šŸŒ Europe is hoarding solar panels

Plus: AMC needed Barbenheimer more than us |

Image for article titled šŸŒ Europe is hoarding solar panels
Photo: Ritzau Scanpix (Reuters)

Good morning, Quartz readers!


Hereā€™s what you need to know

Europe is hoarding $8 billion worth of Chinese solar panels. Europe bought a record amount of the devices last yearā€”90% of which came from Chinaā€”to reduce dependence on Russian fuels.

India banned the export of non-basmati white rice. The move could affect 80% of the countryā€™s export of the grain.

Advertisement

Tesla doesnā€™t think Nvidiaā€™s supercomputer is good enough... So the automaker is building its own to handle data generated by its cars worldwide.

Advertisement

ā€¦but it thinks its new Cybertruck is big enough. The electric pickup will be less than 19 feet (5.8 meters) long, smaller than Fordā€™s electric F-150.

Advertisement

No one needed Barbenheimer more than AMC

If you think Barbenheimer is just an internet meme juxtaposing the release of two films released today in the USā€”Barbie and Oppenheimerā€”youā€™re not giving marketers enough credit. AMC said more than 20,000 moviegoers have already booked double features for the two films.

Advertisement

The once-meme-stock-darling theater chain hasnā€™t seen its revenue return to pre-pandemic levels. A projected $200 million opening weekend for Barbenheimer might just be the extra large popcorn with butter that AMC ordered.

Image for article titled šŸŒ Europe is hoarding solar panels
Graphic: Clarisa Diaz
Advertisement

Italyā€™s heat waves are hellishā€”in nature and in name

As record-breaking heat waves sweep across Italy and the rest of Europe, their dangers are proving fatal. But also capturing headlines are the heat wavesā€™ evocative appellations, all straight out of classical mythology.

Advertisement

šŸ•šŸ•šŸ• Cerberus: Hellā€™s three-headed hound

šŸ”± Charon: The ferryman of the underworld

šŸ Minos: The serpent-tailed judge

Not all scientists agree on naming heat waves. Some see it as a distraction, while others argue it makes people more aware of the danger of climate change. Quartzā€™s Gabriela Riccardi spoke to the meteorology engineer whoā€™s coming up with the names and is clearly a fan of Dante Alighieriā€™s Divine Comedy.

Advertisement

The worldā€™s largest office building, by the digits

65,000: Employees
4,700: Office spaces
131: Elevators
7: Maximum minutes it takes to reach any office from any of the buildingā€™s entry gates, apparently

Advertisement

The building is in Indiaā€™s gem capital and just stole the title of worldā€™s biggest office from the Pentagon.


Quartzā€™s most popular

šŸŒ® Taco Tuesday trademark battle ends with a final request from Taco Johnā€™s to Taco Bell

Advertisement

šŸ” In-N-Out Burger is once again a flashpoint in the covid mask debate

šŸ”Ž The US is investigating whether a fatal Tesla crash involved autopilot mode

šŸ”„ Canadaā€™s massive wildfire problem is worsening

šŸŽ„ Netflix isnā€™t feeling the impact of the Hollywood writers and actors strikesā€”yet

Advertisement

šŸ§ Has Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang gone missing?


Surprising discoveries

Postmenopausal orcas guard their adult sons from fights. They donā€™t do the same for their female kids.

Advertisement

ā€œCroftā€™s tortoiseā€ has been improved upon. A mathematical coloring conundrum that we could barely understand, much less solve, was, luckily, left to the professionals.

A teen allegedly swatted a Ford plant so his friend could get a night off work. Now he could face seven years in prison.

Advertisement

Dominoā€™s is offering an inflation pizza in India. The 7-inch (17.8-cm) cheese pizza with a hint of basil on it costs 49 rupees ($0.60).

An ancient volcano off Canadaā€™s Pacific coast is still active. Itā€™s also covered in a million giant eggs.

Advertisement

Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, croft tortoise designs, and inflation pizza to talk@qz.com. Reader support makes Quartz available to allā€”become a member. Todayā€™s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.