US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday announced plans to roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender people in the healthcare system, provoking an outcry from rights groups.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed removing a provision of the Affordable Care Act introduced by former president Barack Obama in 2016 that defined discrimination "on the basis of sex" to include gender identity.
Gender identity was defined as whether an individual considered themselves "male, female, neither, or a combination of male and female." But the measure was blocked after several states and healthcare entities sued.
The proposed new rule would define gender identity in healthcare law "to conform with the plain understanding recognized by the court," the HHS said.
"When Congress prohibited sex discrimination, it did so according to the plain meaning of the term, and we are making our regulations conform," said Roger Severino of the HHS Civil Rights ...

US plans rollback of transgender healthcare protections

PTI Automatic

President Donald Trump confirmed Friday he is considering pardons for several military servicemen accused or convicted of war crimes, in what critics say would be an abuse of the powers afforded him under the US Constitution.
The New York Times reported, quoting administration officials, that Trump envisaged making the controversial pardons during the Memorial Day weekend, when Americans honour those who died while serving in the military.
Reportedly among those being considered is Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL accused of shooting unarmed civilians and stabbing a teenage captive to death, who is due to stand trial starting next week.
Trump is also said to be eyeing a pardon for Matt Golsteyn, an ex-member of the elite US Army Green Berets, charged with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an alleged Taliban bomb-maker in 2010.
Three Marines, arrested after video footage showed them urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in 2011, are also reportedly under ...

Trump confirms considering pardons in US war crimes cases

Sudan's protest leaders have called for a two-day general strike starting Tuesday amid deadlock in talks with the military on installing civilian rule.
"There is no longer any alternative to using the weapon of a general strike," the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group said in a statement Friday.
It said the strike, affecting "public and private institutions and companies", would be accompanied by civil disobedience and was "an act of peaceful resistance with which we have been forced to proceed".
The group, which led a nationwide protest movement against long-time leader Omar al-Bashir that led to his ouster on April 11, is at odds with the ruling military council over the form of a new governing body.
Talks between the two sides have been suspended since Monday after a disagreement over who should lead the new authority -- a civilian or an officer.
The generals who seized power after Bashir was toppled have resisted calls from the demonstrators and the international ...

Sudan protest leaders call for strike from Tuesday

President Emmanuel Macron called a package blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of France's city of Lyon on Friday an "attack" after the device wounded more than a dozen people just two days ahead of the country's hotly contested European Parliament elections.
Police were hunting a man believed to be in his early 30s on a mountain bicycle who witnesses and security cameras saw in the area immediately before the explosion.
The number of injured stood at 13 people, with 11 taken to hospitals, a source close to the inquiry said. None of the injuries was life-threatening.
A police source said the package contained "screws or bolts". It had been placed in front of a bakery near a busy corner of two popular streets at around 17:30 pm (1530 GMT) on a balmy spring evening.
The blast occurred on a narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers in the historic centre of the southeast city. The area was evacuated and cordoned off by police.
"There was an explosion and I thought it .

More than a dozen wounded in France bomb 'attack'

US President Donald Trump doubled down Friday on his claim of an "attempted coup" against him as his battle with Democratic foes entered a vicious new phase of personal insults and strong-arm tactics.
Hovering over it all: the looming question of whether or not the Republican leader will be impeached -- "the big I-word," as Trump put it recently.
The president said he has given his attorney general wide latitude to declassify intelligence information as he probes the origins of the government's investigation into Trump's 2016 campaign ties to Russia.
"They will be able to see ... how the hoax or witch hunt started and why it started. It was an attempted coup or an attempted takedown of the president of the United States," he told reporters as he departed on a trip to Japan.
"There's word and rumor that the FBI and others were involved, CIA were involved with the UK, having to do with the Russian hoax," he said, adding that he might talk to the outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa ..

Trump row with Democrats takes harsh turn with impeachment at stake

Canadian Transportation Minister Marc Garneau said Friday he is considering requiring that pilots undergo simulator training on Boeing's 737 MAX before it will be allowed to return to the skies after being grounded following two deadly crashes.
"We should not, at this point, discount simulator training," Garneau told a press conference in Toronto.
"We'll wait to see what the final solution is, but it is premature to say that there is no requirement for simulator training."
His comments follow a meeting on Thursday in Texas in which civil aviation regulators from around the world failed to agree on the return to service of the Boeing aircraft.
The planes were grounded after two deadly crashes in Ethiopia in March and Indonesia in October that left a combined 346 people dead.
Investigators have focused on the MAX's anti-stall Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System in inquiries into the two deadly crashes.
Boeing last week said the MCAS update was ready for the certification ...

Canada considering simulator training for 737 MAX

Canadian researchers have unmasked a disinformation campaign with possible links to Iran that includes posing as mainstream media to spread falsehoods targeting primarily Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab said an "Iran-aligned" group has impersonated legitimate media outlets using copycat sites to "spread falsehoods and amplify narratives critical of Saudi Arabia, the United States and Israel."
The group, which the researchers dubbed "Endless Mayfly," would then use fake online identities to amplify the stories by tweeting about them or forwarding links to others.
Stories published in mainstream media are often picked up by other journalists.
The researchers cited as an example a 2017 Reuters story informed by a fake story purported to have been published in the Swiss newspaper The Local.
The Reuters story was picked up by Global News, The Jerusalem Post and others before it was eventually retracted by the news agency.
The Endless ...

Canada researchers reveal 'Iran-aligned' fake news campaign

A package blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of France's city of Lyon wounded several people Friday, officials said, just two days ahead of the country's hotly contested European Parliament elections.
President Emmanuel Macron called the blast an "attack" during a live Facebook interview, adding that no deaths had been reported "for the time being".
The area where the explosion occurred, on a narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers in the historic centre of the southeast city, was evacuated and cordoned off by police, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
A police source told AFP the package contained "screws or bolts" and had been placed in front of a bakery near a busy corner of two popular streets.
A man apparently in his early 30s who was  spotted near the scene shortly before the attack was being sought by police, a source close to the inquiry said.
Police said eight people were wounded but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
Macron, .

Several hurt in package bomb blast in France

President Donald Trump announced Friday that some 1,500 additional US troops would deploy to the Middle East against a backdrop of soaring tensions with Iran.
"We want to have protection in the Middle East," Trump told reporters as he prepared to set off on a trip to Japan.
"We're going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective," Trump added. "It'll be about 1,500 people."
The deployment includes reconnaissance aircraft, fighter jets, engineers, and the extension of the presence of a Patriot missile defense battalion that accounts for 600 of the personnel.
"This is a prudent response to credible threats from Iran," said Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
Pentagon officials said the 1,500 additional troops were in response to recent incidents in the region that US intelligence had tied to Iran's leadership.
Those have included a rocket attack on the Green Zone in Baghdad, explosive devices that damaged four tankers in Fujairah at the entrance to the ..

Trump says 1,500 more troops to deploy to Middle East

The World Health Organization has praised Brazil's move to sue two global cigarette makers and their local units for costs of treating tobacco-related diseases, but the firms said Friday they were still waiting for details of the lawsuit.
British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris International and their Brazilian subsidiaries were named by the attorney general's office (AGU) as the targets of the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court.
The AGU wants to recover at least some of the billions of dollars spent over the past five years on treating patients suffering from 26 diseases linked to smoking tobacco products or exposure to cigarette smoke.
Since the targeted companies take the profits from cigarette sales abroad, "it is only fair that they pay for the burden they are leaving Brazilian society," prosecutor Davi Bressler said in a statement.
The WHO said Thursday it applauded the "Brazilian government's action." The amount of compensation sought would be calculated if the ...

WHO praises Brazil lawsuit against tobacco giants

President Donald Trump's administration is bypassing Congress to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, citing a threat from Iran, despite lawmakers' concerns about their possible use against civilians in Yemen, a senator said Friday.
Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had used his powers to block sales of tens of thousands of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, fearing they would contribute to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where the US allies are mounting an offensive.
But the administration informed lawmakers that it was going around a legally required review by Congress to approve the sales as part of a total of 22 arms transactions to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other nations, Menendez's office said.
"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump administration has failed once again to prioritise our long-term national security interests or stand up for .

Trump to bypass Congress to sell arms to Saudi, UAE: senator

The staggering figure of more than three billion fake accounts blocked by Facebook over a six-month period highlights the challenges faced by social networks in curbing automated accounts, or bots, and other nefarious efforts to manipulate the platforms.
Facebook said this week it "disabled" 1.2 billion fake accounts in the last three months of 2018 and 2.19 billion in the first quarter of 2019.
Most fake social media accounts are "bots," created by automated programs to post certain kinds of information -- a violation of Facebook's terms of service and part of an effort to manipulate social conversations. Sophisticated actors can create millions of accounts using the same program.
Facebook said its artificial intelligence detects most of these efforts and disables the accounts before they can post on the platform. Still, it acknowledges that around five percent of the more than two billion active Facebook accounts are probably fake.
Fake accounts may be used to amplify the popularity 

Fake Facebook accounts: the never-ending battle against bots

A top Sudanese general vowed to back regional ally Saudi Arabia against "all threats and attacks" from Iran during talks with the kingdom's crown prince, Sudan's military council said Friday.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy chief of Sudan's transitional military council, met with Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the official Saudi Press Agency reported earlier in the day.
"Sudan is standing with the kingdom against all threats and attacks from Iran and Huthi militias," Dagalo, widely known as Himeidti, told the crown prince during their meeting, the council said in a statement.
A Saudi-led military coalition, which includes Sudan, backs an internationally recognised government against the Iran-aligned Huthi rebel group in Yemen's conflict.
Himeidti also said the military council would continue deploying Sudanese troops to Yemen as part of the coalition.
It was Dagalo's first international trip since Sudan's army generals took power after they backed protesters in ousting ...

Sudan general vows to back Saudi against Iran 'threats'

Acting US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart next week at a regional security conference in Singapore, a Pentagon official said Friday.
Shanahan sets off Tuesday on a tour of Asia that will take him to Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, the Pentagon said in a statement.
In Singapore, he will give a speech on the US defence strategy for the Indo-Pacific region at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is held each year in the Southeast Asian city-state.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies, the conference organiser, announced on its website that Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe was taking part.
"We are doing a pull-aside with the Chinese counterpart in Singapore," the Pentagon official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The new US defence strategy identifies Russia and China as the two top potential adversaries of the United States.
Reproaching Beijing for militarising the South China Sea, the United States has been ...

Pentagon chief to meet with Chinese counterpart in Singapore: US official

US President Donald Trump said Friday he felt sorry for British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has resigned after three years of turmoil surrounding Brexit.
"I feel badly for Theresa. I like her very much. She is a good woman,"
Trump told reporters on the White House lawn as he prepared to set off on a trip to Japan.
"She's a good woman. She worked very hard. She's very strong," Trump said.

'I feel badly for Theresa,' Trump says of May resignation

Several people were wounded Friday by a suspected package bomb blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of Lyon in southeastern France, the local prosecutors' office said.
The area where the explosion occurred, on the narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers in the historic city centre, has been evacuated, according to AFP journalists at the scene.
A police source told AFP the package contained "screws or bolts" and had been placed in front of a bakery on the corner of the two popular streets.
Police said eight people had been injured but that none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
President Emmanuel Macron called the blast an "attack" during a live Facebook interview, adding that no deaths had been reported "for the time being."
"It's not for me to give a toll but it appears there are no casualties. There have been injuries, so obviously I'm thinking of these injured and their families," Macron said.

Several hurt in suspected package bomb blast in France

England captain Eoin Morgan suffered a "small fracture" to his left index finger on Friday, but is expected to be fit in time for the hosts' World Cup opener against South Africa next week.
Morgan was practising with his teammates at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton ahead of Saturday's unofficial World Cup warm-up against Australia when he took a blow during catching drills.
It was a major scare for England just six days before the World Cup favourites start their bid to win the competition for the first time, but there was relatively good news for Morgan after an X-ray showed the damage wasn't as bad as feared.
"England captain Eoin Morgan has sustained a small flake fracture to his left index finger," an ECB statement said.
"He will not take part in the match (against Australia), but is expected to make a full recovery and be available for England's opening ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match against South Africa at The Oval on Thursday May 30."
Morgan, 32, was one of 14 players ...

England captain Morgan expected to make World Cup opener after injury scare

Novak Djokovic believes that his 2016 achievement of holding all four Grand Slam titles at the same time is the perfect playbook for a repeat performance at Roland Garros as he tries to become just the second man to complete the feat.
The world number one heads into the French Open with Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open titles already under his belt.
Victory in the June 9 final in Paris would allow him to join Rod Laver as the only other man to hold all the four majors at the same time twice.
"There is an extra motivation and incentive to win Roland Garros because of the opportunity to hold all four Slams, something I did three years ago," said the 32-year-old on Friday.
"That gives me obviously enough reason to believe I can do it again." Old rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may have more career majors -- 20 and 17 respectively to Djokovic's 15 -- but neither of them have managed even one private sweep, let alone two.
However, Djokovic's potential date with destiny ...

'Do it again': Djokovic confident of historic second Slam sweep

Roger Federer on Friday played down his chances of winning the French Open on his first appearance at Roland Garros since 2015, saying that title-winning form might not be "in his racquet".
The 20-time Grand Slam champion missed the French Open in 2016 through injury before sitting out the next two clay-court seasons in order to focus on Wimbledon.
But he will make his Roland Garros return on Sunday with a first-round tie against unheralded Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Federer admitted that he is unsure of his title chances, but did compare his current situation with when he ended a five-year Grand Slam drought at the Australian Open in 2017.
"(I) don't know (if I can win the tournament). A bit of a question mark for me. Some ways I feel similar to maybe the Australian Open in '17," the 2009 French Open winner said.
"A bit of the unknown. I feel like I'm playing good tennis, but is it enough against the absolute top guys when it really comes to the crunch? I'm not sure if it's in my ...

Federer plays down title chances on Roland Garros return

A Saudi tanker damaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in mid-May appears to have leaked a trail of oil, satellite images released on Friday show.
Radar satellites operated by the Finnish company Iceye photographed the vessel Amjad on May 14, two days after it and three other ships, including another Saudi tanker, were mysteriously sabotaged in the Sea of Oman.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE, both close allies of the United States, have yet given details on the exact nature of those attacks, which come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Riyadh's arch rival Tehran.
"There is a trail of oil that is on the surface of the sea," Iceye's vice president Mikko Keranen told AFP.
"The trail is linked to the vessel Amjad and we have had a third party verify that for us," Keranen said, adding that images taken by the European Space Agency satellite Sentinel-2 also seem to confirm the presence of oil around the ship.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said ...

AFP

AFP

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