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Indian military strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Indian military strikes Pakistan, Pakistan-administered Kashmir

NewsFeed Video captured the moment of an Indian military strike in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The Indian Ministry of Defence says it struck multiple sites in what it calls “Operation Sindoor.” Pakistan’s military says at least 2 people were killed in the strikes. India has blamed Pakistan for an attack that killed 26 people last month in Pahalgam. Published On 6 May 20256 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)

US Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

US Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

The United States Supreme Court has allowed a ban on transgender military members to take effect while legal challenges over the restriction continue. On Tuesday, the court’s conservative majority issued an unsigned order lifting a lower court’s injunction that had blocked the ban from taking effect. The order also indicated that the Supreme Court’s three left-leaning judges – Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – sought to deny the emergency request to lift the injunction. Since taking office for a second term on January 20, President Donald Trump has sought to curtail the rights and visibility of transgender people in the US, including through restrictions on military service. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order declaring that his administration would only “recognise two sexes, male and female”. That same day, he rescinded an order from his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, that allowed transgender troops to serve in the military. Then, on January 27, he unveiled a new directive, called “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness”. It compared being transgender with adopting a “‘false’ gender identity”. Advertisement Such an identity, the order added, was not compatible with the “rigorous standards necessary for military service”. “Adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life,” the executive order said. “A man’s assertion that he is a woman, and his requirement that others honor this falsehood, is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.” That executive order sparked a slew of legal challenges, including the one at the centre of Tuesday’s Supreme Court order. In that case, seven active-duty service members – as well as a civil rights organisation and another person hoping to enlist – argued that a ban on their transgender identity was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Advocates for the group point out that the seven have together earned more than 70 medals for their service. The lead plaintiff, Commander Emily Shilling, had spent nearly two decades in the Navy, flying 60 missions as a combat pilot. Her lawyers estimate that nearly $20m has been invested in her training during that time. But the Trump administration has argued that the presence of transgender troops is a liability for the military. “Another MASSIVE victory in the Supreme Court!” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on social media following Tuesday’s order. “President Trump and [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] are restoring a military that is focused on readiness and lethality.” Advertisement Hegseth also posted a short message, using an acronym for the Department of Defence: “No More Trans @ DoD.” The Supreme Court issued an unsigned order allowing the ban on transgender troops to take effect [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo] This is not the first time Trump has attempted to exclude transgender people from the armed forces. In July 2017, shortly after taking office for his first term, Trump announced a similar policy on the social media platform Twitter, now known as X. “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military,” Trump wrote in consecutive posts, divided by ellipses. Similarly, in 2019, the Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. Then, in 2021, Biden’s executive order nullified it. The Trump administration pointed to its past success at the Supreme Court in its emergency appeal to lift the lower court’s injunction blocking its latest ban on transgender troops. That temporary injunction was the decision of a US district court judge in Tacoma, Washington: Benjamin Settle. Himself a former army captain, Settle was named to his position under former President George W Bush, a Republican. In March, Settle blocked the ban on transgender troops, saying that – while the government made reference to “military judgement” in its filings – its arguments showed an “absence of any evidence” that the restriction had to do with military matters. Advertisement “The government’s arguments are not persuasive, and it is not an especially close question on this record,” he wrote. Other judges have likewise issued injunctions, including District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, DC. She ruled in a case where 14 transgender service members sued against Trump’s ban, citing the right to equal protection under the law, enshrined in the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment. “The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed – some risking their lives – to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the military ban seeks to deny them,” Reyes wrote in her decision, issued shortly before Settle’s in March. Of the more than 2.1 million troops serving in the US military, less than 1 percent are estimated to be transgender. One senior official estimated last year that there are only about 4,200 transgender service members on active duty, though advocates say that number could be an undercount, given the risk of violence and discrimination associated with being openly transgender. The human rights groups Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation have been among those supporting transgender service members in their fight against Trump’s ban. The two organisations issued a joint statement on Tuesday denouncing the high court’s decision. “By allowing this discriminatory ban to take effect while our challenge continues, the court has temporarily sanctioned a policy that has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice,” they wrote. Advertisement “We remain steadfast in our belief that this ban violates constitutional guarantees of equal protection and will ultimately be struck down.” Adblock test (Why?)

Inter defeat Barcelona by equalling Champions League semifinal record

Inter defeat Barcelona by equalling Champions League semifinal record

Inter Milan take their Champions League semifinal in record-equalling 7-6 aggregate score against Barcelona at San Siro. Inter Milan substitute Davide Frattesi struck an extra-time winner to send his side into the Champions League final following a barnstorming 4-3 victory over Barcelona after Francesco Acerbi had rescued them from the brink of elimination with a stunning equaliser deep in added time. Frattesi’s goal and a string of stunning saves by goalkeeper Yann Sommer secured Inter a rip-roaring and record-equalling 7-6 aggregate victory in a semifinal for the ages, which finished with the Italian side reaching the Munich final.  They will later this month face either Paris St Germain or Arsenal, who meet on Wednesday. It was a tale of two halves as Inter dominated the first 45 minutes and opened a two-goal lead thanks to a Lautaro Martinez goal on the counter in the 21st minute, before Hakan Calhanoglu extended the lead with a penalty right before the break. However, Barca woke up in the second half with Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo netting within six minutes to level the scoring and, even though Sommer worked his magic to help keep the hosts alive, the Catalans thought they had scored the winner through Raphinha who struck from close range in the 87th minute. Advertisement But as Inter made a desperate run for an equaliser, Denzel Dumfries found 37-year-old Acerbi inside the box, who fired a first-time effort into the net to score his first European goal in his 20th season and take the game to extra time. In the 99th minute, Marcus Thuram made a brilliant run from the right and played the ball into the area for Frattesi, who set himself up before neatly guiding a curling shot into the bottom corner to send the delighted home fans into raptures. Barcelona’s Spanish defender, Eric Garcia, right, scores his team’s first goal with the pick of the seven goals on the night [Piero Cruciatti/AFP] Sommer made two world-class saves from teenager Lamine Yamal to secure the hard-fought win for Inter, who will bid to claim their fourth Champions League title and their first in 15 years after losing to Manchester City in the final two years ago. “I’m lucky to have finished the game. I screamed so much that I saw everything black,” Frattesi told Sky Sport. “I have to thank the physiotherapists because, in recent days, I was not well, I dedicate the victory to them. It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say. Tonight, the incredible happened.” Barcelona, who were chasing a treble after winning the Copa del Rey by beating Real Madrid in extra-time, will now have to focus on LaLiga, where on Sunday, they host their old rivals who are in second place and trail them by four points. “Football has been very cruel to us,” Barca defender Eric Garcia told Movistar Plus. “We were down 2-0 again, and the character this team showed was remarkable. “We are a team full of young players and this has been a great year. We still have the [Spanish] league to play for.” Advertisement The previous standalone record score for a semifinal was Liverpool’s 7-6 aggregate win against Roma during the 2017-2018 season. Adblock test (Why?)