Police arrest suspect in the murder of British woman

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders seeking to restrict birthright citizenship, renewing his administration’s challenge to a constitutional provision just weeks after the Supreme Court rejected his earlier attempt. The new orders, signed on Thursday, take a narrower approach than Trump’s previous directive and focus on specific categories of children born in the United States. The administration argues that the measures fall outside the scope of the Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling. Birthright citizenship has been a central issue in Trump’s immigration agenda, with the White House particularly targeting what it describes as “birth tourism” — a practice in which pregnant foreign nationals travel to the US to give birth so their children can obtain American citizenship. At the signing ceremony in the Oval Office, White House aide Stephen Miller said the administration was formally moving to end the practice, declaring that “birth tourism” was banned under the new orders. The executive orders also seek to restrict citizenship rights for children born to certain foreign government employees and children of people classified as “alien enemies.” They could potentially have implications for people born in US territories if Congress approves proposed legislation seeking to end automatic citizenship there. Trump’s latest move comes only weeks after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against his earlier attempt to restrict birthright citizenship. His first executive order, issued in 2025, instructed federal agencies not to recognise citizenship for children born in the US when neither parent was an American citizen or lawful permanent resident. The 14th Amendment has traditionally been interpreted as guaranteeing citizenship to people born on US soil, with limited exceptions including children of foreign diplomats and members of an enemy occupying force. Trump criticised the Supreme Court ruling, calling it a “very unfortunate decision” and arguing that businesses and individuals were exploiting the citizenship system through birth tourism. However, legal experts and immigrant rights groups have questioned whether the new orders can withstand judicial scrutiny. The American Civil Liberties Union predicted that the administration’s latest effort would fail in court, while advocates accused Trump of attempting to bypass the Supreme Court. Deborah Fleischaker of UnidosUS said the high court had recently reaffirmed that birthright citizenship was a constitutional guarantee and argued that presidents could not alter it through executive action. The 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause states that all persons born or naturalised in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are US citizens. The Supreme Court’s June ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, reaffirmed the principle that citizenship represents the right to participate fully in the country’s political community. The latest orders are therefore expected to trigger another legal battle, potentially putting Trump’s immigration policies and the constitutional interpretation of birthright citizenship back before the courts.

Typhoon Noul has made landfall in southern China, bringing powerful winds and heavy rainfall to Guangdong province and neighbouring Hong Kong. The storm reached the coast of Huidong county in Huizhou, Guangdong, at around 3:50am local time on Sunday, according to China’s weather authorities. Noul was reported to be the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China so far this year. Authorities warned that heavy rain and strong winds could continue across parts of southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian. More than 715,000 people in Guangdong had been moved to safer locations by early Sunday as authorities stepped up preparations for the storm. The number was more than double the evacuation figure reported a day earlier. The typhoon brought winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour near its centre as it moved inland across Guangdong. Weather officials said the storm would gradually weaken after making landfall, but dangerous weather conditions were expected to persist. Strong winds caused damage in several areas. Trees were uprooted in coastal Huilai county, while sections of scaffolding attached to a high-rise building in Hong Kong collapsed as Noul approached. Initial reports indicated that nobody was injured in the scaffolding incident. The storm also severely disrupted air travel. Hong Kong’s airport authorities said around 350 flights were cancelled on Sunday because of the adverse weather. At least nine people were injured in Hong Kong during the typhoon period, according to local authorities. The storm also affected Taiwan, where authorities reported rainfall in parts of the southern and eastern regions. Noul was moving away from the island after passing over waters to its south. China has faced several major tropical storms this month. Typhoon Bavi struck eastern China on July 11 after authorities evacuated more than two million people. Tropical Storm Maysak made landfall in southern China on July 3.