🌎 Musk misfires

Plus: Marvel has challengers in the wings Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here]( [Quartz]( November 7, 2022 [View in browser]( Sponsored By Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know Elon Musk’s Twitter layoff strategy is already misfiring. In the haste to make cuts, some crucial roles [were eliminated](. Social media giant Meta is also expected [to announce redundancies]( this week. Apple warned delays will plague deliveries of iPhone 14 models. China’s covid-19 curbs [have affected production]( at Foxconn, Apple’s [supplier in Zhengzhou.]( A judge suspended Albertsons’ $4 billion dividend payout. The special payment [was temporarily blocked]( while the grocery chain’s [planned acquisition]( by rival Kroger is under regulatory review. Education workers protested an anti-strike law in Ontario, Canada. The bill, fast-tracked by the state’s legislators, imposes [a new contract and hefty daily fines]( on striking workers and unions. Protesters in Peru demanded the resignation of president Pedro Castillo. The leftist leader’s government is under [investigation for corruption](. An imprisoned British-Egyptian activist began a water strike. Alaa Abdel Fattah [is taking drastic measures]( to protest Egypt’s human rights abuses as the country hosts COP27 (more below). Sponsor content by Fidelity IDRV from iShares®️: Investing in EV & their tech. IDRV from iShares®️ gives exposure not only to the companies making electric vehicles, but also innovations like lithium batteries and charging stations, plus the tech behind it all.[Advertisement] [Learn more]( What to watch for [Attendees photograph one another outside the main entrance of the COP27 conference. They're standing under a large arch made of white.]( Photo: Getty Images(Sean Gallup) The world’s top climate diplomats have gathered in Egypt’s luxury Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik for the annual two-week Conference of Parties (COP27). Striking a balance between economic needs and species’ survival remains the crux of the matter. This year’s host country—a major fossil fuel producer whose [most fertile land]( is highly vulnerable to the threat of climate change—has promised to center the [conversation on money](. [Negotiations will focus]( as much on how to distribute committed climate finance as raising more commitments. The money issue is also one to consider for the corporate sector, where most companies that have set climate targets [have actually no plan]( for how to reach them. Sign up for our [Need to Know: COP27]( newsletter to follow everything from the 2022 UN climate conference in Egypt. Catch up with the [first edition](. Marvel has challengers in the wings Director duo the Russo brothers have claimed that no other film can beat the record of Avengers: Endgame, which [raked in over a billion dollars]( on opening weekend in 2019. But DC Films and the Avatar franchise are looking to give the brothers a run for their money. [A bar chart shows the top 10 comic book movie box office openings in the US. Avengers: Endgame is number one with $357 million, followed by Spider-Man: No Way Home with $260 million.]( Graphic: (Adario Strange) The timing is right. MCU is in a bit of a transitional phase now that the Avengers storyline has come to a close, and this blip in Marvel’s cohesive narrative could be just what Warner Bros. Discovery and its slate of DC films need to find their big break. Meanwhile, James Cameron has been cooking up four sequels to his 2009 moneymaker, Avatar. The re-release of the first film in September made $30 million on opening weekend—a sign that the people want to see more blue-faced aliens. The second film in the Pandora universe, Avatar: The Way of Water, hits theaters on Dec. 16, and may just avenge Endgame at the box office. Our global famine warning system needs a glow up In 1985, US agencies developed the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) to help world organizations and governments assess where food aid is needed the most. But as climate change makes flooding events more frequent and intense, leaks are springing in the FEWS NET, which [isn’t particularly good at]( determining how floods affect food supplies. Part of the problem is that flood events can both help and harm crops. Quartz reporter Clarisa Diaz looked at how floods are threatening African food supplies in particular, and why the world needs to recalibrate its famine warning compass. ✦ Want to keep up with the local developments, emerging industries, and inevitable complexities happening in African? Sign up for our [Africa Weekly]( email today. And while you’re at it, grab a Quartz membership—it’s [now 50% off](, and includes even more exclusive content. Quartz’s most popular 🐥 [There’s more softness in the latest US jobs report than most people realize]( 🧐 [How to think about Powerball’s record “$1.9 billion” jackpot like an economist]( 💨 [Amid Twitter’s mass layoffs, don’t forget it began with a $150 million weed joke]( 🪫 [Mineral-rich countries want to form an OPEC for battery minerals]( 🐅 [Xi Jinping’s reelection is making Tiger Global even more nervous]( 🤦🏾‍♂️ [The guy who inspired the “quiet quitting” movement is working 50 hours again]( Sponsor content by Fidelity IDRV from iShares®️: Investing in EV & their tech. IDRV from iShares®️ gives exposure not only to the companies making electric vehicles, but also innovations like lithium batteries and charging stations, plus the tech behind it all.[Advertisement] [Learn more]( Surprising discoveries Black holes can simultaneously be dead and alive. Think [Schrödinger’s cat](… just on a much larger scale. But if you want to think about cats, scientists would love to hear your thoughts. Researchers at the University of California, Davis are [trying to figure out]( how telemedicine can work for feline owners. A 500-year-old tree got its due. A majestic yew that calls the ruins of a Cistercian monastery home was named [tree of the year](. Kleenex told people to stop using its name wrong. [You’re not grabbing]( a Kleenex to wipe your tears—you’re grabbing a Kleenex brand tissue. China’s hottest woman is Tao Huabi. She’s the one making [Lao Gan Ma crunchy chili sauce]( a global sensation. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, Kleenex brand tissues, and the living version of Schrödinger’s cat to hi@qz.com. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—[become a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Sofia Lotto Persio, Julia Malleck, Adario Strange, and Morgan Haefner. 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