International
Transgender inmates panic as Trump orders transfer to men’s prisons
Hundreds of transgender United States federal prisoners have been gripped by fear following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office, mandating the transfer of transgender inmates to facilities aligned with their biological sex.
Lawyers have raised alarms about the potential dangers faced by transgender women who will now be moved to male prisons, warning of severe risks.
“It’s going to be incredibly dangerous,” attorney Moira Meltzer-Cohen told DailyMail.com. Meltzer-Cohen, who represents Donna Langan—a transgender woman serving a life sentence for bank robbery—expressed concerns about the safety of her client and others, fearing a potential “bloodbath.
”The executive order stipulates that the federal government will only recognise two sexes—male and female.
Therefore, access to intimate spaces such as prisons and shelters will now be determined strictly by biological sex rather than gender identity.
According to DailyMail.com, a federal public defender in Massachusetts highlighted the plight of a transgender inmate in Minnesota.
Sandra Gant, the defender, described how the inmate was abruptly informed of the transfer, leaving her “terrified.”
“Her family reached out in a panic,” Gant said in a message circulated among public defenders.
“As of this morning, she, along with others at FCI Waseca, have been segregated and told they are being processed out to a transfer centre and then to a men’s prison.”
Gant called for insights or assistance, particularly from organisations like the ACLU, to challenge the policy.
In addition to the changes in prison policy, Trump’s order rolled back various protections for transgender individuals.
The directive bans federal funding for transition-related services and mandates the use of the term “sex” over “gender” in official documentation.
Federal agencies have also been instructed to stop funding initiatives promoting what the order terms “gender ideology.”
International
Death toll in Hong Kong fire rises to 44 with 279 still missing, authorities say
Hong Kong authorities say the fires in four of the buildings have been brought under control, but large plumes of smoke are still hanging over the residential estate.
Photo: AFP
At least 44 people have been killed so far in a major fire engulfing public housing apartments in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, with 279 people not accounted for.
Three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter connected to flammable materials, including mesh and plastic sheets, that may have allowed the fire to spread quickly.
More than 800 firefighters are tackling the blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which has been burning for over 18 hours.
The fire has been classified a level five blaze, the most serious level in Hong Kong.
A baby and an elderly woman were rescued during a late-night rescue, local media reports.
Hong Kong authorities say the fires in four of the buildings have been brought under control, but large plumes of smoke are still hanging over the residential estate.
I can smell it in the air. I can also see a number of small fires still burning in the apartment blocks.
Even more fire engines and an ambulance have arrived this morning to help with rescue efforts
BBC.
An Indian fighter jet has crashed while performing a display at an airshow in Dubai, officials have said.
Details later.
A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death.
The verdict, delivered on Monday, November 17, 2025, follows a months-long trial that found Hasina guilty of ordering a lethal crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. She received a death sentence for the killing of several protesters and a life sentence on charges of crimes against humanity.
The ruling marks the most significant legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes ahead of parliamentary elections expected in early February 2026. There was cheering and clapping in the courtroom as the death sentence was pronounced. The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court, though Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, said they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government, including the Awami League, is in office.
Prosecutors told the court that evidence showed Hasina directly ordered security forces to use lethal force to suppress protests in July and August 2024. A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the demonstrations, with thousands more injured, making it the deadliest unrest in Bangladesh since its 1971 war of independence.
Hasina, represented by a state-appointed defense lawyer, denied the charges, calling the tribunal proceedings unfair and claiming a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”
Tensions in Bangladesh had escalated ahead of the verdict, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched in recent days, though no casualties were reported.
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