Wednesday: Carlos Ghosn could be released today

China, Pakistan, Hello Kitty View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, March 6, 2019 [NYTimes.com »]( Asia Edition [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By ALISHA HARIDASANI GUPTA AND MELINA DELKIC Good morning. China tries to ease economic worries, Carlos Ghosn gets ready to leave jail and Hello Kitty heads to Hollywood. Here’s the latest: [Asylum seekers from Central America walking toward U.S. Border Patrol agents.]Asylum seekers from Central America walking toward U.S. Border Patrol agents. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times Number of migrants entering the U.S. breaks records For the fourth time in five months, the number of migrants [crossing America’s southern border has spiked]( border enforcement agents said, warning that their detention facilities are now full and agents are overwhelmed. By the numbers: More than 60,000 migrants were apprehended at the border in February, about 12,000 more than the previous month. And from October to March 3, more than 230,000 migrants were apprehended — a 97 percent increase from the previous year. Take away: The spike suggests that President Trump’s policies aimed at deterring asylum seekers aren’t having their intended effect, with migrants traveling in larger groups. Go deeper: Two children held at Border Patrol facilities died in December after showing signs of illness, highlighting [the agency’s shortfalls]( in assessing and addressing the health needs of migrants who, after a grueling journey, are often injured, sick or badly dehydrated. In Washington: The Senate has enough votes to approve a measure that would undo the president’s declaration of a national emergency at the border, which could force Mr. Trump to issue the first veto of his time in office. ______ [President Xi Jinping, center, and Premier Li Keqiang, right, at the opening session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing.]President Xi Jinping, center, and Premier Li Keqiang, right, at the opening session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images China promises to revive economy Premier Li Keqiang — the second-ranking Chinese official after President Xi Jinping — announced tax cuts and new policies in [an attempt to stimulate the country’s slowing growth](. More important, Mr. Li said in a speech at the National People’s Congress that the government would begin easing its control of the economy, a measure that has long been sought by small businesses. Details: Mr. Li lowered the country’s growth target for the year to anything from 6 to 6.5 percent, leaving some room for slower expansion. The premier also [cut value added tax]( to bolster corporate earnings and promised to hand over matters that the government shouldn’t manage to the market. Criticism: Mr. Li’s speech, which didn’t address ballooning debt or rising real estate prices that have watered down investor confidence in the country, offered fewer specifics than critics would have liked. ______ [A screen in Tokyo showing an image of Carlos Ghosn.]A screen in Tokyo showing an image of Carlos Ghosn. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Carlos Ghosn nears release from jail The former Nissan chairman could be freed on 1 billion yen bail, or almost $9 million, [as early as today](. In previous bail requests, the court sided with prosecutors who feared that Mr. Ghosn, who holds French and Lebanese passports, could leave Japan or tamper with evidence. As a condition of his release, Mr. Ghosn will be kept under guard and have limited access to outside information, according to his lawyer Junichiro Hironaka, who is famous for winning acquittals in notorious criminal cases. Background: Mr. Ghosn, the architect of the Nissan-Renault alliance, has been detained since November on charges of financial wrongdoing. He has denied all allegations and, in an interview in January, blamed his arrest on “plot and treason” by executives at Nissan who opposed his plans for deepening ties with Renault. ______ [Indian soldiers examining the debris in Kashmir’s Pulwama district last month.]Indian soldiers examining the debris in Kashmir’s Pulwama district last month. Younis Khaliq/Reuters Pakistan takes new steps to curb terrorism Pakistan, after months of international criticism, said it would seize and freeze the assets of people and groups that are on the U.N.’s list of designated terrorists operating inside the country. Already, the Pakistani authorities detained 44 people connected to Jaish-e-Muhammad, a listed terrorist group, including [the brother and the son of its chief, Masood Azhar](. The move came as India and Pakistan are still on edge after a suicide bombing in Kashmir last month claimed by Jaish-e-Muhammed killed 40 troops — the region’s deadliest attack in 30 years — and sparked a military clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Context: Last month, a financial watchdog group also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying its failures to address terrorism could open the door to sanctions that would devastate its already struggling economy. Pakistan’s military has long been accused by neighbors and Western countries of cultivating militant groups, like the Afghan Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad. Grain of salt: Pakistan has promised to combat terrorism in the past but officials say there is a real sense of urgency this time, as Prime Minister Imran Khan is worried about becoming an international pariah. ______ Here’s what else is happening India: After failing to compel New Delhi to lower its trade barriers, President Trump decided to strip the country of a special status that protected billions of dollars worth of Indian exports from American tariffs, setting up [new trade tensions]( with the world’s second most populous country. Indonesia: The death toll from a landslide inside an illegal gold mine on the island of Sulawesi [climbed to 17]( as rescue workers continued to search for victims. Afghanistan: While the country’s urban centers debate a peace agreement, many rural Afghans who have been underrepresented in the conversation are desperate for [an end to a conflict that has upended their lives](. H.I.V.: For the [second time since the global epidemic began]( a patient appears to have been cured of the virus that causes AIDS. The news comes nearly 12 years to the day after the first patient known to be cured. Saudi Arabia: An American woman, Bethany Vierra, who moved to the kingdom in 2011, has been trapped there since she divorced her Saudi husband because of so-called guardianship laws, her cousin [told The Times](. Ms. Vierra is unable to use her bank account, leave the country with her daughter or even seek legal help. [The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, barely visible through polluted air.]The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, barely visible through polluted air. Andrew Kelly/Reuters Pollution: According to a new report, [most of the world’s 20 most polluted cities]( are in South Asia — 15 are in India, two in Pakistan and one in Bangladesh — making it a particularly toxic region. Brexit: Britain’s withdrawal from the E.U. could disrupt [the]( industry]( which has so far leaned heavily on European countries to cater to British consumers’ preferences for cut-up, boneless and, most vexingly to farmers, white meat. Philippines: The Philippines’ top defense official said the government should [review a decades-old treaty with the U.S.]( to prevent being dragged into a conflict with China in the disputed South China Sea. Denmark: The country, which is regularly lauded for its gender equality and access to justice, has a “[pervasive ‘rape culture’ and endemic impunity for rapists]( according to a new Amnesty International report. Some women say that when reporting assaults, they are met with gendered stereotypes that focus on their clothing or actions rather than their attackers. Pritzker Prize: Architecture’s highest honor was awarded to [Arata Isozaki]( a Japanese architect, urban designer and theorist known for fusing East and West, modern and postmodern, and more. Mr. Isozaki’s more than 100 buildings include the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona and the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha. Hello Kitty: The beloved Japanese cat that was created in 1974 by Sanrio Corporation and became a billion dollar merchandising superstar is finally coming to Hollywood in [a feature film that will be produced by Warner Bros.]( “Game of Thrones”: HBO released the trailer for the show’s final season, which includes titillating [glimpses of the battles to come](. ______ Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Recipe of the day: Make this [pasta with fresh herbs, lemon and peas]( even better with flakes of good olive-oil-packed tuna. (Sign up for the [Five Weeknight Dishes]( newsletter for more recipe recommendations.) Listening feels like a lost art these days. Here are ways to give someone [your full attention](. Why is vegan beauty all the buzz now? [We break it down](. Back Story Thugs: It seems the world is full of them. Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, painted himself as a “thug’s thug” in public testimony, [our Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd]( judged. Leaders like [Nicolás Maduro]( of Venezuela, [Kim Jong-un]( of North Korea and [Narendra Modi of India]( have been called thugs, too. The word can be traced to “[thag]( a Hindi word meaning “thief” or “con man,” whose roots go back to Sanskrit. [A scene from a new Bollywood movie, “Thugs of Hindostan,” that is loosely based on thugs in India in the 1800s.]A scene from a new Bollywood movie, “Thugs of Hindostan,” that is loosely based on thugs in India in the 1800s. Yash Raj Films It’s believed that for centuries, gangs of thieves and assassins called thugs operated throughout India. In thrall to Kali, the goddess of destruction, they were believed to commit “thuggee” — setting up and often strangling victims. In the 1800s, the British who were beginning to spread across the country decided to put a stop to them. Under the leadership of [Lord William Bentinck]( thousands of people identified as thugs were [captured, convicted and sentenced](. In the 1830s, thugs were declared “destroyed.” Some now question whether thugs were as destructive as reported [in colonial representations](. Alisha Haridasani Gupta wrote today’s Back Story. ______ This briefing was prepared for the Asian morning. You can also [sign up]( to get the briefing in the Australian, European or American morning. [Sign up here]( to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. Browse our full range of Times newsletters [here](. What would you like to see here? 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