- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
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- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
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- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
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- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
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- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
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- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
Texas court suspends investigations of parents of transgender minors
A Texas judge on Friday blocked investigations into the parents of transgender minors, halting for the time being a controversial directive by the southern US state's governor.
"Victory," the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Texas said on Twitter.
"A judge has blocked Gov. Greg Abbott and TexasDFPS's unlawful actions targeting essential medical care for transgender youth," it added, referring to the state's Department of Family and Protective Services.
Judge Amy Clark ruled Abbott's directive was unconstitutional, saying transgender minors and their parents would suffer "imminent and irreparable injury" if the directive was not halted, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Abbott issued the directive late last month to the DFPS to investigate instances of minors receiving gender-affirming medication and "sex change procedures," which he argued "constitute child abuse under existing Texas law."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said he would appeal the ruling on Friday.
"Democrat judge tries to halt legal and necessary investigations into those trying to abuse our kids through 'trans' surgeries and prescription drugs," he wrote on Twitter.
"I'm appealing. I'll win this fight to protect our Texas children."
The ACLU and Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ rights organization, had already managed to suspend a probe into the parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl in early March, filing a lawsuit on behalf of the mother.
Shortly after Abbott's directive, the mother had been suspended by her employer, the DFPS, and visited by a state investigator who sought to learn whether her child was "currently transitioning from male to female," court documents said.
US President Joe Biden has condemned Abbott for what he called a "cynical and dangerous campaign targeting transgender children and their parents."
Gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, much like participation by transgender athletes in sports competitions or the use of toilets according to their gender identity, is the subject of extensive debate in the United States, where many conservative states have moved to adopt restrictive regulations.
D.Philippon--CPN