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By Praveen Menon and Pairat Temphairojana | KUALA LUMPUR/BANGKOK KUALA LUMPUR/BANGKOK Seeking to capitalise on U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial new travel restrictions, companies and officials in Asia said they would target greater tourism and education ties with Muslims worried about the curbs. Trump’s Friday directive put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar […]

A “handful of people” have been stopped from flying to the United States from Dubai International Airport following a US travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries, the airport operator’s chief executive said on Monday. “The effect has been very minimal at the moment. We don’t have the exact figures but literally a handful of people have had to be looked after and repatriated to their point of […]

Investors, economists and strategists have begun to question their enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s new administration, following the president’s decision to block entry to the US from seven Muslim-majority countries. Mr Trump’s travel clampdown appeared to knock some of the confidence from markets, after stock indices reached record highs last week following speculation the new president will deliver faster economic growth and accelerating price rises — dubbed “Trumpflation”. […]

Syrian armed forces appear to have retaken the contested Barada Valley area north of Damascus, the capital’s main source of water, signaling a possible end to a war-induced shortage that has left millions of inhabitants thirsty and dirty for six weeks. Syrian government news media reported on Monday that hundreds of rebel fighters and their families had evacuated the Barada Valley, under an agreement reached on Sunday. […]

By Julia Edwards Ainsley | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. government has granted waivers to let 872 refugees into the country this week, despite President Donald Trump’s executive order on Friday temporarily banning entry of refugees from any country, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document seen by Reuters. A Homeland Security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the waivers, noting that the refugees were […]

By John Walcott and Julia Edwards Ainsley | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON When Donald Trump’s administration put together its controversial executive order on immigration, it was Steve Bannon – the populist firebrand fast emerging as the president’s right-hand man – pushing a hard line. Senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interpreted the order to mean that lawful permanent residents – green card holders – who hailed […]

Pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump grew on Monday over his order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, as the state of Washington announced a legal challenge and former President Barack Obama took a swipe at his successor. The leader of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer, said he would bring legislation on Monday evening seeking to end the ban, although his effort stood little […]

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DUBAI // The future of thousands of young people from Muslim countries at universities and colleges in the United States has been thrown into doubt by Donald Trump’s travel ban. More than 16,000 students from the seven banned countries are affected by the president’s executive order: 11,338 from Iran, 1,727 from Iraq, 1,578 from Libya, 792 from Syria, 516 from Yemen, 233 from Sudan and 32 from […]

newslide Netflix rules SAG awards Stranger Things was the surprise Screen Actors Guild Awards’ top TV winner, with Shameless star William H. Macy scoring his own upset victory over Jeffrey Tambor of Transparent. Stranger Things, Netflix’s supernatural thriller deprived three-time consecutive winner Downton Abbey of one last trophy for its final year. The streaming service claimed four awards as the traditional broadcast networks were shut out. Macy’s […]

President Donald Trump has attacked airlines, the media and Democrats over the protests and criticism of his administration that emerged over the way he executed a ban on people from seven Muslim-majority nations entering the US. In a series of tweets and comments at the White House, Mr Trump tried to shift the blame for the chaos that ensued after more than 100 refugees and migrants from […]

Pakistan’s interior minister on Monday criticized President Donald Trump’s restrictions on immigration from several Muslim-majority countries, saying the move would harm the global fight against terrorism, amid concerns that Pakistanis may also be impacted. Mr. Trump issued an executive order Friday, suspending the U.S. refugee program for four months and banning the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. […]

Boris Johnson’s claim to have extracted concessions from Donald Trump over his travel ban was thrown into confusion on Monday after embassies around Europe, including London, issued statements contradicting the UK foreign secretary. Amid a public storm over the issue, the UK Foreign Office said on Sunday evening that the extreme vetting programme would apply to fewer than expected dual-nationality Britons going to the US. It said […]

ATHENS A migrant was found dead on Monday in his tent on Greece’s Lesbos island, the third death there in a week, raising alarm about conditions in Greek camps. The man is believed to be about 20 and from Pakistan, a police official on the island said. His death at the island’s Moria camp follows those on Jan. 24 and Jan. 28 of a 22-year-old Egyptian man […]

European, Asian stocks and S&P futures all drop after traders were left with a sour taste from the potential fallout of Donald Trump’s order halting some immigration and ahead of central bank decisions from the U.S. and Japan.  Markets in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam are all shut due to the Lunar New Year public holiday, leading to a quiet Asian session. Oil […]

DUBAI Years after he fled political persecution in his native Yemen, a new life in the United States was finally taking shape for democracy activist Abdulraqeb al-Duais. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries has upset his plans to bring his family over to the United States – where he has political asylum – and has left him in limbo in Malaysia. […]

By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian share markets and Wall Street stock futures fell on Monday after immigration curbs introduced by U.S. President Donald Trump heightened concerns about the impact of the new administration’s policies on trade and the economy. European markets were also poised for a sluggish start, with financial spreadbetter CMC Markets expecting Germany’s DAX to start the day 0.3 percent lower, Britain’s FTSE […]

Leaders in Iran and Iraq, two of the countries targeted by Mr. Trump’s order, issued furious denunciations on Sunday and vowed to take retaliatory measures. But the silence in the capitals of Muslim-majority countries unaffected by the order reflected a lack of solidarity and an enduring uncertainty about the direction that Mr. Trump’s foreign policy might take in some of the world’s most volatile corners. Continue reading […]

By Frank McGurty and Nathan Frandino | NEW YORK/WASHINGTON NEW YORK/WASHINGTON Tens of thousands of people rallied in U.S. cities and at airports on Sunday to voice outrage over President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting entry into the country for travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations. In New York, Washington and Boston, a second wave of demonstrations followed spontaneous rallies that broke out at U.S. airports on Saturday […]

WASHINGTON/RIYADH Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, in a phone call on Sunday with U.S. President Donald Trump, agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, a White House statement said. Trump, during his presidential campaign last year, had called for Gulf states to pay for establishing safe zones to protect Syrian refugees. A statement after the phone call said the two leaders agreed on the importance of […]

President Donald Trump’s most far reaching action since taking office plunged America’s immigration system into chaos on Saturday, not only for refugees but for legal US residents who were turned away at airports and feared being stranded outside the country. Immigration lawyers and advocates worked through the night trying to help stranded travellers find a way back home. Lawyers in New York sued to block the order, […]

The continuing conflict in Syria was high on the agenda at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Three films – Cries from Syria, City of Ghosts and Last Men in Aleppo – examined different aspects of the conflict, with one of them rewarded with one of the festival’s main prizes. With diplomatic efforts to end the almost six-year war stalling, and UN estimates of the death toll […]

The world’s largest technology companies condemned Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration after coming under pressure to speak out from employees. Leaders of companies including Apple, Google and Facebook sent emails to their workforces attacking the move to block refugees and entry to the US from seven Muslim-majority countries.  Tim Cook, Apple chief executive, said the company had told the White House the company did not support the policy. […]

The president detailed his intentions during an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Friday, saying his administration is giving priority to Christians because they had suffered “more so” than others, “so we are going to help them.” Continue reading the main story But if Mr. Trump had hoped for Christian leaders to break out in cheers, that is, for the most part, not what he has […]

By Jonathan Allen and Brendan O’Brien | NEW YORK NEW YORK After immigration agents detained two Iraqis on Saturday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, their lawyers and two U.S. representatives accompanying them tried to cross into a secure area – and were stopped themselves. “Step back! Step back!” the agents shouted at them. A few minutes later, Heidi Nassauer, chief of passenger operations for […]

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