February 20 top news
It is February 20. Hope your weekend was good. Ready for the news?
Biden visits Ukraine
President Biden visited Kyiv, Ukraine today on a surprise trip. Biden was seen walking around outside in downtown Kyiv with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. They visited a wall that had pictures of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war.
Biden announced another $500 million in aid for Ukraine’s defense against Russia. He said Putin’s war is failing because one year after the war started, Ukraine stands.
Jimmy Carter under hospice care at home
Former president Jimmy Carter is now under hospice care at his home, meaning he is now in his final days of life. He is 98 years old and is the oldest living former president.
Carter lives in Plains, Georgia. His grandson said he visited both Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn, who is 95 years old, over the weekend and that both are “at peace.”
New earthquake hits Türkiye
Today another earthquake struck southern Türkiye in an area that was already devastated by two earthquakes on February 6. Today’s earthquake was a strong 6.4 magnitude quake and it happened around 8 p.m. local time. It is not yet known how much damage today’s quake caused. Al Jazeera reported that there were several structures that were destroyed and that there are many aftershocks. I will provide an update in tomorrow’s news.
Original iPhone sold for $63k
A woman sold a first-generation Apple iPhone, still in its original box from 2007, for $63,356 at an auction. The phone had 8 GB and a 2-megapixel camera. Compare that to today’s iPhone 14 Pro, which offers 1 TB of storage and a 48-megapixel camera.
The person who sold the original phone is Karen Green, who explained that she got the original phone as a gift when she started a new job. She had just purchased a phone so she never opened the gifted phone. She said she never imagined that she would get over $60,000 for it 16 years later.
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Meta now offering subscription for verified accounts
Meta/Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that they are testing a subscription service that would allow Facebook and Instagram users to become verified — to have a blue badge and be considered an “official” account — for $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 a month on iOS. It will be available first in Australia and New Zealand this week and then roll out to more countries.
Zuckerberg said subscribers would have extra protection from impersonation accounts and get direct access to customer support.
Those who already had a verified account wouldn’t have to do anything. If you want to subscribe to get verified, you would have to provide a government ID.
So this is the second big tech company to offer a subscription plan with the first being Twitter charging $11 a month for similar features.
New museum under Lincoln Memorial
NPR reported that there will be a new museum built underneath the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. There is an area under the memorial that is called the undercroft, which is a large area filled with rows of tall concrete columns and open space. The columns are what support the Lincoln Memorial.
The National Park Service said the new museum would be 15,000 square feet and would explore the history of President Abraham Lincoln and the history of the memorial itself. Construction will begin in March with the estimated completion date of 2026, which will be the 250th anniversary of American independence.
U.S. concerned about China-Russia relationship
NBC News reported that several officials in the U.S. government believe that China may be providing nonlethal military assistance to Russia in their war against Ukraine, such as uniforms or body armor.
The U.S. has previously warned China to not provide any support to Russia or risk consequences.
Vice President Kamala Harris said on Saturday that she is concerned at how China and Russia have deepened their relationship since the war began.
Today, a top Chinese government official said the U.S. is not qualified to give orders or put pressure on China-Russia relations.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-2-20-23/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/18/jimmy-carter-hospice-care/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64711228
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/20/new-6-4-magnitude-earthquake-hits-southern-turkey
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-russia-ukraine-nonlethal-assistance-rcna71431
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/19/business/meta-verification-subscription-service/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/20/1158292427/lincoln-memorial-museum-undercroft