Trump signs executive order banning transgender athletes in women's sports
Washington: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports, stating that it marks the end of the "war on women's sports."
Surrounded by female athletes and children at the White House, Trump declared, "We will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and girls. From now on, women's sports will be only for women."
The order directs government agencies to withhold federal funds from schools that permit transgender athletes in women's sports. "It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, endanger their safety, and violate their privacy," the executive order states.
Trump also announced plans to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its rules on transgender athletes ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been directed to push the IOC for policy changes, while Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem has been instructed to deny visas to "men fraudulently identifying as women athletes" seeking to compete in the Games.
Since his return to office on January 20, Trump has aggressively targeted transgender rights through a series of executive orders. These include reversing policies on transgender military service and restricting gender transition procedures for individuals under 19.
During the 2024 election campaign, Trump repeatedly attacked Democrats on transgender rights, branding his opponent Kamala Harris as a supporter of "they/them ideology." The Republican-led House of Representatives had earlier passed a bill restricting transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports, aligning with conservative concerns over fairness in competition.
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4.4 magnitude quake hits northern Pakistan
Islamabad (PTI): A 4.4 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of north and northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, the second tremor to hit the country in as many days.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The earthquake that struck at 9:30 am (local time) originated at a depth of 14 kilometres with its epicentre located 11 kms northeast of Burhan, Attock, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, Islamabad.
Tremors were felt in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The Saturday morning quake came less than 24 hours after a 5.9 magnitude temblor struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, with tremors felt in several cities, including Peshawar and Islamabad, on Friday.
The epicentre of that quake at 6:09 pm (local time) was in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush region at a depth of 101 kilometres.
Earthquakes are common in northern Pakistan due to its location in the Himalayas where the Indian and the Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Earlier, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Balochistan province on February 13 but no loss to life or property was reported there too. Its epicentre was 86 kms northeast of Khuzdar town of the province.
The quake was preceded on the same day by another tremor of magnitude 3.8 that struck 75 kms southeast of Khuzdar at a depth of 33 kms.
The worst quake the country suffered was in 2005, which killed about 74,000 people.
