The island nation of Maldives officially re- joined the Commonwealth on Saturday, it was announced by the Commonwealth Secretariat. It joined the Commonwealth in u009d . . . , and withdrew its membership in . . u009d . . This marks the end of a process that began in . . u009d . , when President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih wrote to the Commonwealth Secretary- General expressing the countryu2019s interest.

US EXTENDS TRAVEL BAN TO 6 MORE COUNTRIES WASHINGTON: The White House has announced that the US will extend its travel ban to six more countries, four of which are in Africa, in a controversial move that has drawn criticism. In a statement on Friday, the White House said that the immigration restrictions will be imposed on Nigeria, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar.