Good morning, Quartz readers! What to watch for today and over the weekend Greece raises its monthly minimum wage. The 11% increase to €650 ($740) is the nation's first wage adjustment in more than 10 years, though workers and employers say the effort won't offset the losses from Greece's prolonged recession. The US releases employment data. The January jobs report (paywall) will show whether US employers were able to keep up the record pace set in December, and what effect the government's partial shutdown had on the labor market. The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement begins. Although it's not clear how the deal will look after Brexit, regulations for more than $200 billion in trade goods will see significant changes as Japan and the EU enter their free-trade pact. The US announces its withdrawal from a landmark arms-pact with Russia. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is expected to make the announcement today, CNN reported. The decision was made after diplomatic talks to convince Moscow to comply with the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty failed.
While you were sleeping China agreed to buy more US goods. Beijing promised to increase imports (paywall) of agricultural and industrial products as well as services following trade talks in Washington DC. Trump also said he would meet again with Xi Jinping after receiving a letter from the Chinese leader, which said he hoped both sides would be able to meet halfway to reach a deal. Nintendo and messaging app Line are developing Dr. Mario for mobile. Seen as Nintendo's latest push into mobile gaming, "Dr. Mario World" is set to be released in mid-2019. Nintendo also reportedly plans to release a mini version of its Switch console this year. Facebook and Twitter said they had removed thousands of accounts linked to Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. The pages were suspected of spreading disinformation in a wide swath of countries, including the US during the midterm elections in November. Facebook said it had notified lawmakers and officials in the US and other affected countries.
Germany decided against buying Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter. The country's defense ministry said it would instead pick either the Airbus-made Eurofighter or Boeing's F/A-18 fighter jet to replace its aging Tornado warplanes. The decision could assuage Trump's impatience (paywall) at the slow speed of Berlin's promise to increase its defense budget.
The UAE denied spying on Americans. After a Reuters investigation found that the Middle Eastern country's cyberspying program used former US intelligence operatives to target rival governments, dissidents, and activists, foreign minister Anwar Gargash said, "We don't target friendly countries and we don't target American citizens." Quartz obsession interlude We fear change—especially when it comes to logos. Every new one that comes out runs an internet gauntlet of mockery and disappointment, but legendary designer Saul Bass knew that "failure is built into creativity." It's rare for a logo to completely miss, but when it does, the backlash makes it easy to tell. (Just ask the Gap.) Get on brand with the Quartz Obsession. Quartz Membership All you need to know about water's global impact. Contributor Peter Green breaks down the Earth's looming H2O shortage by listing estimated volumes, potential conflict zones, active multibillion-dollar conservation projects, and the biggest companies in the water market—in roughly 500 words. Matters of debate Join the conversation with the new Quartz app! Apple could regulate Facebook. Cutting off the social network's App Store access is an effective sanction—and a new spin on commercial warfare. McDonald's needs to help itself before it can help the environment. The company's rocky relationship with embattled franchisees is still the biggest barrier to becoming eco-friendly. The human race needs to hang on for another 100 years. It's the benchmark to figure out if our species will survive. Message from our Partner It's possible to bring electricity to the last billion and cut emissions. Mini-grids made up of solar panels and cheap batteries are helping people in Africa and Asia access some of the joys of modern life for the very first time. Find out more in The Race to Zero Emissions series. Sign up to be the first to know when new stories are published. Surprising discoveries American colonization caused an ice age. The murder of more than 50 million indigenous people triggered an imbalance in the New World's environment. Elephant seals invaded a Bay Area parking lot. The US government shutdown allowed dozens of adults and newborn pups to take over an unsupervised beach. It's hard to say when the Super Bowl "starts." Sports Illustrated asked a theoretical physicist to answer the question using relativity and time dilation. A drug trafficker altered his fingerprints by burning his skin. Hair transplants, false IDs, and skin grafts helped him evade Spanish police for 15 years. Rock salt keeps roads safe at a high price. Excess chloride can ruin water quality and harm the environment, but cheese brine, pickle juice, and potato juice could be safer alternatives. Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, cheese brine, and seal pups to hi@qz.com. Join the next chapter of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today's Daily Brief was written by Yenni Kwok and edited by Isabella Steger. | 
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