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Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who smashed women's records this year, will be banned from competing against biological women in international events after the world swimming's governing body announced on Sunday that it is barring transgender athletes who went through male puberty. FINA, the international federation sports federation for swimming, announced on Sunday that it is changing its policies so that transgender women can only compete in the organization's women's races if they have completed their transition by the age of 12. They will then have to prove to the federation that they have continuously suppressed their testosterone levels since...

Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who smashed women's records this year, will be banned from competing against women in international events after the world swimming's governing body announced that it will bar transgender athletes who went through male puberty. FINA, the international federation sports federation for swimming, announced on Sunday that it is changing its policies so that transgender women can only compete in women's races if they have completed their transition by the age of 12. They will then have to prove to the federation that they have continuously suppressed their testosterone levels since that time.

FINA, swimming's world governing body, finally figured out the way to determine which of the controversial long-length, high-tech swimsuits to restrict. On Friday, it banned every last one. With a nearly unanimous vote, FINA's member nations accepted a proposal initiated by the United States to allow only waist-to-knee suits, known as "jammers," for men, and shoulder-to-knee suits for women, beginning in competition next year.

WILKES-BARRE – A handgun belonging to the Luzerne County Sheriff’s Department that had been reported stolen was recovered Sunday from the vehicle of a deputy sheriff who had mistakenly reported the vehicle stolen, Sheriff Barry Stankus said. Patrick Fina, 22, had reported his 2005 Volkswagen Golf, which contained his a 9 mm Sig Sauer service weapon, was stolen from the area of East Jackson and North Main streets at around 3:41 a.m. Sunday, according to a press release issued by city police. On Monday, Stankus said Fina made the report after he was unable to locate his car where he...

ReutersUPDATE - Total throws gauntlet to U.S. rivals on Iraq dealsThursday February 20, 1:34 pm ETBy Emelia Sithole (Adds new analysts quote, background, closing shares) PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Oil giant TotalFinaElf (Paris:TOTF.PA - News) threw down the gauntlet on Thursday to U.S. rivals eyeing Iraq's vast reserves, saying it was confident of winning its share of deals there despite French opposition to a U.S.-led war in Iraq. The world's fifth largest oil group encouraged investors further by reaffirming its target to boost output five percent per year to 2007, in sharp contrast to bigger rivals BP (London:BP.L -...