US travel ban to take effect from today

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on people from six predominantly Muslim countries and all refugees entering the United States is finally scheduled to take effect later on Thursday, but in a scaled-back form that still allows in some travellers. The rollout of the controversial measure follows a US Supreme Court decision this week that allowed the executive order to take effect but significantly narrowed its scope, exempting travellers and refugees with a “bona fide relationship” with a person or entity in the United States. It is set to go into effect at 8 pm ET (0000 GMT Friday). Late on Wednesday, the State Department said visa applicants from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen must have a close US family relationship or formal ties to a US entity to be admitted to the United States. Trump first announced a temporary travel ban in January, calling it a counterterrorism measure to allow time to develop better security vetting. — Reuters