Your Monday Briefing – The New York Instances

Trump policy Biden plans to overturn first

When Joe Biden begins his presidency this week, he will inherit a collection of crises that have not existed in generations – the coronavirus pandemic, economic turmoil, racial battles, and the aftermath of the Capitol attack. He plans to start his administration with dozens of directives in a 10-day blitz that should mark a turning point for the US

According to a memo from his new chief of staff, the new president will quickly order the following steps to immediately reverse President Trump’s most controversial guidelines:

• Lifting of travel bans for several predominantly Muslim countries

• Re-entry into the Paris climate protection agreement

• Contract agencies to find out how children separated from their families after crossing the border into Mexico can be reunited

• Expansion of pandemic-related restrictions on evictions and student loan payments; Granting a mask mandate for federal real estate and interstate travel

At the end of Trump’s tenure: A lucrative market for pardons is coming to a head, and some of Mr. Trump’s allies are levying fees on wealthy offenders or their co-workers to press the White House for mercy.

Possible violence: The atmosphere in Washington and in state houses across the country was tense over the weekend. Military vehicles and police barricades lined the streets near government buildings in many states, and officials prepared for the possible influx of pro-Trump protesters ahead of the inauguration on Wednesday. There were no reports of violence by Sunday afternoon, but law enforcement and National Guard forces remained on high alert.

Aleksei Navalny is arrested on his return to Moscow

The Russian opposition leader, who had been recovering from near-fatal poisoning in Germany since August, was arrested on Sunday evening at passport control at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow.

Police also arrested some of his supporters who greeted him at the airport.

The Russian Correctional Service, which alleged that Mr Navalny was wanted for violating a previous suspended sentence, issued a statement saying that he had been detained pending a trial.

Minutes before his detention, Mr Navalny made an impromptu statement to journalists at a terminal in a transit area. “I’m not afraid,” he said. “I know that I’m right. I know that all criminal proceedings against me are fabricated. “

A hit: His detention could spark protests and an international backlash. He has accused the Kremlin of attempting to murder him on YouTube videos that have been viewed more than 40 million times.

India starts vaccinating its 1.3 billion people

India’s introduction of coronavirus vaccines is one of the most ambitious and complex initiatives in its history. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the vaccination campaign that began with health care workers during a live televised address on Saturday.

The campaign takes place in a country that has reported more than 10.5 million infections, the second largest case number after the United States, and 152,274 deaths, the third highest number in the world.

The government had hoped to vaccinate around 300,000 people on Saturday, but government data showed 165,000 people received a shot. The vaccine is slated to deliver the vaccine to millions of other healthcare workers and frontline workers by spring.

The supply: Mr Modi has pledged to vaccinate 300 million health care workers and frontline workers, including police officers and in some cases teachers, by July. However, the Indian government has only bought 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine and 5.5 million doses of a vaccine made by Bharat Biotech in India.

Vaccines now: The more contagious variant of the virus discovered in the UK, which has now been detected in more than 50 countries, increases the urgency of mass vaccination campaigns.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

In other developments:

• The organizers of the Australian Open tennis tournament are facing a rebellion after nearly four dozen players learned they had to adhere to a strict 14-day quarantine because passengers tested positive for the coronavirus on their flights to Australia.

• China’s most recent outbreak has been traced back to a seller who appeared at a series of workshops in Jilin Province and has been linked to 102 infections that have emerged in the past few days. (Read more about China’s outbreak in our backstory below.)

• President-elect Joe Biden’s new chief of staff warned the US death toll from the virus would hit 500,000 by the end of February.

If you have 9 minutes, it’s worth it

The modern family of the US Vice President

When Kamala Harris is sworn in this week, she will represent many premieres: the first woman to become vice president. First black woman. First woman of Indian descent.

Another milestone is shown: their more expansive version of the American family.

The following also happens

Possible Merkel successor: Before the autumn elections, Armin Laschet was chosen by Angela Merkel as the next chairwoman of the conservative party of the Christian Democratic Union, who will decide who will succeed her as Chancellor. Analysts said the party’s popularity could wane if it sinks into the fact that Ms. Merkel is really leaving.

K2 milestone: A Nepalese team reached the top of the second highest mountain in the world, an accomplishment never before reached in winter. K2 climbs 28,251 feet, second only to Mount Everest.

Election in Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni will begin a sixth five-year term after being declared electoral winner that his rival, Bobi Wine, a 38-year-old lawmaker rapper and independent international observers, is labeled unfair.

Luxury watch market: For the first time, China is the world’s largest importer of Swiss watches.

Phil Spector: One of the most influential and successful record producers in rock’n’roll died on Saturday at the age of 81. The cause were complications from Covid-19. Since 2009, he has served a prison sentence for the murder of a nightclub hostess whom he brought home to his home after a night of drinking in 2003.

What we read: This Mainichi article about a “Rent-a-Person who does nothing” in Tokyo. It’s a reminder that sometimes only one presence is required.

Now a break from the new

In Shanghai, Keith said, office buildings and apartment complexes are rechecking smartphone location codes to make sure residents haven’t traveled to hotspots. If someone has traveled to a risk area, they must report to the authorities immediately and enter a home or government-monitored quarantine.

“The mandatory immediate quarantine of all symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals and all close contacts, ordered by the government in complete isolation,” was China’s secret to containing the coronavirus, Keith said. “In some cases they identify 800 close contacts per person, so their definition of close contact is not very close at all.”

With the US and Europe in another brutal wave, there was a great nationalist sentiment in China that was fueling the country’s handling of the virus. “There are definitely concerns about the recent outbreaks,” said Keith. “But I have found calm confidence in many people that China has overcome this problem before and can do it again.”

That’s it for this briefing. Until next time.

– Carole

Many Thanks
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].

PS
• We hear “The Daily”. Our final installment is about a Republican lawmaker who voted to indict President Trump.
• Here is our mini crossword puzzle and a clue: Look forward to (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here.
• Yewande Komolafe and Eric Kim join The Times as cookery writers. Readers may remember Yewande’s 10 most important Nigerian recipes and Eric’s explanation of Banchan, the small dishes that often go with Korean dishes.