New Hampshire primaries underway

The 2020 election cycle marks the centenary of the New Hampshire primary's role as first-in-the-nation. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( New Hampshire started filling out ballots at midnight today, kicking off the first-in-the-nation primary. The Trump administration released a budget proposal yesterday that slashes funding for aid, but boosts defense spending. What could it mean for US security? And Chinese tourists are putting a small Russian fishing village back on the map as they seek out the Aurora Borealis. --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today New Hampshire primaries underway [People listen as candidate Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, speaks at a campaign event in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Feb. 8, 2020.]( Credit: Eric Thayer/Reuters After technological havoc wreaked the Iowa caucuses, [New Hampshire started heading to the polls]( at midnight today for the state's primary. Iowa winners Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg have been leading in public polling, with an unusually unchanged pack following — this is the first year since 2004 that the Iowa caucus hasn't prompted some candidates to exit the field before the primaries begin. The 2020 election cycle also marks the centenary of the New Hampshire primary's role as first-in-the-nation. And: [Elizabeth Warren is running her race. The real one may be passing her by.]( Officials removed as more than 1,000 die of coronavirus The death toll in the novel coronavirus outbreak has surpassed 1,000, with more than [42,000]( infected. China has [removed multiple top officials]( in Hubei Province, where the virus was first detected. The World Health Organization warned that the disease poses a "very grave" global threat. But the number of new cases are beginning to drop, a top Chinese medical expert says. Chinese authorities have been [under scrutiny]( for their handling of the outbreak. The state's tight control of information has provided additional challenges for public health officials and epidemiologists. Also: [Wuhan coronavirus in graphics]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Number in the News: Listen to The World's smart speaker show, [The Number in the News](! Host Bianca Hillier produces the daily news show from our studios in Boston. You’ll learn one number you won’t forget and why it’s the news today. [Click here]( to add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google news briefing. Trump administration releases budget proposal The White House released a [$4.8 trillion budget proposal]( Monday that would slash funding to aid and safety net programs, while boosting spending on defense, including $18 billion for the Space Force. The budget is similar to what the Trump administration has proposed in past years, but is unlikely to make it through a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives as is. Trump has also faced bipartisan pushback in the past over foreign aid spending — cut by about 20% in this budget. The World's Marco Werman [has more]( on what that could mean for US security. And: [Trump seeks to halve US funding for the World Health Organization as coronavirus rages]( African nations mark anniversaries Feb. 11, 2020, marks 30 years since anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was freed from prison. Mandela, who would go on to become the first black president of South Africa, spend 27 years in jail for fighting the system of racial segregation in the country. Three decades on from the historic moment, [where does South Africa stand today](? And 2020 marks the 60th anniversary of the Year of Africa. In 1960, 17 African countries declared independence. The New York Times has a [retrospective in photos and memories](. [The 'edge of the earth': How Chinese tourism is changing one Russian Arctic village]( [Chinese tourist pull their suitcases in Teriberka, Russia.]( Credit: Andrey Borodulin/The World Teriberka is not the first destination in Russia to face a burst of Chinese tourism. But, 100 miles from the nearest city, accessed via a road that in recent winters has been closed for days at a time after heavy snowfall — [it could be the most remote](. Every day, dozens of visitors drag their suitcases past abandoned buildings to an increasing number of hotels and private apartments for rent. They come to what locals call “the edge of the earth” with the hope of seeing the Northern Lights at a fraction of the cost of similar trips to Scandinavia, Iceland or Canada. Also: [The sun sometimes rises: How one Russian city makes it through the polar night]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Snapshot Iraq is one of the world's hottest countries, but [snow blanketed Baghdad Tuesday](, delighting young and old. It's a rarity for a city more used to seeing soaring temperatures, making it even more magical. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Swiss vote for gay rights]( - [Sinn Féin for the win]( - [Public space in Lebanon]( - [The US hopes to end its longest war]( - [Report shows dozens murdered in El Salvador after deportations from US]( - [Soviet spa day]( - [Trump administration proposes cuts to foreign aid]( - [Bong Joon-ho is part of a rich South Korean film tradition]( - [Chinese students feel welcomed, but also questioned]( - [Global action to fight coronavirus]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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