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Angela Merkel's government has promised to send rejected asylum seekers home, but some local states aren't cooperating. Schleswig-Holstein, for example, has temporarily halted all deportations to Afghanistan. Schleswig-Holstein will not be sending anyone back to Afghanistan for at least until May 31, the northern German state announced on Tuesday. Schleswig-Holstein's Social Democrat (SPD) Interior Minister Stefan Studt said that the state government was taking the step for "humanitarian reasons" because deportees weren't guaranteed "security and dignity" in Afghanistan. Some 700 Afghans with no right of residence currently reside in the northern German state. Responsibility for deporting people whose applications for asylum have been rejected  or have no right to reside in Germany rests with the country's 16 federal states, and Schleswig-Holstein's decision underscores the conflict between local and national authorities on the issue. Ear

British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and US President Donald Trump meet in the Oval Office of the White House on January 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP) The British government says an invitation for US President Donald Trump's state visit is still in place, despite an outpouring of public and political protest. More than 1.8 million Britons have signed an online  petition  urging the government to withdraw the invitation that Prime Minister Theresa May extended to Trump while she was visiting Washington last month. The petition, which is expected to be put to debate in Parliament, called for Trump to be allowed to enter the UK but not be granted an official state visit because of fears it would cause embarrassment to Queen Elizabeth. In a statement sent to petition signatories, the Foreign Office said the government "recognized the strong views ... but does not support this petition." It also said that the US president should be granted the “full courte

A federal lawsuit against the former cyclist will proceed to a jury trialArmstrong accused of fraud against government under False Claims Act  Lance Armstrong is on course for a trial in a 2010 case stemming from his performance-enhancing drug use. Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters A federal judge on Monday refused to block the government’s $100m lawsuit against  Lance Armstrong , putting the former cyclist on course for trial in a 2010 case stemming from his performance-enhancing drug use. The lawsuit was filed by Armstrong’s former US Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis. The federal government joined in 2013 after Armstrong publicly admitted he cheated to win the  Tour de France  seven times from 1999-2005. Armstrong was stripped of those titles and banned from competition. Timeline: Lance Armstrong’s journey from deity to disgrace Armstrong has also taken huge hits financially, losing all his major sponsors and being forced to pay more than $10m in  damages and settlements in