RICHMOND, Virginia: President Donald Trump’s updated travel ban is headed back to a federal appeals court in Virginia.
Thirteen judges on the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals will be asked to decide if the ban violates the constitution by discriminating against Muslims, as opponents say, or is necessary to protect national security, as the Trump administration says.
The hearing scheduled Friday comes four days after the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can fully enforce the ban even as the separate challenges continue before the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit and the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit appeals courts.
The 4th Circuit is being asked to reverse the decision of a Maryland judge whose injunction in October barred the administration from enforcing the ban against travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen who have bona fide relationships with people or organizations in the US The ban also applies to travelers from North Korea and to some Venezuelan government officials and their families, but the lawsuits didn’t challenge those restrictions.
Trump announced his initial travel ban on citizens of certain Muslim-majority nations in late January, bringing havoc and protests to airports around the country. A federal judge in Seattle soon blocked it, and courts since then have wrestled with the restrictions as the administration has rewritten them. The latest version blocks travelers from the listed countries to varying degrees, allowing for students from some of the countries while blocking other business travelers and tourists, and allowing for admissions on a case-by-case basis.
Opponents say the latest version of the ban is another attempt by Trump to fulfill his campaign pledge to keep Muslims out of the US The administration, however, says the ban is based on legitimate national security concerns.
The 4th Circuit rejected an earlier version in May, finding that it “drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination” toward Muslims. The judges cited Trump’s campaign pledge on Muslim travelers, as well as tweets and remarks he has made since taking office.
“For the people here who are waiting for their families and friends to come to the United States, it has an impact on their faith. It denigrates their faith,” said Mariko Hirose, litigation director for the International Refugee Assistance Project. The group is one of the plaintiffs in the Maryland case.
The Trump administration also says the latest version of the ban was the product of a global review and evaluation of inadequate information-sharing practices of certain foreign governments on security issues.
“The fact that serious national-security risks are posed by some Muslim-majority nations cannot prevent the government from addressing those problems, especially after the kind of extensive, multi-agency review process that occurred here,” government lawyers argued in written briefs.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Wednesday in a separate lawsuit filed in Hawaii. Much of Wednesday’s arguments focused on a narrower point: whether the president satisfied immigration law in issuing his latest travel order.
It is unclear when the appeals courts will rule, though both sides expect the US Supreme Court will ultimately decide on the legality of the ban.
Trump travel ban to be heard by federal appeals court
Trump travel ban to be heard by federal appeals court
Where We Are Going Today: Yasumi Ramen
Yasumi Ramen has established itself as a go-to spot for a Japanese ramen experience in the Eastern Province.
It has just two branches in the Kingdom — one in Dhahran, which opened in 2022, and a newer location which opened in Alkhobar in late 2024 — and both spots share minimalist interiors and a near-identical menu.
The ramen here is thoughtfully prepared: we tried the ichiraku ramen, the most popular, according to the hostess. It contained large flat strips of chicken with a miso base. The crunchy bean sprouts and scallions alongside the Naruto fishcake offered different textures in each mouthful.
The ajitama — seasoned soy egg — served with thin noodles was cooked to perfection and the sheet of nori added bite.
The homemade iced tea, served with fresh lemon, was tangy without being overpowering, providing a refreshing counterpoint to the richness of the food.
Unfortunately, we were informed that the bestselling mango mochi was sold out.
There were no other customers present, turning the dining experience into a peaceful retreat in this otherwise bustling part of town.
If you’re intending to visit, do be mindful that parking spots are limited.
For more details check @yasumiramen on Instagram.
Benzema breaks Al-Ahli hearts in Sea Derby Special
- For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement
- There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury
JEDDAH: It was honors even in a thrilling Sea Derby on Saturday as Al-Ahli drew 2-2 with Al-Ittihad who twice came back to earn a precious point.
A 95th minute strike from Karim Benzema broke the hearts of home fans and put the leaders five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League.
For the 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, there was plenty of excitement and entertainment in a game that could have gone either way.
There was some worrying news for Al-Ittihad fans as goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic picked up an injury in the thrilling King’s Cup semifinal win over Al-Shabab on Tuesday but stand-in Mohammed Al-Mahasneh showed his worth early in the first start of the season.
In the eighth minute, he saved from Firas Al-Buraikan’s low shot from inside the area and then got down quickly to deny Ivan Toney from the rebound.
At the other end, Edouard Mendy returned to the number one position and returned to fitness for Al-Ahli, who had not played a competitive game for three weeks. There is no doubt however that his opposite number had more to do in the early exchanges. It could have been worse as Ittihad survived two penalty appeals turned down late in the first half.
The Tigers were, however, starting to look dangerous and just before the break, N’Golo Kante broke into the area, went around the goalkeeper but pulled his shot just wide.
The miss became more painful four minutes after the restart as Al-Ahli took the lead with a simple set piece. Riyad Mahrez swung over a corner kick from the left and Brazilian defender Ibanez climbed high on the edge of the six-yard box to head the Greens into a deserved lead.
It was all looking good for the hosts but then, with 15 minutes remaining, the fans in yellow and black were celebrating. Saleh Al-Shehri dropped deep and his slide rule pass found Moussa Diaby on the right side of the area and the French winger made no mistake with his first time shot.
Then, in the 82nd minute, Al-Ahli were back in front. Kante tried to block a cross but succeeded only in finding Ivan Toney and the England striker shot home from close range.
That strike looked as if it had won a famous victory for the home team but for the second time in four days, Al-Ittihad hit back deep into added time. Abdulelah Al-Amri found Benzema with an exquisite pass to the back post and the former Real Madrid star was never going to miss.
The goal takes the leaders onto 62 points from 26 games, five clear of Al-Hilal. Al-Nassr are third with 54, two and five ahead of Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli respectively.
Tunisia shuts down large migrant camps
- The camps had prompted anger from residents in nearby villages, raising pressure on the authorities
EI AMRA, Tunisia: Tunisia has dismantled camps housing thousands of undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, police said, following a campaign against them on social media.
Around 20,000 migrants had set up tents in fields in the eastern regions of El-Amra and Jebeniana, said national guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli.
He said around 4,000 people of various nationalities had left one of the camps cleared by authorities, and operations would continue over the coming days.
Some of the migrants had “dispersed into the countryside,” with pregnant women and the infirm taken care of by the health authorities, he added.
The camps had prompted anger from residents in nearby villages, raising pressure on the authorities.
Jebabli said locals had taken legal action over the occupation of their olive groves by the migrants.
“It was our duty to end all the disorder,” he said.
Tunisian President Kais Saied on March 25 called on the International Organization for Migration to accelerate voluntary returns for irregular migrants to their home countries.
In recent years, Tunisia has become a key departure point in North Africa for migrants crossing the perilous Mediterranean Sea in hopes of reaching Europe.
Italy has agreements with Tunisia and Libya to provide funding in exchange for help stemming departures.
Italy plans to invest €20 million ($22 million) in a new project to help Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia send irregular migrants from their territories back to the migrants’ countries of origin.
The government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to cut irregular migration to Italy’s shores from North Africa — the majority of whom depart from Libya and Tunisia.
But many of the migrants who depart hail from other countries, especially sub-Saharan African countries.
Italy’s new plan “focuses on strengthening the institutional and administrative-managerial capacities of the partner countries,” with the involvement of 400 officials, Italy’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a recent statement.
Irregular migration would be better addressed “through the improvement and development of assisted voluntary repatriations from Algeria, Libya and Tunisia to the countries of origin,” it said.
It said the project would collaborate with the IOM to ensure migrants’ rights.
The ministry said the plan would benefit “around 3,300 of the most vulnerable migrants, carrying out their repatriation to their countries of origin sustainably and effectively.”
It said Italy’s Agency for Development Cooperation, which helps carry out development activities, would provide technical support.
The agency has also been charged with another plan targeted at the “socio-economic reintegration of returning migrants,” tapping Italian companies and civil society groups, it said.
On Wednesday, Libyan authorities said they would suspend the work of 10 international humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, accusing them of a plan to “settle migrants” from other parts of Africa in the country.
Senegal leader ‘did everything’ to bring Sahel trio back to regional group
- The three Sahel countries quit the Economic Community of West African States at the beginning of the year, accusing the bloc of failing in the fight against terrorism
DAKAR: Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said he had “done everything possible” to bring junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger back into west Africa’s ECOWAS regional group, to no avail.
The three Sahel countries quit the Economic Community of West African States at the beginning of the year, accusing the bloc of failing in the fight against terrorism.
The breakaway countries have formed their own Alliance of Sahel States, or AES, turning away from former colonial power France and pivoting toward Russia.
In July last year, Faye was appointed by ECOWAS as a mediator for the three Sahel countries, which are now led by juntas that seized power in recent coups.
“I pleaded for people to come together around a table and talk, to preserve the chances of maintaining a strong subregional organization,” Faye told local media during a marathon four-hour interview.
“But the fact remains that these countries, like others, are sovereign. They are free to make their own choices.
“All we owe them is to respect their will, knowing that we have done everything possible to reintegrate them” into ECOWAS, he said.
As for the new relationship between Senegal and former colonial power France, Faye insisted that Paris “remains an important partner for Senegal on all levels.”
Senegal is negotiating the departure of French troops from its territory by the end of this year.
“It happens that a country decides to redirect its trajectory at a certain point in its history. And that’s what happened with the French military presence in the country,” said Faye.
Last month, several facilities used by the French army in Dakar were returned to Senegal — the first to be transferred as part of the withdrawal.
How aid cuts have brought Afghanistan’s fragile health system to its knees
- Forty percent of the foreign aid given to Afghanistan came from USAID prior to the agency’s shutdown
- Experts say pregnant women, children, and the displaced will be hardest hit by the abrupt loss of funding
LONDON: Amid sweeping foreign aid cuts, Afghanistan’s healthcare system has been left teetering on the brink of collapse, with 80 percent of World Health Organization-supported services projected to shut down by June, threatening critical medical access for millions.
The abrupt closure of the US Agency for International Development, which once provided more than 40 percent of all humanitarian assistance to the impoverished nation of 40 million, dealt a devastating blow to an already fragile health system.
Researcher and public health expert Dr. Shafiq Mirzazada said that while it was too early to declare Afghanistan’s health system was in a state of collapse, the consequences of the aid cuts would be severe for “the entire population.”
“WHO funding is only one part of the system,” he told Arab News, pointing out that Afghanistan’s health sector is fully funded by donors through the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund, known as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund before August 2021.
Established in 2002 after the US-led invasion, the ARTF supports international development in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban retook Kabul in August 2021, the fund has focused on providing essential services through UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
However, this approach has struggled to meet the growing needs, as donor fatigue and political challenges compound funding shortages.
“A significant portion of the funding goes to health programs through UNICEF and WHO,” Mirzazada said, referring to the UN children’s fund. “Primarily UNICEF channels funds through the Health Emergency Response project.”
Yet even those efforts have proven insufficient as facilities close at an alarming rate.
By early March, funding shortages forced 167 health facilities to close across 25 provinces, depriving 1.6 million people of care, according to the WHO.
Without urgent intervention, experts say 220 more facilities could close by June, leaving a further 1.8 million Afghans without primary care — particularly in northern, western and northeastern regions.
The closures are not just logistical setbacks, they represent life-or-death outcomes for millions.
“The consequences will be measured in lives lost,” Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the WHO’s representative in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
“These closures are not just numbers on a report. They represent mothers unable to give birth safely, children missing lifesaving vaccinations, entire communities left without protection from deadly disease outbreaks.”
Bearing the brunt of Afghanistan’s healthcare crisis are the most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children in need of vaccinations and those living in overcrowded displacement camps, where they are exposed to infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases.
Because Afghanistan’s health system was heavily focused on maternal and child care, Mirzazada said: “Any disruption will primarily affect women and children — including, but not limited to, vaccine-preventable diseases, as well as antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.
“We’re already seeing challenges, with outbreaks of measles in the country. The number of deaths due to measles is rising.”
This trend will be exacerbated by declining immunization rates.
“Children will face more diseases as vaccine coverage continues to decline,” Mirzazada said.
“We can already see a reduction in vaccine coverage. The Afghanistan Health Survey 2018 showed basic vaccine coverage at 51.4 percent, while the recent UNICEF-led Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey shows it has dropped to 36.6 percent in 2022-23.”
IN NUMBERS:
• 14.3 millions Afghans in need of medical assistance
• $126.7 millions Funding needed for healthcare
The WHO recorded more than 16,000 suspected measles cases, including 111 deaths, in the first two months of 2025 alone.
It warned that with immunization rates critically low — 51 percent for the first dose of the measles vaccine and 37 percent for the second — children were at heightened risk of preventable illness and death.
Meanwhile, midwives have reported dire conditions in the nation’s remaining facilities. Women in labor are arriving too late for lifesaving interventions due to clinic closures.
Women and girls are disproportionately bearing the brunt of these health challenges in great part due to Taliban policies.
Restrictions on women’s freedom of movement and employment have severely limited health access, while bans on education for women and girls have all but eliminated training for future female health workers.
In December, the Taliban closed all midwifery and nursing schools.
Wahid Majrooh, founder of the Afghanistan Center for Health and Peace Studies, said the move “threatens the capacity of Afghanistan’s already fragile health system” and violated international human rights commitments.
He wrote in the Lancet Global Health journal that “if left unaddressed, this restriction could set precedence for other fragile settings in which women’s rights are compromised.”
“Afghanistan faces a multifaceted crisis marked by alarming rates of poverty, human rights violations, economic instability and political deadlock, predominantly affecting women and children,” the former Afghan health minister said.
“Women are denied their basic rights to education, work and, to a large extent, access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The ban on midwifery schools limits women’s access to health, erodes their agency in health institutions and eradicates women role models.”
Majrooh described the ban on midwifery and nursing education as “a public health emergency” that “requires urgent action.”
Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with 22.9 million people — roughly half its population — requiring urgent aid to access healthcare, food and clean water.
Critical funding shortfalls and operational barriers now jeopardize support for 3.5 million children aged 6 to 59 months facing acute malnutrition, according to UN figures, as aid groups grapple with the intersecting challenges of economic collapse, climate shocks and Taliban restrictions.
The provinces of Kabul, Helmand, Nangarhar, Herat and Kandahar bear the heaviest burden, collectively accounting for 42 percent of the nation’s malnutrition cases. As a result, aid organizations are struggling to meet the needs of malnourished children, with recent cuts in foreign aid forcing Save the Children to suspend lifesaving programs.
The UK-based charity has closed 18 health facilities and faces the potential closure of 14 more unless new funding is secured. These 32 clinics provided critical care to 134,000 children in January alone, including therapeutic feeding and immunizations, it said in a statement.
“With more children in need of aid than ever before, cutting off lifesaving support now is like trying to extinguish a wildfire with a hose that’s running out of water,” Gabriella Waaijman, chief operating officer at Save the Children International, said.
As well as the hunger crisis, Afghanistan is battling outbreaks of malaria, measles, dengue, polio and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. The WHO said that without functioning health facilities, efforts to control these diseases would be severely hindered.
The risk may be higher among internally displaced communities. Four decades of conflict have driven repeated waves of forced displacement, both within Afghanistan and across its borders, while recurring natural disasters have worsened the crisis.
About 6.3 million people remain displaced within the country, living in precarious conditions without access to adequate shelter or essential services, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Mass deportations have compounded the crisis. More than 1.2 million Afghans returning from neighboring countries such as Pakistan in 2024 are now crowded into makeshift camps with poor sanitation. This had fueled outbreaks of measles, acute watery diarrhea, dengue fever and malaria, the UNHCR said in October.
With limited healthcare access, other diseases are also spreading rapidly.
Respiratory infections and COVID-19 are surging among returnees, with 293 suspected cases detected at border crossings in early 2025, according to the WHO’s February Emergency Situation Report.
Cases of acute respiratory infections, including pneumonia, have also risen, with 54 cases reported, primarily in children under the age of 5.
The WHO said that returnees settling in remote areas faced “healthcare deserts,” where clinics had been shuttered for years and where there were no aid pipelines.
Water scarcity in 30 provinces exacerbates acute watery diarrhea risks, while explosive ordnance contamination and road accidents cause trauma cases that overwhelm understaffed facilities.
Mirzazada said that “while the ARTF has some funds, they won’t be enough to sustain the system long term.”
To prevent the collapse of Afghanistan’s health system and keep services running, he urged the country’s Taliban authorities to contribute to its funding.
“Government contributions have been very limited in the past and now even more so,” he said.
“However, the recently developed health policy for Afghanistan mentions internally sourced funding for the health system. If that happens under the current or future authorities, it could help prevent collapse.”
He also called on Islamic and Arab nations to increase their funding efforts.
“Historically, Western countries have been the main funders of the ARTF,” Mirzazada said. “The largest contributors were the US, Germany, the European Commission and other Western nations.
“Islamic and Arab countries have contributed very little. That could change and still be channeled through the UN system, as NGOs continue to deliver services on behalf of donors and the government.
“This approach could remain in place until a solid, internally funded health system is established.”
