Around the world – Bend Bulletin

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Travel ban in the courts In the latest arguments over President Donald Trumps travel ban, a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court in Seattle indicated Monday it would continue allowing grandparents and other relatives of U.S. residents to travel to the U.S. from six predominantly Muslim countries. But the judges were less forthcoming about their views on exceptions to a second part of the ban, suspending the nations refugee program. In July in a provisional ruling, the Supreme Court allowed exceptions to the ban for many relatives but not for most refugees. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case in October.

Stem cell clinic crackdown The Food and Drug Administration announced a crackdown on dangerous stem cell clinics Monday, while pledging to ease the path to approval for companies and doctors with legitimate treatments in the field. The agency reported actions against two large stem cell clinics and a biotech company, saying it was critical to shut down unscrupulous actors in regenerative medicine, which includes stem cell and gene therapies and immunotherapies. Stem cells can develop into many different types of cells, and are thought to have the potential to repair or replace damaged tissue. But the FDA has approved only a few stem-cell products.

Trump timed Arpaio pardon for storm ratings President Donald Trump offered a fiery defense Monday of his decision to pardon former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio as Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas last week and claimed he timed it to attract maximum attention as television viewers were glued to storm coverage. Trump also suggested the Justice Department had political motives during the Obama administration for charging the former sheriff in a case concerning his illegal profiling of Hispanics. Actually, in the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they were normally, Trump said.

European migrant influx Measures intended to stop migrants from trying to cross the Mediterranean were at the center of discussions in Paris among four European leaders who met with the leaders of three African countries Monday. The meeting, billed as a minisummit, brought together the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain as well as Chad and Niger and one of Libyas leaders. Chad and Niger are transit countries for people fleeing war or poverty, while Libya is a departure point for crossing the Mediterranean and a center for traffickers who promise to get people to Europe.

Kenyas strict plastic bag ban Kenya will now punish with up to four years in jail anyone making, selling or importing plastic bags, putting in place one of the worlds toughest bans on the ubiquitous item that is blamed for clogging oceans and killing marine life. The rule, announced in March and put into effect Monday, also means garbage bags will be taken off supermarket shelves and visitors entering Kenya will be required to leave duty-free shopping bags at the airport. Kenya joins more than 40 other countries including China, the Netherlands and France that have introduced taxes on bags or limited their use.

German nurse suspect in 86 deaths A German nurse serving a life sentence for murdering two of his patients is believed to have killed at least 86 people entrusted to his care, officials said Monday, in what they described as an imagination-defying series of crimes. The nurse, identified as Niels Hoegel, was sentenced to life in February 2015, after a court found him guilty of administering overdoses of heart medication to some patients in an intensive care ward where he worked from 1999 to 2001. He was convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and causing bodily harm to patients and is serving his sentence. During his trial, the former nurse confessed to intentionally inducing cardiac crises in 90 of his patients, 30 of whom he said had died. That prompted officials to launch an investigation into the deaths of some 130 of Hoegels former patients. The results were presented Monday in Oldenburg. Authorities are waiting for the results of 41 toxicology reports, the results of which could drive the number of confirmed deaths even higher

Indian guru rape sentencing An Indian court sentenced a well-known guru to at least 10 years in prison for rape Monday, three days after followers angered by his conviction engaged in violent protests. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty Friday of having raped two women more than a decade ago. Thousands of Singhs followers had gathered in the state where the verdict was announced. They responded by smashing cars, setting fire to buildings and attacking police officers, and the violence later spread to other cities in northern India. At least 38 people were killed, and more than 250 were injured.

Border dispute in Asia India and China agreed Monday to back away from their confrontation over a tiny slice of territory high in the Himalayas, easing tensions between the worlds two most populous countries. Both sides agreed to give some ground in order to end the standoff. In a short statement, the Indian government said it had reached an understanding with Beijing. China seemed willing to compromise but still claims the territory.

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Around the world - Bend Bulletin