New bill aims to allow research to catch up with US’s increasing cannabis consumption

Legislation would radically ease research restrictions on cannabis and other schedule I substances

A recently introduced bill, if it passes, would allow research on cannabis despite its schedule I status, which some experts say could help policymakers “craft effective” legislation in the future and potentially allow more clinical research on medical cannabis.

Representatives Dina Titus and Ilhan Omar introduced the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act of 2025 (EBDPA) last week, which would radically ease research restrictions on cannabis and other schedule I substances.

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UK Lawyers for Israel condemned over claim war may reduce obesity in Gaza

Palestinian rights group says remarks criticising a Lancet analysis on impact of the conflict are ‘sickening’

A UK-based advocacy group for Israel has been criticised for suggesting a reduction in obesity resulting from the war in Gaza may increase life expectancy there.

The comments by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which came amid warnings of impending famine in Gaza, were condemned as “sickening” by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC).

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Chinese and US officials meet in Geneva for ‘de-escalation’ trade talks

World Trade Organization hails ‘constructive step’ as senior figures come together to discuss tariffs

Senior US and Chinese officials held talks early on Saturday in Geneva in a tentative first step towards defusing a trade war that is disrupting the global economy, according to China’s state-owned news agency and people close to the talks.

China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, and the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, met after weeks of growing tensions as duties on imports between the world’s two largest economies have risen above 100%.

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Why Trump is focusing on business deals on his Middle East trip – NPR

  1. Why Trump is focusing on business deals on his Middle East trip  NPR
  2. Opinion | This Israeli Government Is Not Our Ally  The New York Times
  3. Gulf diplomatic sources debate if Trump will announce US recognition of Palestinian state  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Trump Travels to the Middle East  The Atlantic
  5. US to fast-track investments from Middle East before Trump trip: Report  Al Jazeera
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India and Pakistan accuse each other of cross-border attacks on military bases

Claims of missile attacks on targets deep inside both countries marks the steepest escalation in confrontation yet

India and Pakistan have accused each other of cross-border missile strikes against major military targets, the most significant escalation so far in the brewing conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

On Saturday, India accused Pakistan of launching strikes on dozens of airbases and military headquarters across north India, using long-range weapons, drones and fighter aircraft. The accusations came a few hours after Pakistan said India had fired six surface-to-air missiles targeting three of Pakistan’s most important military bases early on Saturday morning.

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Why did 30 Met officers kick the door down at a teenage tea and biscuits meeting in a Quaker house?

When six young women hired a room to discuss the war in Gaza, the gathering ended with 30 officers storming in to make arrests

When six young women gathered in central London to discuss the climate crisis and the war in Gaza, the setting could not have been more appropriate. The building in which they sat was a Quaker meeting house, the home of a movement whose centuries-long history is rooted in protest and a commitment to social justice. On the table were cups of jasmine tea, ginger biscuits and a selection of vegan cheese straws.

But the events that brought this apparently convivial gathering to an abrupt end have sparked protests of a different kind and raised questions about how justice is administered by the UK’s largest and most embattled police force.

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Keir Starmer joins world leaders in Ukraine to call for ceasefire – BBC

  1. Keir Starmer joins world leaders in Ukraine to call for ceasefire  BBC
  2. Zelensky welcomes European leaders in Ukraine in effort to secure ceasefire  BBC
  3. European leaders meet Zelenskiy in Kyiv to show support after Putin's parade  Reuters
  4. Leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland arrive in Kyiv to push for 30-day ceasefire  The Guardian
  5. European leaders in Ukraine’s Kyiv to press Russia for 30-day ceasefire  Al Jazeera
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India-Pakistan Conflict Escalates Sharply With Attacks on Military Bases – The New York Times

  1. India-Pakistan Conflict Escalates Sharply With Attacks on Military Bases  The New York Times
  2. Pakistan launches fresh military action, claiming India hit its military bases  CNN
  3. Rafiqui, Murid, Rawalpindi: How India Chose Which Pak Airbases To Strike  NDTV
  4. India-Pakistan Live: Pakistan launches Bunyan Marsoos; blasts in Kashmir  Al Jazeera
  5. Kashmir crisis live: Pakistan and India accuse each other of striking military bases in major escalation  The Guardian
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Whiplash reversals mean Trump’s erratic trade policy is as clear as mud

The specifics of the administration’s economic masterplan – from strollers to movies to China – change by the day

Decades of economic orthodoxy failed millions of Americans, according to Donald Trump, who marched back into the White House promising to shred the status quo. But the specifics of his alternative – exactly how his administration claims it will make America great again – change by the day.

The US president declared this week to be a key milestone of his second term, as he unveiled his first major trade deal since returning to office following accelerated talks with the UK.

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Ryanair’s £79 membership scheme takes off – but Which? says ‘think twice’

T&Cs show limitations to the promises of 12 free seat reservations, insurance and monthly access to a sale

Ryanair has become the latest low-cost airline to offer a yearly membership scheme that promises benefits such as free reserved seats and cheap flights – but the consumer group Which? says you should look at the small print before you join.

The low-cost carrier’s Prime membership costs £79 a person a year and promises 12 free seat reservations, travel insurance, and monthly access to a sale. However, the terms and conditions show a number of limitations.

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Aphids plaguing UK gardens in warm spring weather, says RHS

Sap-sucking insects top list of queries to gardening charity after causing significant harm to plants

Aphids are plaguing gardeners this spring due to the warm weather, with higher numbers of the rose-killing bugs expected to thrive in the UK as a result of climate breakdown.

The sap-sucking insects have topped the ranking of gardener queries to the Royal Horticultural Society, with many of its 600,000 members having complained of dozens of aphids on their acers, roses and honeysuckle plants.

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Are we heading for another world war – or has it already started?

The rules-based world order is in retreat and violence is on the rise, forcing countries to rethink their relationships

In a week in which former allies in a redividing globe separately commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, the sense of a runaway descent towards a third world war draws ever closer.

The implosion of Pax Americana, the interconnectedness of conflicts, the new willingness to resort to unbridled state-sponsored violence and the irrelevance of the institutions of the rules-based order have all been on brutal display this week. From Kashmir to Khan Younis, Hodeidah, Port Sudan and Kursk, the only sound is of explosions, and the only lesson is that the old rules no longer apply.

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