Armenia eyes environmental cooperation with neighbouring countries
Armenia is looking to turn shared environmental challenges into opportunities for regional cooperation, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlig...
The Trump administration on Monday announced that it had determined Maine’s educational authorities are in violation of federal law prohibiting sex discrimination, after allowing transgender girls to participate in school sports.
The decision follows President Donald Trump’s executive order, issued last month, that mandates the exclusion of transgender girls and women from female-only sports—a directive aimed at restoring fairness, though critics argue it infringes on the rights of a minority of athletes.
The order directs the Department of Justice to ensure that all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender participation in female sports under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. In response, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement saying it has given the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Principals' Association, and Greely High School in Cumberland a 10‑day window to resolve the alleged violation, or the matter will be referred to the Department of Justice.
Maine emerged as a focal point of the controversy after a transgender athlete from Greely High School won a state championship in girls’ pole-vaulting, sparking debate over the state’s sports policies. The issue intensified in February when President Trump clashed with Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills. Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from the state over its policy on transgender participation in school sports, prompting Mills to retort, “We're going to follow the law, sir. We'll see you in court.”
The situation is further complicated by a 2021 update to Maine state law, which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Despite this legislative action, the Trump administration’s stance reflects its broader efforts to enforce policies designed to restrict transgender participation in female sports.
As the 10‑day deadline approaches, Maine’s educational authorities now face mounting pressure to either amend their policies or risk federal intervention, a development that could have far-reaching implications for the ongoing debate over transgender rights in educational settings.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions with Washington over energy strikes and U.S. military support.
A Norwegian teenager recruited by a Swedish criminal network to carry out a contract killing in Britain has been sentenced to 20 years’ detention after police uncovered the murder plot.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continuing from Russia and Ukraine as media reports say Ukraine has almost run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Romanian rescuers resumed their search for seven missing sailors on Friday (16 October) after a drone strike set a chemical tanker ablaze near the country’s Black Sea coast. The attacks have raised fresh security concerns along a vital regional trade route.
Students, lecturers and university staff marched on Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires on Thursday to demand President Javier Milei’s government implement a university funding law which would boost staff salaries and increase financial support to institutions to cover operating costs
A 16-year-old shooter opened fire on Thursday at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon in the United States, killing four people, including three children, before being killed by an armed member of the community who had pursued the assailant into the school, police said.
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