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Good Morning.
We report the latest from Trump’s impeachment proceedings, bad news for the British Dreams of traveling abroad and the sound of one 17,000 year old conch shell.
Mr Trump’s defense team has claimed that he did not want his supporters to storm the Capitol and that his language was protected through freedom of expression, not incitement to violence or rioting. “There are no facts that will ever justify nullifying the freedoms afforded to Americans in the United States Constitution,” said Bruce Castor Jr., one of his attorneys.
Separately, in January Georgian prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Mr Trump’s call to the Georgian Foreign Minister, asking him to seek votes.
Republican: Thousands of people have left the GOP since the Capitol Uprising.
The announcement raises the hopes of potential vacationers and the tourism industry alike – many believed that a relatively successful vaccine rollout in the UK could enable the British to travel overseas this summer.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on UK television that international travel would depend on “everyone having their vaccinations in the UK” and that restrictions could remain in place until other countries make significant progress on vaccinations.
By the numbers: As of Wednesday, the UK had administered more than 12.5 million vaccine doses, which is about 18 percent of its population, one of the highest rates in the world.
Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.
In other developments:
Biden’s nuclear challenges abroad
Four years ago there was little fear of nuclear weapons, except in North Korea. But unbridled modern technology, a lack of arms control, and more players have combined to create a world of nuclear threats.
Many experts are now warning that President Biden must make arms control a priority again or risk an accelerating nuclear arms race, with new threats to American allies in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. But few want to discuss these dangers, especially in Europe where there is almost no debate about the risk of nuclear weapons.
America’s experts in Europe and Asia want to be sure that US safety guarantees are valid, realistic and reliable, experts said. The most immediate solution after the Trump presidency would be to restore America’s dwindling credibility, although it may not be easy.
Analysis: “The combination of these challenges further increases the nuclear safety of our allies as they wonder whether they can continue to rely on the United States as always,” said Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to NATO.
International Relations: Mr. Biden spoke to China’s Leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday evening, the first conversation the two had since the election of Mr. Biden.
Sanctions against Myanmar: Mr Biden announced a $ 1 billion freeze in US-held funds by the Myanmar government and warned of further action against the generals who deposed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup.
If you have 5 minutes it is worth it
In the UK, agency workers are picking up the virus
A small army of thousands in the UK has been hired by the country’s National Health Service and government contractors for temporary jobs that are in great demand during the pandemic – like cleaning hospital wards, tracking contacts and running virus tests. Above test workers on site near Cambridge.
Although the jobs are generally not well paid, some workers say that work gives them comfort: “If I can do something to help with the pandemic, or if I have played my part in it, it will be more rewarding than another Job or doing nothing, ”said Georgia Paget, an unemployed stage manager.
The following also happens
Indian peasant protests: After Twitter initially denied the Indian government’s request to delete accounts critical of its handling of large-scale protests by farmers, Twitter relented on Wednesday and removed over 500 accounts. The company said it acted after the government released a notice of non-compliance, threatening local company employees from jail.
Disguise crisis: The British government announced Billions of additional funds for people living in flammable material clad apartment blocks, who have paid for renovation work and security patrols since the deadly fire in Grenfell Tower in 2017, drew attention to the problem.
China’s climate progress: Scientists said emissions of CFC-11, a banned gas that damages the earth’s ozone layer, have plummeted from China. The results alleviate concerns that increased emissions would slow progress in the fight to repair the ozone layer.
New Zealand Parliament: Rawiri Waititi, a Maori politician, was kicked out of parliament this week for renouncing what he called a “colonial noose” in favor of a traditional Maori supporter. Now a committee has decided that ties are no longer compulsory.
Old sounds: A foot-long, 17,000-year-old conch shell is an extremely rare example of a “conch horn” from the Paleolithic – and it still works. A musician recently persuaded three notes from the stone age instrument. Listen.
What we hear: This gripping episode of the Answer All podcast addresses issues in Bon Appétit’s test kitchen long before racism was anticipated when it was released last year.
Now a break from the news
And now for the background story about …
Create a digital personal notebook
Everyday books can be traced back to Roman times and were a standard practice in Renaissance Europe. To create one, you need to copy your favorite lines from other people’s work into an annotated notebook. These can be lyrics, movie dialogues, poems, and inspirational elements that you find while reading and listening. Here’s a guide on how to get one with modern technology.
Get inspired. The Yale University Library has scanned pages of historical everyday books in its holdings, and Harvard Library has some in its own online collection, as well as images of a version of John Locke’s Guide to Making Everyday Books from the 17th Century, which was originally written published in French.
Take notes. For the sake of simplicity, collecting your everyday entries into a word processing document stored online is an option. If you find this approach unwieldy, consider the note-taking app that came with your phone – Apple’s Notes or Google Keep. Just enter quotes and other snippets of text when you get the urge. If you want to skip typing or pasting, Google Keep can scan and transcribe text from pictures from book pages, and Apple’s Siri voice assistant or Google assistant can take a note and create a dictation.
Convert a paper notebook. What if you’re someone who has kept a regular book for years but wants to digitize the whole thing without retyping everything? One method: take a photo of each page and import the image into your Notes app, which also preserves the look of your original hand-drawn entries.
That’s it for this briefing. See you on Friday.
– Natasha
Thank-you
Melina Delkic wrote today’s background story. Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh took care of the rest of the break from the news. You can reach Natasha and the team at [email protected]
PS
• We hear “The Daily”. Our latest installment is all about what it takes to reopen schools in the United States
• Here’s our mini crossword puzzle and a clue: What’s missing for soy and almond milk (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here.
• Rebecca Blumenstein, deputy editor-in-chief, joins the publishing office as deputy editor.
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