Third Trump travel ban takes effect

Sunday, July 2, 2017

The newest version of U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban took effect late Thursday. It bars entry to the United States from six Muslim-majority countries, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Iran, Libya, and Syria, and all refugees irrespective of country of origin are barred for 120 days. Iraq is no longer included. Border officials have been instructed to honor existing visas, but in general no new ones are to be issued. Although some lawyers showed up to volunteer their services, U.S. airports continued to operate smoothly, without the huge scale of protests that marked the first attempt to enforce the travel ban.

A United States Supreme Court ruling handed down Monday said the ban was legal so long as it made an exemption for anyone with “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity” already in the country. The Trump administration is counting parents, in-laws, children and step-versions of these as bona fide relationships and, at the last moment, added fiancés, but discounted grandparents, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews. The attorney general of Hawaii has challenged the administration’s definition of close family as too strict.

“The banning of grandmothers — of unaccompanied children — from America’s shores is a disgrace,” said David Miliband of the International Rescue Committee.

Under the current ruling, people with businesses or in ongoing educational programs are also allowed to enter or re-enter the country, and permanent residents of the United States are exempted. Although lower courts declared the travel ban tantamount to religious discrimination targeting Muslim-majority countries, the Supreme Court disregarded both those concerns and President Donald Trump’s tweets about his plans to bar Muslims from entering the United States. They declared instead the President has “a compelling need to provide for the nation’s security” that includes the right to control immigration. The Supreme Court is to give the travel ban more in-depth consideration when it reconvenes this coming October.

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Friday, November 2, 2007

Two scientists working at McGill University in Canada, reporting on their research and the research of other scientists, state in Scientific American that Vitamin D may have many uses in the human body besides building strong bones.

According to the scientists, Luz E. Tavera-Mendoza and John H. White, Vitamin D intake may also be beneficial in the prevention of cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and fighting tuberculosis, influenza and inflammatory bowel disease. The researchers say that there is an emerging “widespread consensus” among experts that a large part of the population has levels of Vitamin D in their bodies that is well below optimal concentrations for health, particularly in temperate regions, due to decreased sunlight and or less time outdoors, and during or just after the winter months. One study indicated that as many as 92% of adolescent girls in Northern Europe may have deficient levels of Vitamin D and 37% have severely deficient levels.

The problem is far worse among African-Americans than Americans with lighter skin. Almost half of African-American women may be seriously Vitamin D deficient, with presumably still another fraction deficient. Furthermore, the authors say researchers at Harvard University and elsewhere believe the FDA minimum recommended daily allowance of Vitamin D is far too low. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) ranges from 200 to 600 International Units (IU). In fact, the authors themselves take Vitamin D supplements. The first author takes 1000 IU during wintertime and the second author takes 5,000 IU in wintertime. They do caution, however, that there is a level at which Vitamin D becomes toxic.

Similar research has also been recently performed by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology who found that many elderly were likely not getting sufficient Vitamin D due in part to insufficient exposure to the sun.

Friday, June 5, 2009

British singer Susan Boyle has been released from a private mental clinic. On May 31, Boyle was admitted by ambulance to the Priory clinic in London, England after she began to act strange in her hotel room, reportedly suffering an “emotional breakdown.”

Boyle’s brother, Gerry Boyle, told GMTV that Susan is “a lot more like herself,” and that she is “much happier.” He also added that Boyle is “now beginning to believe that, ‘Yes indeed, I will be a singer.'”

Boyle, 47, from Blackburn, West Lothian, in Scotland, came in second place on the British reality show Britain’s Got Talent (BGT). Boyle was beaten by the dance group Diversity on Saturday who got 24% of the public vote, with Boyle receiving 20%. She took the world by storm after her debut appearance on April 11 singing “I Dreamed a Dream” from the award-winning musical Les Misérables. Just a day after appearing on the show, Boyle became a YouTube sensation with her performance receiving nearly 9 million views. To date, the YouTube clip has been viewed by over 66 million people worldwide.

Traditionally, finalists of the show go on a concert tour of the UK, although producers for Britain’s Got Talent will not say whether Boyle plans to be a part of it. A spokesperson stated they are respecting Boyle’s privacy amid her health concerns. Rehearsals for the tour are reported to begin next week, with the first show starting on June 12.

April 9, 2005

A rise in flesh-eating staph infections has worried doctors about the possible spread of drug resistant bacteria.

Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as staph, is a bacteria that commonly causes skin infections in otherwise healthy people. However, as a persistent threat in hospitals, it tends to infect patients who are already sick and whose systems are vulnerable due to IV lines that pierce the skin. Doctors have already battled for years against drug-resistant strains of the bacteria, but the struggle has generally been confined to hospitals.

Now, however, Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) has been spreading in communities outside hospitals. Cases have multiplied by 25 times since 1998 at the University of Chicago. A Los Angeles hospital documented 14 cases of the flesh-eating infection, where patients required substantial time in intensive care and surgery. The infections are particularly problematic because nearly a quarter of people who get a staph infection require hospitalization.

Staph infections are spread much like other diseases, with crowded conditions, poor hygiene, and skin-to-skin contact most frequently to blame. At higher risk are prison inmates, homeless people, military personnel, and families with kids in day care. Athletes also have a higher risk, because sweating makes it easier for bacteria to infect the skin.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

While nearly all cover of the 2008 Presidential election has focused on the Democratic and Republican candidates, the race for the White House also includes independents and third party candidates. These parties represent a variety of views that may not be acknowledged by the major party platforms.

As a non-partisan news source, Wikinews has impartially reached out to these candidates, throughout the campaign. The most recent of our interviews is North Carolina, Tom Millican, an independent corporate manager and Vietnam veteran.

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Sydney, Australia –A 16 year old Sydney student was killed when a 10 metre gum tree fell on the tent in which she was sleeping.

Another girl sleeping beside her was unharmed.

The accident occurred at 1:30am AEDT at a campsite near Wombeyan Caves. The girl was participating in an overnight leadership camp with Sydney’s private Queenwood School for Girls.

Severe storms have lashed the east coast of Australia for the past few days.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Tyler Currie is running as an Progressive Conservative candidate in the Ontario provincial election, in the riding of Trinity-Spadina. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.