WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is trying again to find a way to resolve the cases of two British Islamic State detainees who are notorious for their roles in the torture and killing of Western hostages, and who have been held in indefinite wartime detention by the American military in Iraq since…
Month: July 2020
Despite Historic Plunge, Europe’s Economy Flashes Signs of Recovery
LONDON — Before the pandemic, a traditional state of play prevailed in the enormous economies on the opposite sides of the Atlantic. Europe — full of older people, and rife with bickering over policy — appeared stagnant. The United States, ruled by innovation and risk-taking, seemed set to grow faster. But that…
Hong Kong, U.S. Election, Bangladesh Floods: Your Friday Briefing
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. We’re covering concerns about forced quarantines in China, President Trump’s suggestion to delay the election and what our critic learned in online theater training. , ImageAfter his release from prison, Wang Quanzhang was quarantined for weeks before being allowed to…
Aboard the Diamond Princess, a Case Study in Aerosol Transmission
In a year of endless viral outbreaks, the details of the Diamond Princess tragedy seem like ancient history. On Jan. 20, one infected passenger boarded the cruise ship; a month later, more than 700 of the 3,711 passengers and crew members had tested positive, with many falling seriously ill. The invader moved…
The Autocrat Problem
Want to get The Morning by email? Here’s the sign-up. Good morning. Congress questions Big Tech. Teachers’ unions push back on school reopenings. And Europe struggles to contain autocracy. ImagePrime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary has used the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to further centralize authority.Credit…Pool photo by Francois Lenoir The…
Belarus Says Russian Mercenaries Planned to Disrupt August Election
MOSCOW — Escalating a simmering feud with Russia, its neighbor and longtime ally, Belarus on Wednesday charged that more than 200 mercenaries from Russia, disguised as tourists, had infiltrated Belarus on a mission to disrupt its presidential election. Reports of a Russian mercenary force in Belarus, which could not be independently confirmed,…
Big Tech Hearings, Vietnam Outbreak, Sheep Shortage: Your Thursday Briefing
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. We’re covering Big Tech executives on the defensive, Vietnam’s mysterious surge in cases and a troubling trend in Latin American democracies. ImageJeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO, testifies before Congress on Wednesday.Credit…Pool photo by Graeme Jennings Big tech faces big questions…
Senate Report: Opaque Art Market Helped Oligarchs Evade Sanctions
Companies linked to two Russian oligarchs exploited the opaqueness of the art world to buy high-value art, bypassing U.S. sanctions, according to a report by the U.S. Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that was published on Wednesday. American companies are barred from doing business with sanctioned individuals. But the report said the…
Moderna Vaccine Test in Monkeys Shows Promise
Monkeys given the Moderna coronavirus vaccine and then deliberately infected were able to fight off the virus, quickly clearing it from their lungs, researchers reported on Tuesday. The findings do not guarantee that the vaccine will perform the same way in people, but the results are considered encouraging and a milestone in…
Hajj, 1MDB, Van Gogh: Your Wednesday Briefing
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. We’re covering the beginning of this year’s hajj, a guilty verdict in the first of five major 1MDB trials and a protest movement that has electrified a town in Russia’s Far East. ImageWorkers cleaned in front of the Kaaba at…
Oil and Gas Groups See ‘Some Common Ground’ in Biden Energy Plan
HOUSTON — Joseph R. Biden Jr. won over environmentalists and liberals when he announced a $2 trillion plan to promote electric vehicles, energy efficiency and other policies intended to address climate change. But the plan released on July 14 has also earned a measure of support from an unexpected source: the oil…
Kyrgyzstan Rights Activist Azimzhan Askarov Dies at 69
MOSCOW (AP) — Azimzhan Askarov, a human rights advocate in Kyrgyzstan who was serving a life term on charges of involvement in ethnic violence that were widely criticized as trumped-up, has died in a prison clinic. He was 69. The U.N. Human Rights Committee and leading international human rights organizations had repeatedly…
Life After Lockdown in Mexico City
Life appears to be returning to normal on the streets here, but doctors worry there could be another surge of coronavirus cases. Here’s a look at where Mexico has been hit the hardest.
Migrant Workers, Hong Kong Wave, TikTok: Your Tuesday Briefing
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. We’re covering a devastating time for hundreds of millions of migrant workers, designers getting creative with face masks and a vacation ritual canceled this year. ImageThe family of Monowara Begum in Bangladesh is struggling after her husband was no longer…
iMovie Review: Is it Good for Editing YouTube Videos?
Did you know that around 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day? With over 2 billion global subscribers, YouTube provides a unique platform for businesses and individuals to promote products and services, interact with web users, and build a following. If you use YouTube, or you’re thinking about uploading video…
The Premier League Calls It a Year, 352 Strange Days After It Began
LEICESTER, England — Those final few minutes, the ones upon which an entire season rests, do something strange to time. The clock seems to slow, each second clawing and scratching for its moment before it yields to the next. But each is so pregnant with meaning, or with the possibility of meaning,…
Surfer SEO Review: How Does it Compare to Other SEO Tools?
If you’re looking to add another SEO tool to your arsenal, Surfer is a great option to consider whether you’re sick of overpriced software or simply haven’t found one that suits your website. But you don’t want to invest money into a tool you’ve never tried before. That’s why we put it…
Volunteer Confesses to Starting Fire at Nantes Cathedral
PARIS — A Rwandan refugee who volunteered at the 15th-century cathedral in Nantes, France, has confessed to setting a fire that severely damaged the interior of the church this month, his lawyer said on Sunday. The Rwandan man, who is 39 and whose name was not made public, was arrested on Sunday…
Coronavirus Live Updates: Testing Results Take Too Long, U.S. Official Concedes
Here’s what you need to know: ImageAn employee at Quest Diagnostics preparing a sample of Covid-19 in Teterboro, N.J., in April.Credit…Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York Times The U.S. testing czar admits test results take too long, as some state officials worry about backlogs. Federal, state and local officials on Sunday…
Milos Jakes, Czech Communist Leader, Is Dead at 97
Milos Jakes, a longtime Communist Party official in what was then Czechoslovakia, and the head of the party during the tumultuous two years that ended Communist domination and resulted in the election of the playwright Vaclav Havel as president in December 1989, has died. He was 97. The Associated Press, in a…