This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/briefing/syria-travel-ban-kabul.html
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Syria, Travel Ban, Kabul: Your Morning Briefing | Syria, Travel Ban, Kabul: Your Morning Briefing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| Here’s what you need to know: | Here’s what you need to know: |
| • President Trump’s travel ban faces its most important judicial test in a few hours, when a U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco hears arguments on its legality. | • President Trump’s travel ban faces its most important judicial test in a few hours, when a U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco hears arguments on its legality. |
| While the case seems destined for the Supreme Court, the appeals court may decide to immediately lift a stay that has offered days of reprieve for refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries. | While the case seems destined for the Supreme Court, the appeals court may decide to immediately lift a stay that has offered days of reprieve for refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries. |
| Here’s what you need to know about the hearing, including how to listen in. | Here’s what you need to know about the hearing, including how to listen in. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • Spearheading the battle over the travel ban are the top legal officials in more than a dozen states — all Democratic attorneys general. | • Spearheading the battle over the travel ban are the top legal officials in more than a dozen states — all Democratic attorneys general. |
| And the fight unexpectedly drew in a voice from China’s judiciary, which in some quarters aspires to the kind of independence Mr. Trump has at times appeared to undercut. | And the fight unexpectedly drew in a voice from China’s judiciary, which in some quarters aspires to the kind of independence Mr. Trump has at times appeared to undercut. |
| “Even if you control the armed forces and have nuclear weapons,” Judge He Fan of the Supreme People’s Court wrote in a blog post, “your dignity has been swept away and you are no different than a villain.” | “Even if you control the armed forces and have nuclear weapons,” Judge He Fan of the Supreme People’s Court wrote in a blog post, “your dignity has been swept away and you are no different than a villain.” |
| Above, Mr. Trump meeting with county sheriffs at the White House. | Above, Mr. Trump meeting with county sheriffs at the White House. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • In Washington, the Senate confirmed Mr. Trump’s choice for education secretary, approving the embattled billionaire Betsy DeVos after a historic tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. | • In Washington, the Senate confirmed Mr. Trump’s choice for education secretary, approving the embattled billionaire Betsy DeVos after a historic tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. |
| Today’s episode of our new podcast, The Daily, looks at why she was so controversial and also gauges the level of confusion inside an evolving White House. Listen here if you’re on a computer, here if you have an iOS device or here for an Android device. | Today’s episode of our new podcast, The Daily, looks at why she was so controversial and also gauges the level of confusion inside an evolving White House. Listen here if you’re on a computer, here if you have an iOS device or here for an Android device. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • The Syrian government has systematically executed 5,000 to 13,000 people in mass hangings at just one military prison since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Amnesty International contends. | • The Syrian government has systematically executed 5,000 to 13,000 people in mass hangings at just one military prison since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, Amnesty International contends. |
| The accounts of torture, deprivation, sham trials and executions that the rights group gathered corroborate numerous accounts given to The Times by current and former detainees in several prisons across the country. | The accounts of torture, deprivation, sham trials and executions that the rights group gathered corroborate numerous accounts given to The Times by current and former detainees in several prisons across the country. |
| _____ | _____ |
| • A long crack in Antarctica’s fourth-largest ice shelf grew 17 miles in two months, according to a research team. | • A long crack in Antarctica’s fourth-largest ice shelf grew 17 miles in two months, according to a research team. |
| In 20 more miles, the crack will reach all the way across the ice shelf in a full break that will create one of the largest icebergs ever recorded — and, even more troubling, imperil the buttressing that keeps glaciers from flowing into the ocean. | |
| _____ | _____ |
| • In Hong Kong, a group of urban explorers uses stealth and drones as they peel back layers of history to forge video archives of the city’s colonial-era buildings before they are razed. | • In Hong Kong, a group of urban explorers uses stealth and drones as they peel back layers of history to forge video archives of the city’s colonial-era buildings before they are razed. |
| One admirer, an architecture professor, said the work was “about forcing us to confront the aesthetic of loss.” | One admirer, an architecture professor, said the work was “about forcing us to confront the aesthetic of loss.” |
| • Offshore wind farms, buoyed by improved technology and protected from complaints by distance, have moved from a fringe investment into the mainstream. | • Offshore wind farms, buoyed by improved technology and protected from complaints by distance, have moved from a fringe investment into the mainstream. |
| • A Syrian refugee who took a selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany is suing Facebook after the image after showed up in fake news reports linking him to terrorism. | • A Syrian refugee who took a selfie with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany is suing Facebook after the image after showed up in fake news reports linking him to terrorism. |
| • China’s foreign exchange reserves dropped below $3 trillion for the first time since 2011. | • China’s foreign exchange reserves dropped below $3 trillion for the first time since 2011. |
| • The pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi report earnings. | • The pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi report earnings. |
| • Wall Street was higher. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. | • Wall Street was higher. Here’s a snapshot of global markets. |
| • In Afghanistan, more than a dozen people were killed and many others injured in a suicide bombing near the country’s Supreme Court in Kabul. [The New York Times] | • In Afghanistan, more than a dozen people were killed and many others injured in a suicide bombing near the country’s Supreme Court in Kabul. [The New York Times] |
| • President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines berated more than 200 police officers on national television, calling them “rotten to the core” and ordering them to resign or be shipped off to a terrorist hotbed known for beheadings and police attacks. [The New York Times] | • President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines berated more than 200 police officers on national television, calling them “rotten to the core” and ordering them to resign or be shipped off to a terrorist hotbed known for beheadings and police attacks. [The New York Times] |
| • South Korea indicted a former culture minister and a former presidential aide for their roles in drafting a blacklist of dissenting artists. [Reuters] | • South Korea indicted a former culture minister and a former presidential aide for their roles in drafting a blacklist of dissenting artists. [Reuters] |
| • China’s participation in a Vatican conference on organ trafficking is being criticized. Some doubt that the Chinese government is abiding by its announcement two years ago that it had stopped harvesting organs from executed prisoners. [The New York Times] | • China’s participation in a Vatican conference on organ trafficking is being criticized. Some doubt that the Chinese government is abiding by its announcement two years ago that it had stopped harvesting organs from executed prisoners. [The New York Times] |
| • Steve Bannon, the chief adviser to President Trump, has cultivated alliances with traditionalists in the Vatican who share his low opinion of Pope Francis. [The New York Times] | • Steve Bannon, the chief adviser to President Trump, has cultivated alliances with traditionalists in the Vatican who share his low opinion of Pope Francis. [The New York Times] |
| • Cambodia’s prime minister banned the flag of Taiwan in support of Beijing’s “One China” policy while simultaneously inviting Taiwanese investment. [The Cambodia Daily] | • Cambodia’s prime minister banned the flag of Taiwan in support of Beijing’s “One China” policy while simultaneously inviting Taiwanese investment. [The Cambodia Daily] |
| • Airline employees are being trained to spot, and report, cases of human trafficking by a nonprofit organization founded by a flight attendant. [The New York Times] | • Airline employees are being trained to spot, and report, cases of human trafficking by a nonprofit organization founded by a flight attendant. [The New York Times] |
| • Members of the Irula people of India, renowned for snake-catching skills, are helping to stop the spread of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. [BBC] | • Members of the Irula people of India, renowned for snake-catching skills, are helping to stop the spread of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. [BBC] |
| • Slow down for just a moment with your morning coffee or tea and try to be a little more mindful. | • Slow down for just a moment with your morning coffee or tea and try to be a little more mindful. |
| • After an unplanned pregnancy, this 25-year-old struggled to be the mother she wanted to be. After going back to school, she’s well on her way. | • After an unplanned pregnancy, this 25-year-old struggled to be the mother she wanted to be. After going back to school, she’s well on her way. |
| • Recipe of the day: For a meatless midweek dinner, try risotto with smoked mozzarella. | • Recipe of the day: For a meatless midweek dinner, try risotto with smoked mozzarella. |
| • A frog’s saliva, normally 50,000 times stickier than human saliva, loosens as it speeds toward an insect and then firms back up after it hits — a non-Newtonian behavior that explains the frog’s hunting success. | • A frog’s saliva, normally 50,000 times stickier than human saliva, loosens as it speeds toward an insect and then firms back up after it hits — a non-Newtonian behavior that explains the frog’s hunting success. |
| • “Dog freaks out on pot” may sound like a stoner comedy or a viral video, but New York veterinarians are treating more and more canines sickened by ingesting marijuana. | • “Dog freaks out on pot” may sound like a stoner comedy or a viral video, but New York veterinarians are treating more and more canines sickened by ingesting marijuana. |
| Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh once pledged that he would reign for a billion years. | Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh once pledged that he would reign for a billion years. |
| But last month he fled into exile, 22 years after taking power in a coup. His democratically elected successor has since accused Mr. Jammeh, above, of plundering the treasury and fleeing with millions of dollars. | But last month he fled into exile, 22 years after taking power in a coup. His democratically elected successor has since accused Mr. Jammeh, above, of plundering the treasury and fleeing with millions of dollars. |
| A lesser-known source of income for Mr. Jammeh, though, had been a head-spinning scheme. For years, his government sold residence permits — sometimes costing up to $15,000 apiece — to thousands of Chinese millionaires. | A lesser-known source of income for Mr. Jammeh, though, had been a head-spinning scheme. For years, his government sold residence permits — sometimes costing up to $15,000 apiece — to thousands of Chinese millionaires. |
| Why? A special program meant to encourage investment in Hong Kong allowed wealthy Chinese citizens to gain the right to live there if they had permanent residence in another country. | Why? A special program meant to encourage investment in Hong Kong allowed wealthy Chinese citizens to gain the right to live there if they had permanent residence in another country. |
| As of 2013, some 9,000 Chinese obtained residence permits for Gambia. | As of 2013, some 9,000 Chinese obtained residence permits for Gambia. |
| The maneuvering went on until 2015, when Hong Kong suspended the program. | The maneuvering went on until 2015, when Hong Kong suspended the program. |
| A review found that many of the people enrolled didn’t eventually settle in Hong Kong. | A review found that many of the people enrolled didn’t eventually settle in Hong Kong. |
| Instead, they used their Hong Kong passports for easier travel to other countries (but probably not Gambia). | Instead, they used their Hong Kong passports for easier travel to other countries (but probably not Gambia). |
| Patrick Boehler contributed reporting. | Patrick Boehler contributed reporting. |
| _____ | _____ |
| Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings. | Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings. |
| What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. | What would you like to see here? Contact us at asiabriefing@nytimes.com. |