countries both seem to want to cooperate on tackling the climate crisis. Americans’ perception of China has also improved—from “enemy” to “competitor”—since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Yet tensions between the world’s top superpowers are simmering, and not just in the trade arena—foreign policy, particularly on the issue of Taiwan’s independence and other territories in the Pacific, remains a delicate issue.

Fish farms are heading offshore

As wild fish stocks dwindle and fish farms on land grow crowded, the fishing industry has cast its net for other solutions. Enter offshore aquaculture—giant, floating fish farms built miles out into the ocean.

Advocates say it’s better than land-based farms, which are fraught with issues of overcrowding, pesticides, and heavy use of antibiotics. They argue that out in the ocean, space is no issue, and there’s a lower chance of chemical contamination. But critics say these problems still persist at sea, and offshore farms can create environmental problems such as wastewater and escaped fish, a.k.a. “fugitive fish.”

Regardless, fish farming is here to stay. Over half of the fish we eat comes from farms, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that number will hit 60% by 2030. Some even predict, down the line, aquaculture will replace fishing altogether.

What is Twitter’s future in Africa?

Much attention has been given to Twitter’s blue check chaos, high-profile executive exits, and potential bankruptcy. But floating under the surface of these headlines is another problem: the app’s future in Africa.

Twitter announced the opening of its first Africa office in April 2021. Then-CEO Jack Dorsey believed Twitter could help shape African democracy. Quartz’s west Africa correspondent Alexander Onukwue explained in the latest Africa Weekly newsletter how, now that the end of Twitter’s Africa team is imminent, a lingering suspicion remains that the platform’s expansion on the continent was always just a vanity project.

✦ Sign up today for the Quartz Africa Weekly. And while you’re at it, grab a Quartz membership—we’ll even knock 50% off our usual price.

Quartz’s most popular

9️⃣ The world has nine years to prevent climate catastrophe

👻 Shadow banking by crypto exchanges will continue to wreak financial havoc after FTX

👀 ICYMI: Here’s the full text of FTX’s bankruptcy filing

🏀 What’s going to happen to FTX’s sports deals?

🛞 Want to find meaning at work? Try taking an inner road trip

📈 China’s BYD sells more cars—but Tesla makes eight times more profit per vehicle

Surprising discoveries

A newly found neuron is curing paralysis patients. Nine people with severe spinal cord injuries were able to walk again after a nerve cell stimulation treatment.

Banksy resurfaced in Ukraine. His latest mural features a gymnast balancing on rubble in the liberated town of Borodianka.

A seat at the ASEAN summit comes with a pricey souvenir. World leaders will walk away with some luxury Cambodian watches on their wrists.

Antiques worth $94,700 (£80,000) were returned to their countries of origin. An American man was inspired by Guardian articles about looted items being repatriated.

The winners of Minnesota’s “Name a Snowplow contest” were announced. Plowy McPlowFace, Betty Whiteout, and Ctrl Salt Delete are just part of the US state’s fleet.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, diplomatic jewelry, and your best snowplow name to [email protected]. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—become a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Ananya Bhattacharya, Sofia Lotto Persio, Julia Malleck, and Morgan Haefner.