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American in Jan. 6 riot seeks

asylum in Belarus: An American who faces criminal charges from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol is seeking asylum in Belarus, the country’s state TV reported, in a move that could further heighten tensions between the turbulent former Soviet nation and the United States.

Holocaust museum says China

boosting repression: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says it has compiled evidence of increasing government repression against Uyghur Muslims in China’s western Xinjiang region. In a new report, the museum’s Center for the Prevention of Genocide says there is now “a reasonable basis” to believe that previously alleged crimes against humanity versus the Uyghurs are growing.

Baldwin calls for police on film

sets: Actor Alec Baldwin is calling for police officers to be present on film sets as a means to improve weapons safety, weeks after a fatal shooting of his colleague. Baldwin discharged a weapon that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, and injured director Joel Souza, 48, in October while working on the set of the Western film“rust.”

Van Morrison sued: Robin Swann, Northern Ireland’s health minister, is filing a defamation suit against singer-songwriter Van Morrison, saying the musician’s criticisms of coronavirus policies have endangered the public and harmed his reputation. The legal move follows multiple exchanges between Swann and Morrison, known for such songs as “Moondance” and “Brown Eyed Girl.” Each has called the other dangerous.

Renewable energy quadrupled: The proportion of electricity the United States gets from solar and wind nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020. While geothermal generation remained relatively flat, the three technologies combined for an annual increase of nearly 15% over that stretch.