World News: Federal court blocks Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship

This is the World Now, bringing you the latest stories from around the globe.

In the U.S., on Thursday, District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle put a two-week temporary halt, on President Donald Trump's executive order, aimed at ending birthright citizenship, calling it "blatantly unconstitutional."

Trump's order sought to deny citizenship to children born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents.

The order challenges the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in America, with a few minor exceptions.

22 states and several immigrant rights groups are challenging Trump's executive order, arguing that it would strip many individuals of their right to citizenship.

The Justice Department plans to appeal Judge Coughenour's decision, asserting that the order correctly interprets the Constitution.

The case, which represents an early setback for the Trump administration's immigration agenda, could potentially end up at the Supreme Court for a final decision.

Also in the U.S., Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, on Thursday, agreed to a 7.4 billion U.S. dollar settlement, to resolve numerous lawsuits alleging their role in the U.S. opioid crisis through the marketing of their product, OxyContin.

Under the settlement terms, the Sacklers will pay 6.5 billion U.S. dollars over 15 years, and give up their ownership of Purdue Pharma.

An additional 900 million U.S. dollars will come from Purdue itself.

The agreement follows the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of a 6 billion dollar settlement that would have granted the Sacklers immunity from future civil lawsuits.

The new settlement does not provide such immunity.

The OxyContin crisis led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and addictions in the U.S. since the drug's release in 1996.

The Sackler family continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday that recent tests of seawater samples collected near Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant revealed no abnormalities.

The first independent test of samples since October 2024, was conducted as part of an agreement between China and Japan, allowing stakeholders to perform independent sampling and monitoring, under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson noted the limits of the significance of a single test result, and China has not yet hinted at lifting its ban on Japanese seafood imports, which was imposed in August 2023.

In Australia, Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden saw the blooming of a "corpse flower," or Putricia, for the first time in 15 years on Thursday.

The rare flower, which is native to Sumatra, Indonesia, is known for its pungent odor, often compared to rotting flesh.

The occasion attracted over 20,000 visitors, as the flower's bloom is a significant event, due to its rarity and brief 24-hour lifespan.

Visitors endured lines exceeding two hours to witness the rare spectacle,

and some described the scent as being like a dead animal.

Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.