🌍 New Delhi’s possible pollution lockdowns

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Here’s what you need to know

New Delhi air pollution may shut things down. Officials are considering lockdowns as levels reach four times the safe limit. And in the UK, more lockdowns could be coming as covid-19 cases rise.

Japan’s economy contracted much faster than expected. Supply disruptions affected exports and spending plans. Meanwhile, US trade officials visited Tokyo and agreed to start tariff reduction talks.

Shell will move its headquarters to London. The move consolidates its British and Dutch structure as the oil and gas company works to become net-zero.

WeWork saw more losses. But the office-leasing company’s shares were up more than 3% after its first financial report since going public.

Myanmar freed an imprisoned US journalist. The release of Danny Fenster was a rare positive moment for a country that has faced unrest since a February coup.

Oatly soured. Shares of the Swedish plant milk maker were down more than 21% Monday. It’s a supply rather than a demand problem for oat milk, the star of our latest Quartz Obsession podcast.

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What to watch for

Walmart, the world’s biggest company by revenue, reports its quarterly earnings today. The pandemic has been good for Walmart, and while rising costs and supply chain issues may weigh on profits, the retailer’s enormous size means it can ride out disruptions that can upend smaller companies.

Walmart was once reviled for how it treated workers, communities, and suppliers—but that’s largely in its past. Here’s why:

👂 ​​It listened to critics. After years of ignoring its critics or trying to rebut them, Walmart conceded they may have had a point, particularly around environmental issues.

💸  It raised wages. Years of rock-bottom wages left Walmart with high turnover, unhappy workers, and unkempt stores. The company invested in higher pay and better training, resulting in improved retention and better customer service.

👺  It’s no longer the bogeyman. While Walmart still has its critics, Amazon’s labor practices can make Walmart look benign by comparison.

Your metaverse dictionary

Facebook—excuse us, Meta—is having its own image crisis, though its metaverse-oriented rebrand has helpfully provided a distraction. The metaverse doesn’t actually exist yet, but so many companies are talking about it, we compiled a list of terms so you can follow along:

Skeuomorphic design: The wonky term essentially means that virtual objects will be made to closely resemble real-world ones.

Augmented reality (AR): A digital overlay projected on the real world—think of Niantic’s Pokémon Go.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG): Interactive games that form the basis of what many feel will be the metaverse, like Roblox, Fortnite, or Minecraft.

There are more key concepts to add to your lexicon before the metaverse becomes at least part of our reality—and a lot of companies are banking on it doing just that.

There’s more Quartz waiting for you

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Surprising discoveries

Cambodia makes up half of Facebook Messenger’s voice traffic. Khmer and keyboards don’t jibe.

France’s flag has a new blue. Its transition from bright to navy came with little fanfare.

An Egyptian city was swarmed by scorpions. Nightmares do come true.

Further proof: An opossum held a New Zealand woman hostage. The marsupial would charge every time she left her house to get into her car.

E. coli bacteria solved a computer maze. But they still can’t surf the internet.

Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, reimagined flags, and nice furry critters 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 Oliver Staley, Scott Nover, Susan Howson, and Morgan Haefner.