Twin Quakes Devastate Turkey, Syria

IMPORTANT Long Shadow US Downs Chinese Balloon Over Atlantic, Political Ripples Continue

Republicans accused President Joe Biden of recklessness for waiting until the craft had passed over American territory before authorizing the Air Force to shoot it down. Biden sought to down the balloon, which was the size of three buses, on Wednesday, but was advised to wait. But Sen. Ted Cruz accused him of risking national security by allowing the airship to meander thousands of miles across the U.S., taking in key military facilities along the way. Meanwhile, the Defense Department offered to brief Trump administration officials about several balloon incursions that occurred during his presidency but were only reported recently. (Sources: WaPo, Politico, AP)

Heads Must Roll Ukraine to Replace Defense Minister as Russian Offensive Looms

A close ally of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Sunday that Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov would be replaced by spy chief Kyrylo Budanov. Reznikov, who once likened wartime corruption to “marauding,” became embroiled in a corruption scandal of his own when it emerged his ministry had paid inflated prices for army food supplies. While Budanov has impressive military credentials, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak admitted that former lawyer Reznikov’s “wonderful” personal relations with NATO allies would be missed. “Negotiations are not just mathematical formulae but also personal relationships,” Podolyak said. “Unfortunately, today we are losing a measure of trust in us.” (Source: Reuters)

Blue Monday England Braces for Its Biggest Health Care Strike Ever

Tens of thousands of nurses and ambulance workers are walking out this week: Wednesday is the only day no English health care employees will strike. Unlike in Scotland and Wales, English leaders have refused to look at National Health Service pay packages until next year — despite a decade of below-inflation increases. Union leader Sharon Graham stated “categorically that there have been no conversations on pay whatsoever with [Prime Minister] Rishi Sunak or [Health Minister] Steven Barclay about this dispute in any way, shape, or form. They dance round their handbag, dance round the edges, but they will not talk about pay.” (Sources: The Guardian, BBC)

Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: 

Big 3-0. A Portuguese pooch has broken a century-old record to become the oldest dog ever. At 30 years, 226 days, Bobi’s considerably older than the previous record-holder — and he’s still going strong. (Source: BBC) Long illness. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s former military ruler, died in Dubai Sunday. The 79-year-old, once a key Western ally in the fight against terrorism, had fallen out of favor back home. (Source: NYT) Tragic mystery. The head of Britain’s “Independent School of the Year” was found dead alongside her husband and 7-year-old daughter. Police believed the deaths were an “isolated incident” with no third-party involvement. (Source: The Guardian)

INTRIGUING Run the World Beyoncé Breaks Grammy Record, Harry Styles Wins Best Album

Beyoncé won four awards at last night’s ceremony, taking her lifetime tally to 32 — one better than late Hungarian British conductor George Solti. “I’m trying not to be too emotional. I’m trying to just receive this night,” she said after winning trophy number 32 for best dance/electronic album. She added, “I’d like to thank the queer community for your love, for inventing the genre.” The megastar once again missed out on album of the year, however. That honor went to Harry’s House. “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often,” Styles said, “and this is so, so nice.” (Sources: BBC, Elle)

Mea Culpa Aristocratic British Family to Apologize for Slavery, Pay Reparations

In 2016, John Dower was working on his family tree when he discovered his ancestors had owned 1,004 slaves across six estates in Grenada — and the family received the equivalent of $24 million in today’s money as compensation when slavery was abolished. “I was more than shocked, I was badly shaken,” said Dower — who then informed the rest of the family, including his cousin, BBC correspondent Laura Trevelyan. So far, 42 Trevelyan family members have signed a letter of apology and they’ve pledged $120,000 for reparations. They’re urging the British government and King Charles III to follow their lead. (Source: The Guardian)

Yummy Mummies 2,500-Year-Old Egyptian Embalming Workshop Is Full of Surprises

Scientists seeking to understand the ancient Egyptian embalming process previously had to look to historical texts or the mummies themselves. That’s changed with the excavation of an entire embalming workshop, complete with labeled jars of ingredients. Some of the jars contained substances already linked to mummification such as juniper, cedar and cypress extracts. But researchers were amazed to discover two resins from much further afield: one from Asian and African rainforests and another from India and Sri Lanka. The findings are “absolutely amazing” said mummy specialist Salima Ikram — who now wants to work out how the resins got to Egypt. (Source: Nature)

‘The Biscuit Is So Delicious’ Meet North Korea’s State-Sponsored YouTube Influencers

Last year YuMi posted her first YouTube video. In English she told viewers that all the desserts she tried at a Pyongyang ice cream parlor were produced by Oil General Health Drinks Factory as part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s drive to “contribute to the health improvement of the people.” Since then, YuMi’s worked out in a gym, gone angling in the Taedong River and visited an amusement park that, experts say, only operates occasionally due to the country’s electricity crisis. She’s one of several English-speaking vloggers to grace the platform with gentle North Korean propaganda in recent months. (Source: CNN)

Cry Wolf 911 Dispatchers Floored by False Calls From Skiers’ Apple Watches

Between Jan. 13 and Jan. 22 the emergency call center in Summit County, Colorado, received 185 distress calls — twice as many as usual, and largely false alarms triggered by skiers’ Apple watches. Apple says its fall detection technology saves lives, though the erratic movements made by skiers clearly confuse it. Wearers are given a chance to cancel the 911 call, but “a lot of people don’t feel it or hear it,” said Aspen emergency services official Brett Loeb. “Or they think, ‘I don’t want to answer my phone right now — I’m having a great time; my phone is killing my buzz.’” (Source: NYT)

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