A federal appeals court on Sunday ruled that President Trump’s controversial immigration order will remain suspended for the time being, allowing those previously banned from coming to the United States at least another day to get there. The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit preserves a lower judge’s order to temporarily halt the ban — and based on a schedule the court outlined, the stop will remain in place at least until sometime on Monday. The Justice Department said it would not elevate the dispute to the Supreme Court before that. (WaPo http://wapo.st/2lcVxsX)
Philippines conflict may reignite…The Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, has warned the military is ready to respond with airstrikes and new offensives if Maoist rebels launch attacks, after both sides lifted separate ceasefires and he announced he was scrapping peace talks with the guerrillas. Duterte, speaking at a news conference, called the rebels “terrorists”, as months of steady progress in talks brokered by Norway rapidly fell apart after members of the New People’s Army killed six soldiers and kidnapped two others in renewed violence. One of the world’s longest running insurgencies, which began in the 1960s, it is estimated to have claimed as many as 40,000 lives. (Guardian http://bit.ly/2lcTDsf)
Top Stories
More than 100 people were killed in a series of avalanches triggered by days of heavy snowfall around Afghanistan, including 50 in one village, officials said Sunday, warning the death toll could rise still further. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2kwm4C5)
Some 1,500 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean this weekend, an unusually high number for winter when crossings tend to slow because of difficult sea conditions, the Italian coastguard said Sunday. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2kwoLDX)
From London and Paris to New York and Washington, thousands of people took to the streets to protest US President Donald Trump’s travel ban amid a fierce legal battle over the order. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2kglCcU)
Firemen in northern Honduras found the remains of four teenage boys who were kidnapped on 31 January. The bodies of the victims, aged between 15 and 19, were found in plastic bags by the river Ulua in Yoro province. Their hands had been tied. (BBC http://bbc.in/2jS9n2z)
Tears flowed Sunday as thousands of members of the Congolese diaspora paid their emotional last respects to opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, known affectionately as “papa”, who died in Brussels last week. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2kgnMJC)
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir accused the Egyptian government of harboring and backing Sudanese opposition figures fighting his troops, in remarks broadcast on Sunday. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2kD1bYo)
The venue for Somalia’s presidential election next week has been moved from the police academy to inside the Mogadishu airport because of concerns about security and possible corruption. (VOA http://bit.ly/2kD7ivV)
Egypt’s top Islamic authority on Sunday rejected President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s suggestion that legislation be adopted to invalidate the practice of Muslim men verbally divorcing their wives. (AP https://yhoo.it/2kwrCg3)
A former video cassette seller with close ties to Tamil Nadu’s late leader will become the next chief minister of the Indian state, capping a remarkable rise for the political novice. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2kgiZrE)
Opinion/Blogs
Travel Ban Keeps Scientists Out of the Lab (Goats and Soda http://n.pr/2kCRnxW)
Former President Bill Clinton outlines foundation’s future, responds to critics (Devex http://bit.ly/2kgv285)
Cancer organizations must step up on tobacco tax to make progress on cancer prevention (Lancet Global Health http://bit.ly/2kwm0ST)
Don’t give up on government (Devex http://bit.ly/2kD1qTi)
Of Jousting Knights and Jewelled Swords: a feminist reflection on Davos (From Poverty to Power http://bit.ly/2kwe2t9)
Worked Up About Trump? Make Time for Art & Music (Tiny Spark http://bit.ly/2kCXd2j)
Rethinking capitalism for sustainable and inclusive growth (ODI http://bit.ly/2jRSo0E)
Appearances Can Be Revealing: The Trump Administration’s Corruption Perceptions Problem (GAB http://bit.ly/2jS6sab)
President Donald Trump is a Threat to World Peace (Reinventing Peace http://bit.ly/2kD7Ku7)
