A United States judge has temporarily blocked a buyout package offered to federal workers as an incentive to resign from their jobs, part of a larger push under President Donald Trump to whittle down the scale of government. On Thursday, US District Judge George O’Toole suspended the administration’s deadline to accept the buyout, which was set for 11:59pm Eastern Time (03:59 GMT, Friday). O’Toole explained the additional time...

Ferran Torres scores three of Barcelona’s first four goals in a 5-0 Copa del Rey quarterfinal win at Valencia. Ferran Torres fired a 30-minute hat-trick as Barcelona booked their place in the Copa del Rey semifinals with a 5-0 win at Valencia. The Barca forward opened the scoring in the third minute at Estadio de Mestalla on Thursday, as he burst through the home side’s offside trap to...

Transgender girls and women will no longer compete in female events at most college sporting events in the United States after a governing body’s decision to bar athletes who were born male. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the main governing body for college sport in the US, said on Thursday that it would limit competition in girls’ and women’s sport to female-born athletes only. The NCAA’s announcement comes...