🌎 The 737 Max can’t take off

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More than a hundred Boeing 737 Max 9s have been grounded by the US Federal Aviation Administration. One of the planes operated by Alaska Airlines suffered a blowout after takeoff, prompting the agency to keep 171 planes worldwide on the ground to be inspected. No one on board was injured.

Bangladesh’s prime minister was re-elected. Sheikh Hasina will keep her post as the world’s longest-serving female head of government—something India is happy about.

China sanctioned five US defense companies. Beijing was retaliating against US arms sales to Taiwan, as well as sanctions levied against Chinese companies and people.

India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu has inked $4.4 billion worth of deals with Apple suppliers and automaker Hyundai. The investments come as Apple tries to diversify production of its products out of China.

Cheap labor seams the US apparel industry

Last week, Beyond Yoga settled California’s largest case of wage theft against garment workers. The popular athleisure apparel brand agreed to pay $1.1 million in back wages and damages to 165 California garment workers who were not paid overtime by its contractors.

Garment industry employees are some of the lowest paid workers in the world, even in the US. Take a look at the state of the industry, by the digits:

95,000: Garment workers employed in the US

45,000: Garment workers in Los Angeles, the nation’s garment production capital

$9 billion: Value of the US apparel industry

$1.58: The lowest hourly rate earned by US garment workers in fiscal year 2022, according to the Department of Labor

One big number: 1.6 million

Tesla Model S, X, 3, and Y vehicles in China that were recalled on Jan. 5 to fix problems with the Autopilot driver-assistance system and door latch controls during collisions. 

Teslas have been pulled from the road for a myriad of reasons over the years. Quartz’s Faustine Ngila has a timeline of each of Tesla’s recalls—starting with the company’s very first in 2013.

US wage gains are “real” once again and getting realer

The US December jobs report had a lot of good news—perhaps most encouragingly for anyone with a job.

It looks like the Federal Reserve’s efforts to bring down inflation are already making an impact where it counts: Wages are once again rising faster than prices. When earnings growth is faster than inflation, those are called “real” wage gains because workers feel like their paychecks are going further than before. And, as Quartz’s Melvin Backman writes, that’s rightfully boosting moods.

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Surprising discoveries

A shark that had 20% of its dorsal fin torn off regenerated the appendage in about a year. This type of rapid healing has only been documented a handful of times.

Meanwhile, a bluefin tuna in Tokyo netted a near-record $800,000 in an auction. The fish was 238 kilograms (525 pounds) and will be served at the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant Onodera.

A 10-cent Peruvian coin marked with the year 1899 shouldn’t exist, yet one mysteriously does. A counterfeiter must have made it abroad, unaware no coins of that denomination were minted in that year.

Neptune and Uranus are roughly the same shade of blue. The former has been depicted as having a deeper hue than the latter, but that’s only slightly true.

You can now visit where Alexander the Great was crowned. Greece reopened the 2,400-year-old palace after years of restoration.

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Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, 1899 coins, and Neptune-blue jeans to talk@qz.com. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Morgan Haefner.