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Venezuela’s political crisis deepens, the U.S. Senate fails to end the partial shutdown, and start-ups offer spy satellites. Here’s the latest:
Venezuela crisis grows, with high diplomatic stakes worldwide
The leader of Venezuela’s armed forces declared his loyalty to President Nicolás Maduro, a leftist who exercises authoritarian powers, saying that the opposition’s efforts to replace him with a transitional government amounted to an attempted coup.
Russia also warned the U.S. not to intervene in the South American nation, a close Kremlin ally — a further setback for the opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who proclaimed himself Venezuela’s rightful leader on Wednesday and sought the armed forces’ backing.
Along with many Latin American countries, the Trump administration has recognized Mr. Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader and is urging more countries to reject Mr. Maduro.
What’s next? Invoking past “gringo” interventions in Latin America, Mr. Maduro has cut ties with the U.S. and ordered American diplomats to leave Venezuela. The U.S. said it would not heed that order — raising the possibility of a standoff at the embassy.
Mr. Guaidó said he intended to serve as interim president until the next election. The Trump administration said it was ready to send $20 million in food and medical aid, but otherwise its plans are vague.
Background: Venezuela’s government has overseen a near-total collapse of the economy. Here’s a primer on how the country got into this dire situation.
Senate bills to end the U.S. government shutdown go nowhere
Lawmakers voted against two competing proposals to reopen the U.S. government, sending congressional leaders back to the drawing board.
Details: Each party had its own measure. The Republican proposal included $5.7 billion in funding for President Trump’s border wall, paired with legal protections for some immigrants. The Democratic proposal would have reopened the government until Feb. 8, without wall funding.
What’s next? Lawmakers and aides in both parties expressed hope that the double-barreled losses would at least break the logjam over the shutdown. Urgency is mounting, with 800,000 federal workers set to miss their second paycheck on Friday. House Democrats said they were considering giving Mr. Trump as much as $5.2 billion for border security — but not for a wall.
Greece set to seal Macedonia pact despite protests
Greek lawmakers are almost certain today to approve a pact changing the name of neighboring Macedonia, despite protests inside and outside Parliament over the deal, which touches a nationalist nerve in Greece.
Details: The agreement between Athens and Skopje seeks to resolve a 27-year dispute by changing Macedonia’s name to North Macedonia in exchange for Greece’s lifting its objections to the country’s joining NATO and the European Union.
Reaction: Polls show that about 70 percent of Greeks are against the deal, which Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been pushing as “historic” progress. In northern Greece, where opposition is most intense, protesters have targeted the homes of lawmakers from his leftist Syriza party.
Spy satellites may give businesses an edge
A growing number of start-ups are selling insights gleaned from small, relatively cheap satellites, known as “cube satellites,” encroaching on a domain once dominated by global superpowers.
How it works: The Chinese province of Guangdong stopped publishing a monthly health report on its manufacturing sector in October amid the trade war with the U.S. But a small company in San Francisco found a way to get that crucial data using photos and infrared images captured by satellites, and now it’s selling that information to hedge funds, banks and other investors.
Why it matters: Satellites monitor specialized areas like how busy retailers’ parking lots are, oil tank levels, and illegal mining activity. And the niche seems set for further growth: Nearly 730 satellites were launched in the last decade, and another 2,220 are expected to follow in the next 10 years.
Here’s what else is happening
Afghanistan: U.S. and Taliban negotiators are making headway on a deal under which American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan in return for a pledge from the insurgents that the country won’t become a terrorist base again, officials said. But many details remain unclear.
Scotland: Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland who for years led a campaign for Scottish independence, has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted rape and several counts of sexual assault, a public prosecutor said. He denied the charges.
Soccer: Search efforts have been called off for the Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala and his pilot after their small plane vanished over the English Channel on Monday.
Renault: The French carmaker announced new leadership after Carlos Ghosn resigned as chairman and chief executive from his Tokyo jail cell. Jean-Dominique Senard, the new chairman, and Thierry Bolloré, the new C.E.O., must now mend the company’s alliance with Nissan. Here’s what’s at stake.
Italy: The Italian authorities deprived Amanda Knox of adequate legal assistance during a nightlong interrogation in 2007, Europe’s top human rights court ruled, the latest legal twist in the murder of the American woman’s roommate more than 11 years ago.
Ukraine: Former President Viktor Yanukovych was found guilty of treason for inviting Russia to invade his country and reverse a pro-Western revolution five years ago.
Georgia: The former Soviet Republic has been fashioning itself into a global hub for bitcoin mining. About 200,000 Georgians have gotten into the game, even selling cars and cows to buy equipment, and about 10 percent of the country’s energy goes into the cryptocurrency endeavor.
$238 million: That’s what a hedge fund billionaire paid for an apartment in New York City — the highest price ever paid for a home in the U.S. — heightening debate about income inequality.
Prince William: Long outspoken about his own emotional struggles, the British royal has taken his campaign for mental health awareness to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, urging global leaders to help break the stigma.
Brazil: Just three weeks into his term, Jair Bolsonaro, who rode to the presidency denouncing corruption and elitist privilege, is now trying to fend off charges that his far-right administration is exhibiting just that.
Currency: Claims by an Italian deputy prime minister, against expert consensus, that a French-backed currency used by 14 African nations was accelerating migration have highlighted a long-running debate over whether the currency is stabilizing or neocolonial.
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Back Story
Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, was born on this day in 1759. He wrote hundreds of poems and songs, including the New Year’s Eve favorite “Auld Lang Syne,” before his life was cut short by illness.
His use of vernacular is a barrier for English speakers, but it is difficult to overstate the esteem he commands in Scotland and in the hearts of expatriates like this writer, who grew up in Burns’s home of Ayrshire.
His verses gave dignity and voice to the disenfranchised, and he is beloved for his romanticism and sense of humor. Scots around the world celebrate his birth with “Burns suppers.”
The most elaborate celebrations feature pipers marching in with a haggis (a traditional concoction of minced offal, oatmeal and spices) to a standing ovation, and a recitation by the host of Burns’s praise-filled “Address to a Haggis.”
So tonight, whatever is on your plate, join me in a toast to one of Scotland’s best-loved sons.
Jeanie Kay, a designer on the briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story.
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