Brexit, Huawei, Gay Penguins: Your Wednesday Briefing

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Good morning.

Britain awaits the results of a critical Brexit vote, President Trump’s attorney general nominee testifies in Congress and gay penguins in Sydney learn to co-parent. Here’s the latest:

Crucial Brexit vote gets underway

The British Parliament is about to start voting on Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal plan and results should come in a few hours. We’ll have live updates here.

First, a handful of amendments will be considered, then there is a vote on the bill itself.

What’s next? That’s the burning question.

Assuming Mrs. May’s deal fails to pass, she must return to Parliament by Monday with a backup plan. And if nothing is approved by March 29, Britain will make a “no-deal” departure from the E.U., which lawmakers have warned could be chaotic and pose grave economic risks. However, voters don’t seem too alarmed by that prospect.

If Mrs. May’s plan loses by a narrow margin, she might be able to win a few more concessions from the E.U. and bring those revisions to Parliament for a second vote.

Other options include postponing Brexit, calling for a second referendum or calling for a vote of no confidence in the government, which the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, seems likely to do.

Go deeper: Here’s a visual journey through Brexit, from the moment Britain voted to leave the E.U. in 2016 to the final vote today.

U.S. senators question Trump’s attorney general pick

President Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department made assurances at his confirmation hearing Tuesday that he would allow the special counsel, Robert Mueller, to finish the Russia investigation, and promised to withstand any political pressure from the White House.

“It is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work,” the nominee, William Barr, said of the inquiry, which is believed to be in its final stages.

With Republicans firmly in control of the Senate, his confirmation appears to be on track.

Go deeper: Mr. Barr, who also served as attorney general under President George Bush, is known for his unusually expansive views of executive power. But during the hearing, he qualified some of his beliefs, emphasizing legal limits on the presidency and law enforcement independence.

Huawei’s founder rejects spying claims

Ren Zhengfei, a legend in China akin to Steve Jobs, made a rare public appearance and denied claims that the technology giant was spying for Beijing.

“I love my country,” he told a group of reporters. “I support the Communist Party. But I will never do anything to harm any country in the world.”

They were his first public remarks since his daughter Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, was arrested in Canada at the request of the U.S. last month. She is charged with trying to trick financial institutions into violating sanctions against Iran.

Background: Huawei, founded in 1987, is the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker — it had an estimated $100 billion in sales last year and sells more smartphones than Apple. Yet Mr. Ren rarely makes public appearances; he spoke to the news media for the first time in 2013.

Prominent rights activist goes on trial in China

Huang Qi, one of the country’s most prominent online dissidents, went on trial on charges of leaking state secrets.

Background: Mr. Huang founded the website 64 Tianwang in 1999. He was jailed twice before, first in 2000 for publishing articles by overseas dissidents and ethnic and religious critics. Then in 2010 for work uncovering corrupt building practices that contributed to the death toll of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan.

Why it matters: Mr. Huang’s case has drawn intense international attention, in part because he suffers from a potentially fatal kidney disease. And after his 85-year-old mother sought help from foreign embassies to win his release, she was reportedly beaten and is now detained in a hospital.

What’s next? It’s unclear. American diplomats said they were denied access to the trial. One human rights group based in the U.S. said that “no member of the public was allowed to attend” and that “one of Huang’s lawyers was never told about the trial.”

Here’s what else is happening

NATO: President Trump privately suggested several times last year that he wanted to withdraw the U.S. from the military alliance with Europe and Canada that has deterred Soviet and Russian aggression for 70 years.

North Korea: The country is pursuing biological weapons that could present a more immediate threat to the world than its nuclear weapons program, according to new military analysis.

Carlos Ghosn: The former Nissan chairman was denied bail in Tokyo and faces at least two more months in jail. His wife criticized Japan’s criminal justice system, writing that “no human being should be detained under conditions so harsh that their only plausible purpose is to coerce a confession.”

Netflix: The company said it would raise prices by 13 to 18 percent for U.S. subscribers to help pay for original content, its biggest rate increase since it introduced streaming services 12 years ago.

Gillette: The razor company released a new ad grappling with toxic masculinity and #MeToo, attracting both support and outrage on social media.

Saudi woman: Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, who fled her home and was granted refugee status in Canada, is starting to adjust to her newfound freedom. “I want to do crazy things I’ve never done before,” she told us in an interview.

Gay penguins: Two male penguins in Australia are raising a chick together, capturing the hearts of a nation that made same-sex marriage legal just over a year ago. “Love is love,” said a manager at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium.

Chang’e-4: Here’s a look at what China’s spacecraft has learned about the far side of the moon.

Australian Open: Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka advanced through the first rounds. Here’s why female players will miss Andy Murray. And follow all our updates from Melbourne.

Smarter Living

Tips for a more fulfilling life.

Back Story

By some estimates, China’s population of 1.4 billion is nearing its peak. To feed that many people, while using less land and water, the government is appealing to taste buds.

For several years now, official policy has aimed to make the humble potato a culinary staple, alongside rice, wheat and corn.

Potatoes can tolerate cold, drought and poor soil, and need less water, fertilizer, pesticide and labor. Since the 1990s, China has outstripped all other countries in production.

Potatoes are hardly new to China. They were introduced about 400 years ago, and feature in beloved regional dishes, like the shredded Sichuan specialty called tudousi.

But for starch, Chinese consumers prefer rice and noodles.

One workaround is to process the tubers into potato flour, which is then mixed with wheat flour to make steamed bread, noodles and cakes. The government also promotes regional potato dishes, and supports the production of fries and potato chips.

Claire Fu (付欣怡), a news researcher in our Beijing Bureau, wrote today’s Back Story.

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