Good morning. We’re covering rising tensions between the U.S. and China over high-altitude aircraft. |
 | | A Chinese spy balloon floated over the U.S. for a week before a jet shot it down on Feb. 4.Randall Hill/Reuters |
|
The balloon dispute escalates |
Diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China escalated as the U.S. tried to explain its downing of three unidentified flying objects over the weekend and China accused the U.S. of sending its own unauthorized high-altitude balloons over Chinese airspace. |
A White House official said the flying objects had posed a threat to civilian aircraft even though the military had not identified their purpose. The objects were not sending out communications signals, and there was no indication that Americans on the ground were in danger, he said. |
In a jab at Washington, China’s foreign ministry said that it was “common” for U.S. balloons to illegally enter the airspace of other nations and that U.S. high-altitude balloons had flown over China without permission more than 10 times since last year. The U.S. denied the claim. |
The latest exchange is yielding insights into China’s ambitions for balloons in “near space,” a part of the atmosphere that is too high for most planes to stay aloft in for very long and too low for space satellites. Chinese strategists see near space as an arena of the growing great-power rivalry in surveillance: Both planes and satellites are vulnerable to detection, blocking and attacks. |
 | | A camp for displaced earthquake victims in Osmaniye, Turkey, on Sunday.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times |
|
There is a desperate need for temporary housing. People have erected tents and makeshift shelters in parks, sidewalks and the courtyards of mosques. Turkey’s national emergency management agency has distributed a huge quantity of tents, but the sheer scale of the disaster means many still lack shelter. |
Safe buildings? Some housing complexes in Turkey, supposedly built to modern seismic codes, fell because of the quake while others nearby remained standing. The inconsistent damage has increased scrutiny of construction regulations. |
Syria waits: While aid is flowing into Turkey, relatively little has reached parts of northwestern Syria, which is controlled by the opposition fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Much of the aid sent to Syria, which has been at war for nearly 12 years, has not always contained the most urgently needed supplies, such as food. |
U.N. meets: The U.N. Security Council met yesterday to discuss opening up more border crossings from Turkey to Syria. “We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria,” Martin Griffiths, the U.N. aid chief, said after visiting the border. “They rightly feel abandoned.” |
 | | Bakhmut is in ruins and just a few thousand civilians remain there.Libkos/Associated Press |
|
Russian fighters now appear to have surrounded the city on three sides. Ukraine said the one remaining road that its forces use to enter the city was under Russian fire. Street fighting is raging in several neighborhoods. One analytical group based in Poland said Bakhmut could fall as soon as this week. |
The war, which is almost a year old, appears to be entering a new phase. Russia has intensified its missile attacks and is amassing large numbers of poorly trained troops in the east. Ukraine, which is waiting for Western tanks and other weaponry, must defend itself against the Russian assault without exhausting the resources it needs to mount an offensive of its own. |
Financial lifeline: I.M.F. officials will meet with Ukrainian officials this week after reports that Ukraine is seeking a multibillion-dollar loan to help it deal with the war’s devastating financial impact. |
 | | Voice of Democracy’s radio arm was shut down in 2017. It has since published online and on Facebook.Tang Chhin Sothy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
|
 | | The galaxy lies a billion light-years away.ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Martel |
|
- The Webb telescope has spotted a distant spiral galaxy with an eerie resemblance to our own Milky Way.
- A report by an expert panel in Portugal found that more than 4,800 children may have been sexually abused by priests and other members of the Catholic Church since 1950.
- A woman used the identities of dozens of dead people to defraud the U.S. government of more than $45,000.
|
 | | “I’m part of the architecture and the landscape of Paris,” Invader said.Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times |
|
Invader, an anonymous street artist, has installed around 1,500 mosaics across Paris. His work is still technically illegal; the fear of being arrested is why he took a pseudonym. |
But some Parisians consider the mosaics to be part of the fabric of the city. Many have formed volunteer teams to repair the damaged ones and replace the missing artwork. |
 | | Mikayla Whitmore for The New York Times |
|
The U.S. faces a housing crisis. There aren’t enough new homes to make housing affordable. Soaring interest rates and material costs, combined with a shortage of available land and skilled labor, have led to a decline in construction. |
Tiny homes could offer a solution. Last year, the National Association of Home Builders reported that the median size of new family homes in the U.S. had dropped. It is expected to keep shrinking. Builders are exploring new models, like mini prefab houses or kitchens “like Swiss Army knives” — not bigger, but better equipped. |
The shift requires a reimagining of the American dream of a single-family house, as well as an overhaul of policies to create more apartments and micro homes. But Americans seem open to the idea. In a recent survey about compromises buyers would make to afford a home, the leading answer — cited by 45 percent of respondents — was living in a smaller house. |
 | | Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi. |
|
“Hannah Ha Ha” explores the aimlessness of young adulthood, as a 25-year-old struggles to find meaningful work. |
In the Modern Love podcast, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman stops suppressing her gay desires. |
Play the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Noble gas below xenon (five letters). |
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — Amelia |
“The Daily” is about U.S. plans to retire several of its warships. |
|
.png)
