The Latest: Iranian researcher affected by ban headed to US

An Iranian researcher who was prevented from boarding a flight to the U.S. last week because of President Donald Trump's travel ban on certain Muslim-majority countries has checked in on an Emirates Airline flight in Italy headed for New York.

Cairo airport officials say a total of 33 U.S.-bound migrants have boarded flights on their way to the United States, taking advantage of a U.S. court's decision to block President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim majority nations.

The officials said the 33 had not previously tried to travel to the United States and been turned back, but rather they are migrants who are rushing to take advantage of the window offered by the court ruling.

Lebanon's National News Agency is reporting that airlines operating out of Beirut international airport have begun allowing residents of the seven majority Muslim countries affected by President Donald Trump's travel ban to board flights heading to the United States.

The Sunday report by the semi-official Fars news agency quotes Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi as saying that the ban was lifted after the "discriminative restrictions" on Iranian nationals traveling to the U.S. was suspended by a U.S. federal judge.