Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
China death toll jumps amid scramble to evacuate foreigners
China has reported it biggest single-day leap in coronavirus deaths since the start of the outbreak, with the toll now at 170, up from 132 on Wednesday. The World Health Organisation is convening an expert committee on Thursday to decide whether to declare a global health emergency, warning “the whole world needs to be on alert now,” as other nations scramble to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the city where the outbreak began.
Wildlife markets. A prominent Chinese environmental campaigner has told the Guardian a temporary ban on China’s wildlife markets ought to be made permanent to prevent the spread of other similar diseases in future.
Sporting events. The World Indoor Athletics Championships, due to be held in Nanjing in March, has been postponed for a year due to the coronavirus, while the Chinese Grand Prix, set to take place in Shanghai in April, is also in doubt.
Republican moderates facing pressure over witness vote
The likelihood that the senate will hear from witnesses in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial appears to be diminishing, as moderate Republicans such as Mitt Romney and Susan Collins come under increasing pressure from both sides over the impending vote on the matter. The eighth day of the trial on Wednesday saw the opposing legal teams lock horns for the first time, during an interrogation period in which they fielded written questions from senators.
Friday vote. If senators decide on Friday not to call witnesses including the former national security adviser John Bolton, then the president may be acquitted before the weekend.
Iowa race. In the final days before the Iowa caucuses, several Democratic presidential candidates are stuck in Washington at the impeachment trial, potentially leaving the field open to their rivals. Lauren Gambino reports from Des Moines.
Politics blog. As the election looms, we are bringing forward the launch time for our US politics blog to 6am ET. You can read today’s blog here.
Will Trump’s Middle East ‘peace’ plan create more conflict?
Trump hailed his new plan for the Middle East as a “realistic two-state solution”, but others including the UN have expressed concerns about its viability and Israel’s imminent annexation of illegal West Bank settlements. Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the policy “absolutely unacceptable,” while Palestinians have outright rejected a plan that they had no hand in crafting. The US proposals will only create more conflict, writes Rashid Khalidi, because they require the Palestinians to accept defeat.
Abu Dis. Trump wants the small town of Abu Dis, divided from nearby Jersualem by an Israeli wall, to be the capital of a new Palestinian state. But residents – and the town’s mayor – poured scorn on the very idea.
British MEPs mourn at their final EU debate on eve of Brexit
There were emotional scenes at the European parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, as its members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Immediately after the agreement was ratified, the chamber broke into a chorus of Auld Lang Syne. Some British MEPs, attending their final debate before the UK’s official departure from the bloc on Friday, were moved to tears as they addressed the parliament for the last time.
Nigel Farage. By contrast, the Brexit party leader, who did more than anyone to secure the UK’s departure, left the chamber after being reprimanded for waving a union jack and talking of his “hate” for the EU.
The Guardian bans fossil fuel advertising
The Guardian has announced it will no longer accept ads from oil and gas companies, making it the first major global news organisation to institute an outright ban on taking money from the fossil fuel industry. The move is part of efforts to reduce the Guardian’s carbon footprint as we continue to report on the climate emergency. Read more about the decision here.
Cheat sheet
A section of Trump’s coveted US-Mexico border wall was reportedly blown over by high winds on Wednesday, between the Californian town of Calexico and Mexicali in Mexico.
California lawmakers have failed to pass ambitious new legislation that would have eliminated certain zoning restrictions and enabled the construction of more high-density housing, thereby alleviating the state’s crippling housing crisis.
Shares in Facebook fell 7% on Wednesday, despite the firm’s bigger-than-projected fourth quarter earnings, suggesting rolling scandals and regulatory roadblocks may at last be catching up with Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant.
A guest on the latest edition of the US Antiques Roadshow, filmed in North Dakota, appeared to collapse after learning that a Rolex watch he purchased in 1974 for less than $350 was now worth more than $400,000.
Must-reads
Kelis on music, men and her missing money
It’s 20 years since Kelis broke out with her debut, Kaleidoscope. Now living a quieter life, writing cookbooks and living with her family on a farm outside LA, she tells Hadley Freeman she is still proud of that first LP: “the femaleness of the album, of the freaking outspokenness of it, the blackness of it, the alternativeness of it.”
Can Brad Parscale cast his spell on Trump voters again?
Brad Parscale, the loyalist who fashioned Trump’s digital campaign in 2016, is now the president’s 2020 campaign manager. He explains his strategy to David Smith, who asks whether he’s really a brilliant alchemist, or just “an over-promoted troll”.
LA mourns Kobe: ‘We didn’t just lose a basketball player’
The death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has cast a particular pall over Los Angeles, where unofficial tributes are springing up all over the city. To Angelenos, learns Andrew Gumbel, Kobe was more than a mere sportsman; he was “a pillar of the community”.
Why food service changes how much we eat
Three-course meals – starter, main, dessert – are a relatively modern idea, invented by Russian aristocrats and simplified for the contemporary table. It’s wasteful and individualistic, argues Zoe Williams, which is why we should return to huge, shared platters.
Opinion
As they claimed the big prizes at Sunday’s Grammys, Billie Eilish and Lizzo both suggested someone else ought to have won. These may be touching displays of sisterhood, says Yomi Adegoke, but they also perpetuate a sense that women are undeserving.
Women downplaying our accomplishments is not surprising – we are, of course, expected to be eternally humble. But this buck-passing goes beyond bashfulness.
Sport
The US player Sofia Kenin has dashed local hopes by beating the Australian world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 in the semi-final of the Australian Open, and will now meet Garbiñe Muguruza in the final on Saturday.
In his annual state of the league address, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has expressed his concern for the wellbeing of troubled wide receiver Antonio Brown, who remains on bail for charges relating to an attack on a moving-truck driver.
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