President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation barring citizens from 12 countries from entering the United States, citing national security concerns.

The full travel ban affects nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

The restriction will take effect on June 9, 2025.

In addition to the full bans, the proclamation imposes partial restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

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There are some exemptions, including athletes travelling for major sporting events, some Afghan nationals and dual nationals with citizenship in unaffected countries, according to the BBC.

Trump stated that the measure is intended to prevent individuals considered potential security risks from gaining entry into the US.

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen,” he said in a video message posted on X on Wednesday.

According to the White House, the countries facing the harshest restrictions were deemed to have a “large-scale presence of terrorists,” poor cooperation on visa-related security measures, and inadequate systems for verifying travelers’ identities.

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The administration also cited issues such as poor record-keeping of criminal histories and high visa overstay rates as contributing factors.

The new directive builds on Trump’s broader immigration crackdown initiated at the beginning of his second term.

On January 20, the president signed an executive order mandating stricter security checks for foreign nationals and instructing federal agencies to review which countries should face entry suspensions due to inadequate vetting procedures.

This move echoes Trump’s controversial travel ban during his first term, which initially targeted seven predominantly Muslim countries and was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018.

The ban was later repealed by President Joe Biden in 2021, who described it as “a stain on our national conscience.”

A man and woman were publicly flogged 100 times each in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province on Wednesday after they were found guilty of sex outside marriage by a court operating under strict Islamic law.

Sexual relations between an unmarried couple is outlawed in Aceh, which imposes a version of sharia, the Islamic legal code.

Indonesia banned sex outside of marriage in its latest criminal code in 2022 but that law will not come into force until next year.

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The two were lashed in sets of 10 with a rattan stick as a small crowd watched on at a park in provincial capital Banda Aceh, and the female suspect was lashed by a woman, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

Three other suspects were caned a combined 49 times for alleged gambling and alcohol consumption.

“Today we are carrying out flogging punishment for perpetrators of adultery, alcohol consumption, and online gambling,” Banda Aceh Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal told reporters.

“This becomes a moral lesson for the community at large. This flogging punishment becomes a gateway to repentance for them.”

Medical services were on standby for all of those convicted.

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Rights groups have condemned the punishment as draconian.

Yet caning retains strong support among Aceh’s population as a common punishment for a range of offences including gambling, drinking alcohol and adultery.

In February, two men were publicly flogged more than 150 times after being found guilty of sexual relations. Gay sex is outlawed in Aceh.

The region started using religious law after it was granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.
AFP

Elon Musk has criticised a major tax and spending bill backed by President Donald Trump, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”

The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives last month, includes trillions in tax breaks, boosts defence spending, and authorises a significant increase in government borrowing. Analysts estimate it will add about $600 billion to the federal deficit in the next fiscal year.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted on X. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

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Musk’s comments came just one day before he stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a position he held for four months. His departure attracted attention due to his previously close ties with Trump.

A retweet from the X CEO account pushed back against claims of a falling out between the two, stating that Musk’s exit was due to his status as a Special Government Employee, limited to 130 days of service.

“In the coming days, legacy media will try to convince you that President Trump and Elon Musk are no longer friends and that’s why Musk left,” the post read. “What they won’t tell you is that Elon was a Special Government Employee, limited to 130 days of service and that term ends tomorrow.”

Speaking out before his resignation, Musk voiced disappointment with the bill, saying it increases the deficit and undermines the DOGE team’s efforts.

“I think a bill can be big, or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both, in my personal opinion,” he said.