Monday, January 30, 2017
Protests planned in UK as opposition mounts over Trump travel ban
Protests are planned across the UK today in response to US President Donald Trump's travel ban on people from certain countries.
Protests are planned to start from 6pm in London, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Swansea.
There have also been calls for Theresa May to cancel an upcoming state visit to the UK by Mr Trump, with a UK online petition gaining more than 900,000 signatures.
There has been outrage around the world over the President's executive order to temporarily ban refugees and citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries from coming to the US.
The "extreme vetting" measure means no visas are being issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
:: Trump team says travel ban 'a massive success'
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Breath test could be cancer lifesaver
A simple breath test could be the key to achieving earlier diagnosis of two deadly cancers.
A trial of more than 300 patients demonstrated the test can identify stomach and oesophageal cancers with 85% accuracy by picking up on levels of acids and chemicals.
Both types of cancer are often diagnosed late and have poor survival rates.
Scientists hope detecting the cancers earlier will lead to more effective treatment and help save lives.
The test is also expected to reduce the need for unpleasant endoscopy examinations that require a flexible telescope to be inserted into the stomach via the throat.
Around 6,682 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer in the UK every year, with 4,576 dying from the disease.
:: Drugs cocktail 'creates all-out assault' on cancer
:: Doctors hail 'spectacular' cancer breakthrough
For oesophageal cancer, around 8,919 people are diagnosed and 7,790 die.
For the new study breath samples were collected from 335 patients at three London hospitals.
Of these, 163 had been diagnosed with oesophageal or stomach cancer while 172 were shown to be cancer-free after undergoing endoscopy tests.
In each breath sample, levels of butyric, pentanoic and hexanoic acids, and the chemicals butanal, and decanal were measured.
Professor George Hanna, head of the research trial, told Sky News he hoped the simple breath test would be used in the future to detect "the likelihood of multiple cancers".
Dr Sheraz Markar, one of the researchers from Imperial College London, said: "At present the only way to diagnose oesophageal cancer or stomach cancer is with endoscopy.
"This method is expensive, invasive and has some risk of complications.
"A breath test could be used as a non-invasive, first-line test to reduce the number of unnecessary endoscopies. In the longer term this could also mean earlier diagnosis and treatment, and better survival."
The results of the study, presented at the European Cancer Congress meeting in Amsterdam, showed that the test was both good at identifying those patients who had cancer, and unlikely to produce a false diagnosis.
Over the next three years, the researchers plan to run a larger trial including patients not yet diagnosed with cancer.
The team is also working on breath tests for other types of cancer, such as those affecting the bowel and pancreas.
A trial of more than 300 patients demonstrated the test can identify stomach and oesophageal cancers with 85% accuracy by picking up on levels of acids and chemicals.
Both types of cancer are often diagnosed late and have poor survival rates.
Scientists hope detecting the cancers earlier will lead to more effective treatment and help save lives.
The test is also expected to reduce the need for unpleasant endoscopy examinations that require a flexible telescope to be inserted into the stomach via the throat.
Around 6,682 people are diagnosed with stomach cancer in the UK every year, with 4,576 dying from the disease.
:: Drugs cocktail 'creates all-out assault' on cancer
:: Doctors hail 'spectacular' cancer breakthrough
For oesophageal cancer, around 8,919 people are diagnosed and 7,790 die.
For the new study breath samples were collected from 335 patients at three London hospitals.
Of these, 163 had been diagnosed with oesophageal or stomach cancer while 172 were shown to be cancer-free after undergoing endoscopy tests.
In each breath sample, levels of butyric, pentanoic and hexanoic acids, and the chemicals butanal, and decanal were measured.
Professor George Hanna, head of the research trial, told Sky News he hoped the simple breath test would be used in the future to detect "the likelihood of multiple cancers".
Dr Sheraz Markar, one of the researchers from Imperial College London, said: "At present the only way to diagnose oesophageal cancer or stomach cancer is with endoscopy.
"This method is expensive, invasive and has some risk of complications.
"A breath test could be used as a non-invasive, first-line test to reduce the number of unnecessary endoscopies. In the longer term this could also mean earlier diagnosis and treatment, and better survival."
The results of the study, presented at the European Cancer Congress meeting in Amsterdam, showed that the test was both good at identifying those patients who had cancer, and unlikely to produce a false diagnosis.
Over the next three years, the researchers plan to run a larger trial including patients not yet diagnosed with cancer.
The team is also working on breath tests for other types of cancer, such as those affecting the bowel and pancreas.
Six dead in 'barbaric' mosque shooting in Canada
Six people have been killed after gunmen opened fire in a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, during evening prayers.
Police said a further eight people were wounded in the attack which the mosque's president, Mohamed Yangui, described as "barbaric"
A witness said up to three gunmen started shooting inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre, where around 50 people had gathered.
Another witness said a heavily armed police tactical squad was seen entering the mosque.
Those killed were said to be aged between 35 and 70 years old.
Some of the wounded suffered serious injuries and have been taken to different hospitals across the city.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: "We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge. It is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence.
""Diversity is our strength and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear."
He added: "We will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance."
Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume said: "No person should have to pay with their life for their race, their colour, their sexual orientation or their religious beliefs."
Mr Yangui, who was not inside the mosque when the shooting happened, said he got frantic calls from people at evening prayers.
"We are sad for the families," he said.
Police said two people had been arrested - one at the scene, and another in nearby d'Orleans, Quebec.
Zebida Bendjeddou, who left the mosque earlier on Sunday evening, said the centre had received threats.
"In June, they'd put a pig's head in front of the mosque. But we thought: 'Oh, they're isolated events'. We didn't take it seriously. But tonight, those isolated events, they take on a different scope," she said.
The shooting comes amid protests worldwide over President Donald Trump's travel ban on refugees and citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries from entering the US.
Police in New York are increasing patrols at mosques in the city following the Quebex shooting.
"Our prayers tonight are with the people of Quebec City as they deal with a terrible attack on a mosque. We must stand together," tweeted New York City Mayor Bill Blasio.
"To my fellow New Yorkers who are Muslim: New York City will protect you. The NYPD will protect you. We will fight all hatred and bias."
He has attacked Mr Trump's ban as a move which "runs contrary to the values of our city, and the values of the United States".
Incidents of Islamophobia have increased in Quebec in recent years amid a political debate over banning the niqab, or Muslim face covering.
In 2013 police launched an investigation after a mosque in the Saguenay region of Quebec was splattered with what was believed to be pig blood.
In the neighbouring province of Ontario, a mosque was set on fire in 2015, a day after an attack by gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris.
Police said a further eight people were wounded in the attack which the mosque's president, Mohamed Yangui, described as "barbaric"
A witness said up to three gunmen started shooting inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre, where around 50 people had gathered.
Another witness said a heavily armed police tactical squad was seen entering the mosque.
Those killed were said to be aged between 35 and 70 years old.
Some of the wounded suffered serious injuries and have been taken to different hospitals across the city.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: "We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge. It is heart-wrenching to see such senseless violence.
""Diversity is our strength and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear."
He added: "We will make every effort to apprehend the perpetrators of this act and all acts of intolerance."
Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume said: "No person should have to pay with their life for their race, their colour, their sexual orientation or their religious beliefs."
Mr Yangui, who was not inside the mosque when the shooting happened, said he got frantic calls from people at evening prayers.
"We are sad for the families," he said.
Police said two people had been arrested - one at the scene, and another in nearby d'Orleans, Quebec.
Zebida Bendjeddou, who left the mosque earlier on Sunday evening, said the centre had received threats.
"In June, they'd put a pig's head in front of the mosque. But we thought: 'Oh, they're isolated events'. We didn't take it seriously. But tonight, those isolated events, they take on a different scope," she said.
The shooting comes amid protests worldwide over President Donald Trump's travel ban on refugees and citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries from entering the US.
Police in New York are increasing patrols at mosques in the city following the Quebex shooting.
"Our prayers tonight are with the people of Quebec City as they deal with a terrible attack on a mosque. We must stand together," tweeted New York City Mayor Bill Blasio.
"To my fellow New Yorkers who are Muslim: New York City will protect you. The NYPD will protect you. We will fight all hatred and bias."
He has attacked Mr Trump's ban as a move which "runs contrary to the values of our city, and the values of the United States".
Incidents of Islamophobia have increased in Quebec in recent years amid a political debate over banning the niqab, or Muslim face covering.
In 2013 police launched an investigation after a mosque in the Saguenay region of Quebec was splattered with what was believed to be pig blood.
In the neighbouring province of Ontario, a mosque was set on fire in 2015, a day after an attack by gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris.
Hassan Rouhani: Now is not the time to build walls
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday it was no time to build walls between nations and criticised steps towards cancelling world trade agreements, without naming new US President Donald Trump.
His remarks on Saturday came after Trump ordered the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border and imposed tough new controls on travellers from seven Muslim countries, among them Iran.
"They have forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed many years ago. Even if there are walls between nations, they must be removed," Rouhani said at a tourism convention in Tehran.
Rouhani did not comment directly on the visa ban, but said Iran had "opened its doors" to foreign tourists since the signing of a nuclear agreement with world powers in 2015.
With more than a million Iranians living in the US, many families are deeply concerned about the implications of Trump's visa ban, which also affects citizens from Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
"To annul world trade accords does not help their economy and does not serve the development and blooming of the world economy," Rouhani said at the Tehran conference. "This is the day for the world to get closer through trade."
The protectionist-minded Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal on Monday, fulfilling a campaign pledge to end American involvement in the 2015 pact.
'Not logical'
On Thursday, one of Iran's most popular actresses said she would boycott next month's Academy Awards in protest at the ban
His remarks on Saturday came after Trump ordered the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border and imposed tough new controls on travellers from seven Muslim countries, among them Iran.
"They have forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed many years ago. Even if there are walls between nations, they must be removed," Rouhani said at a tourism convention in Tehran.
Rouhani did not comment directly on the visa ban, but said Iran had "opened its doors" to foreign tourists since the signing of a nuclear agreement with world powers in 2015.
With more than a million Iranians living in the US, many families are deeply concerned about the implications of Trump's visa ban, which also affects citizens from Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
"To annul world trade accords does not help their economy and does not serve the development and blooming of the world economy," Rouhani said at the Tehran conference. "This is the day for the world to get closer through trade."
The protectionist-minded Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal on Monday, fulfilling a campaign pledge to end American involvement in the 2015 pact.
'Not logical'
On Thursday, one of Iran's most popular actresses said she would boycott next month's Academy Awards in protest at the ban
Six other times the US has banned immigrants
On Friday, Donald Trump barred citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen - from entering the United States for at least the next 90 days.
He also suspended the US refugee programme for 120 days, specifically banning Syrian refugees until further notice, reduced the number of refugees who would be admitted this year to 50,000 and specified that refugees who were from a religious minority and fleeing religious persecution should be prioritised.
A federal judge has blocked part of Trump's executive order, ruling that travellers who have already landed in the US with valid visas should not be sent back to their home countries, and protests in response to passport holders from some Arab countries, including US green card holders, being blocked from passing through customs or prevented from boarding US-bound planes, have taken place at airports across the country.
But this is not the first time that the US has banned immigrants from its shores. Over the past 200 years, successive American presidents have placed restrictions on the immigration of certain groups.
Here are six occasions when laws have been passed to restrict some people from entering the country.
READ MORE: Donald Trump's #MuslimBan sparks outrage and fear
Exclusion of the Chinese
President Chester A. Arthur.
Signed on May 6, 1882.
The Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned "skilled and unskilled labourers and Chinese employed in mining" from entering the US for 10 years, was the first significant law restricting immigration to the country. It came at a time when the US was struggling with high unemployment and, although Chinese made up a very small segment of the country's workforce, they were nevertheless scapegoated for its social and economic woes.
The law also placed restrictions on Chinese who were already in the US, forcing them to obtain certificates in order to re-enter if they left the country and banning them from securing citizenship.
The act expired in 1892 but was extended for a further 10 years in the form of another - the Geary Act. This placed additional restrictions on Chinese residents of the country, forcing them to register and to obtain a certificate of residence, without which they could be deported.
This changed in 1943 with the Magnuson Act - which allowed some Chinese immigration and for some Chinese already residing in the country to become naturalised citizens, but which maintained the ban on property and business ownership. This came at a time when China was a US ally during World War II.
Jewish refugees during World War II
President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
As millions of people became refugees during World War II, US President Franklin D Roosevelt argued that refugees posed a serious threat to the country's national security. Drawing on fears that Nazi spies could be hiding among them, the country limited the number of German Jews who could be admitted to 26,000 annually. And it is estimated that for most of the Hitler era, less than 25 percent of that quota was actually filled.
In one of the most notorious cases, the US turned away the St Louis ocean liner, which was carrying 937 passengers, almost all of whom are thought to have been Jewish, in June 1939. The ship was forced to return to Europe, where more than a quarter of its passengers are thought to have been killed in the Holocaust.
Anarchists banned
President Theodore Roosevelt.
Signed on March 3, 1903.
In 1903, the Anarchist Exclusion Act banned anarchists and others deemed to be political extremists from entering the US.
In 1901, President William McKinley had been fatally shot by Leon Czolgosz, an American anarchist who was the son of Polish immigrants.
The act - which was also known as the Immigration Act of 1903 - codified previous immigration law and, in addition to anarchists, added three other new classes of people who would be banned from entry: those with epilepsy, beggars and importers of prostitutes.
The act marked the first time that individuals were banned for their political beliefs.
READ MORE: EU looks to fund camps in Africa to cut immigration
Communists banned
Passed by Congress on August 23, 1950, despite being vetoed by President Harry Truman.
The Internal Security Act of 1950 - also known as the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 or the McCarran Act - made it possible to deport any immigrants believed to be members of the Communist Party. Members of communist organisations, which were required to register, were also not allowed to become citizens.
Truman opposed the law, stating that it "would make a mockery of our Bill of Rights".
Sections of the act were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1993. But some parts of the act still stand.
Iranians
President Jimmy Carter, April 7, 1980.
Following the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, during which the US embassy in Tehran was stormed and 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, American President Jimmy Carter cut diplomatic relations with and imposed sanctions on Iran. He also banned Iranians from entering the country.
Today, Iranians have again been banned - one of seven Muslim majority countries included in Trump's executive order.
Ban on HIV positive persons
Under President Ronald Reagan, the US Public Health Service added Aids to its list of "dangerous and contagious" diseases. Senator Jesse Helms' "Helms Amendment" added HIV to the exclusion list.
In 1987, the US banned HIV positive persons from arriving in the US. The laws were influenced by homophobic and xenophobic sentiment towards Africans and minorities at the time, as well as a false belief that the HIV virus could be spread by physical or respiratory contact. Former US President Barack Obama lifted it in 2009, completing a process begun by President George W Bush.
He also suspended the US refugee programme for 120 days, specifically banning Syrian refugees until further notice, reduced the number of refugees who would be admitted this year to 50,000 and specified that refugees who were from a religious minority and fleeing religious persecution should be prioritised.
A federal judge has blocked part of Trump's executive order, ruling that travellers who have already landed in the US with valid visas should not be sent back to their home countries, and protests in response to passport holders from some Arab countries, including US green card holders, being blocked from passing through customs or prevented from boarding US-bound planes, have taken place at airports across the country.
But this is not the first time that the US has banned immigrants from its shores. Over the past 200 years, successive American presidents have placed restrictions on the immigration of certain groups.
Here are six occasions when laws have been passed to restrict some people from entering the country.
READ MORE: Donald Trump's #MuslimBan sparks outrage and fear
Exclusion of the Chinese
President Chester A. Arthur.
Signed on May 6, 1882.
The Chinese Exclusion Act, which banned "skilled and unskilled labourers and Chinese employed in mining" from entering the US for 10 years, was the first significant law restricting immigration to the country. It came at a time when the US was struggling with high unemployment and, although Chinese made up a very small segment of the country's workforce, they were nevertheless scapegoated for its social and economic woes.
The law also placed restrictions on Chinese who were already in the US, forcing them to obtain certificates in order to re-enter if they left the country and banning them from securing citizenship.
The act expired in 1892 but was extended for a further 10 years in the form of another - the Geary Act. This placed additional restrictions on Chinese residents of the country, forcing them to register and to obtain a certificate of residence, without which they could be deported.
This changed in 1943 with the Magnuson Act - which allowed some Chinese immigration and for some Chinese already residing in the country to become naturalised citizens, but which maintained the ban on property and business ownership. This came at a time when China was a US ally during World War II.
Jewish refugees during World War II
President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
As millions of people became refugees during World War II, US President Franklin D Roosevelt argued that refugees posed a serious threat to the country's national security. Drawing on fears that Nazi spies could be hiding among them, the country limited the number of German Jews who could be admitted to 26,000 annually. And it is estimated that for most of the Hitler era, less than 25 percent of that quota was actually filled.
In one of the most notorious cases, the US turned away the St Louis ocean liner, which was carrying 937 passengers, almost all of whom are thought to have been Jewish, in June 1939. The ship was forced to return to Europe, where more than a quarter of its passengers are thought to have been killed in the Holocaust.
Anarchists banned
President Theodore Roosevelt.
Signed on March 3, 1903.
In 1903, the Anarchist Exclusion Act banned anarchists and others deemed to be political extremists from entering the US.
In 1901, President William McKinley had been fatally shot by Leon Czolgosz, an American anarchist who was the son of Polish immigrants.
The act - which was also known as the Immigration Act of 1903 - codified previous immigration law and, in addition to anarchists, added three other new classes of people who would be banned from entry: those with epilepsy, beggars and importers of prostitutes.
The act marked the first time that individuals were banned for their political beliefs.
READ MORE: EU looks to fund camps in Africa to cut immigration
Communists banned
Passed by Congress on August 23, 1950, despite being vetoed by President Harry Truman.
The Internal Security Act of 1950 - also known as the Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950 or the McCarran Act - made it possible to deport any immigrants believed to be members of the Communist Party. Members of communist organisations, which were required to register, were also not allowed to become citizens.
Truman opposed the law, stating that it "would make a mockery of our Bill of Rights".
Sections of the act were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1993. But some parts of the act still stand.
Iranians
President Jimmy Carter, April 7, 1980.
Following the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, during which the US embassy in Tehran was stormed and 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days, American President Jimmy Carter cut diplomatic relations with and imposed sanctions on Iran. He also banned Iranians from entering the country.
Today, Iranians have again been banned - one of seven Muslim majority countries included in Trump's executive order.
Ban on HIV positive persons
Under President Ronald Reagan, the US Public Health Service added Aids to its list of "dangerous and contagious" diseases. Senator Jesse Helms' "Helms Amendment" added HIV to the exclusion list.
In 1987, the US banned HIV positive persons from arriving in the US. The laws were influenced by homophobic and xenophobic sentiment towards Africans and minorities at the time, as well as a false belief that the HIV virus could be spread by physical or respiratory contact. Former US President Barack Obama lifted it in 2009, completing a process begun by President George W Bush.
Britons with dual citizenship exempt from Donald Trump's travel ban
Britons with dual citizenship will be exempt from Donald Trump's controversial travel ban, the Foreign Office has said.
The President's team has told Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that Britons who have shared nationality with one of the seven mainly Muslim countries will not be stopped from entering the US.
However, UK dual citizens travelling to America directly from one of the banned countries - Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - will still face extra checks.
:: Trump defiant amid outcry over travel ban
Mr Johnson spent the day speaking to President Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen Bannon about the implications of the immigration curbs.
His officials have now issued guidance about what the clampdown means for the UK.
The clarification comes after Sir Mo Farah expressed fears he could be affected by the policy.
A spokeswoman for the athlete said he was "relieved" he would be able to return to his family in the US, but added the Somalia-born Olympic champion still "fundamentally disagrees with this incredibly divisive and discriminatory policy".
A Conservative MP who was told he would be affected said many Britons would "feel better tonight" as a result of the FCO's guidance.
Nadhim Zahawi, who was born in Iraq, praised the Government from "working through the day" to secure assurances from the US, but said the policy was "mistaken".
In a statement, the Foreign Office said:
:: The ban only applies to individuals travelling from one of the seven countries - Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen
:: Travellers to the US from anywhere other than one of those countries will experience no extra checks regardless of nationality or place of birth
:: UK nationals travelling from one of the seven countries are not included in the ban, even if they were born in one of the countries
:: Dual citizens from one of the seven countries travelling to the US from outside those countries are not affected
:: Dual nationals might experience extra checks if they travel directly from one of the seven nations
The President's team has told Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that Britons who have shared nationality with one of the seven mainly Muslim countries will not be stopped from entering the US.
However, UK dual citizens travelling to America directly from one of the banned countries - Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - will still face extra checks.
:: Trump defiant amid outcry over travel ban
Mr Johnson spent the day speaking to President Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen Bannon about the implications of the immigration curbs.
His officials have now issued guidance about what the clampdown means for the UK.
The clarification comes after Sir Mo Farah expressed fears he could be affected by the policy.
A spokeswoman for the athlete said he was "relieved" he would be able to return to his family in the US, but added the Somalia-born Olympic champion still "fundamentally disagrees with this incredibly divisive and discriminatory policy".
A Conservative MP who was told he would be affected said many Britons would "feel better tonight" as a result of the FCO's guidance.
Nadhim Zahawi, who was born in Iraq, praised the Government from "working through the day" to secure assurances from the US, but said the policy was "mistaken".
In a statement, the Foreign Office said:
:: The ban only applies to individuals travelling from one of the seven countries - Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen
:: Travellers to the US from anywhere other than one of those countries will experience no extra checks regardless of nationality or place of birth
:: UK nationals travelling from one of the seven countries are not included in the ban, even if they were born in one of the countries
:: Dual citizens from one of the seven countries travelling to the US from outside those countries are not affected
:: Dual nationals might experience extra checks if they travel directly from one of the seven nations
Johnson seeks UK exemptions over President Trump's travel ban
The Foreign Secretary is trying to ensure Britons with dual citizenship are exempt from Donald Trump's controversial travel ban.
Boris Johnson is talking to the US President's senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen Bannon to find a way to stop Britons being affected.
There has been global outrage over Mr Trump's executive order to temporarily ban refugees and citizens from seven mainly-Muslim countries coming to the US.
The "extreme vetting" measure means no visas are being issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Britons with dual nationality will also be affected, and there are concerns that UK passport holders born in those countries may also be barred.
Downing Street has said the Prime Minister does "not agree" with the controversial measures.
And Theresa May ordered Mr Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to call their US counterparts to raise concerns over the block.
No 10 is particularly concerned about the impact the ban could have on UK nationals, including Iraqi-born Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi and Somali-born Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.
The move showed how seriously the PM was taking the issue and she was "absolutely determined" to respond to the fears of Britons over the ban, No 10 sources said.
Boris Johnson is talking to the US President's senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen Bannon to find a way to stop Britons being affected.
There has been global outrage over Mr Trump's executive order to temporarily ban refugees and citizens from seven mainly-Muslim countries coming to the US.
The "extreme vetting" measure means no visas are being issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Britons with dual nationality will also be affected, and there are concerns that UK passport holders born in those countries may also be barred.
Downing Street has said the Prime Minister does "not agree" with the controversial measures.
And Theresa May ordered Mr Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to call their US counterparts to raise concerns over the block.
No 10 is particularly concerned about the impact the ban could have on UK nationals, including Iraqi-born Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi and Somali-born Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.
The move showed how seriously the PM was taking the issue and she was "absolutely determined" to respond to the fears of Britons over the ban, No 10 sources said.
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