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A new study has shown that marijuana has overtaken liquor in terms of the number of regular users Marijuana use has become so mainstream in the US that the number of Americans who smoke the drug on a daily basis has surpassed the number who consume liquor with the same frequency, a new study has revealed.An estimated 17.7 million Americans used cannabis daily or almost daily in 2022, exceeding the 14.7 million comparable alcohol drinkers, according to an analysis by Carnegie Mellon University. The report, which was published on Wednesday in the Addiction medical journal, was based on data from the US government’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.Daily marijuana use had never before exceeded daily liquor consumption, said Carnegie Mellon researcher Jonathan Caulkins, the study’s author. Alcohol is still more widely used, but not on a daily basis.“A good 40% of current cannabis users are using it daily or near daily, a pattern that is more associated with tobacco use than typical alcohol use,” the researcher said. Read more FILE PHOTO: Activists march for the legalization of marijuana in Kiev, Ukraine, October 26, 2019 Zelensky signs marijuana law The surge in regular cannabis use has come amid increasing legalization of the drug across the US. Nearly half of US states have approved recreational marijuana use, starting with Washington and Colorado in 2012. Most other states have allowed medical use of the drug, while cannabis possession for personal use has been decriminalized in some other jurisdictions.Prior to the wave of new marijuana laws, daily pot use reached a low point of less than 1 million Americans in 1992. Since then, per-capita rates of regular marijuana use have jumped 15-fold. Caulkins said the increase may stem partly from the fact that as public acceptance grows, more people are willing to admit that they use the drug regularly. Read more FILE PHOTO. Germany legalizes recreational cannabis The US National Institute on Drug Abuse has warned that cannabis use can cause breathing problems, like those related to smoking tobacco, as well as increased risk of heart attacks. The drug also has been linked to problems with child development, during and after pregnancy. Long-term pot smoking also can cause mental illnesses, such as paranoia and hallucinations, and it can worsen the symptoms of schizophrenia.Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have claimed that addictive use of marijuana increases the risk of psychosis. “There is a lot of misinformation in the public sphere about cannabis and its effects on psychological health, with many assuming that this drug is safe to use with no side effects,” said David Gorelick, a University of Maryland psychiatry professor. He added that nearly half of people with cannabis addictions have another psychiatric condition. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/GzbnyYt

Berlin has confirmed it would follow the International Criminal Court rulings over alleged war crimes in Gaza German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has made clear that it would cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) if proposed arrest warrants are issued against Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes against the Palestinians.Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit was asked whether Berlin would execute an ICC arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“Of course, yes, we abide by the law,” he responded, as cited by Die Welt.The statement came after Israel’s ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, urged Scholz’s administration to defy the ICC. The court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, filed applications on Monday for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. Read more FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel’s immunity cracks: The Hague goes after Netanyahu Israel’s government responded by branding the proposed warrants as anti-Semitic and calling for “civilized nations” to boycott any arrest orders against its leaders. Prosor appealed to the Berlin government directly on Tuesday, saying the German “Staatsrason” – its vow to ensure Israel’s security as part of its own national interest – was being put to the test.“The public statement that Israel has the right to self-defense loses credibility if our hands are tied as soon as we defend ourselves,” the envoy said. “The chief prosecutor equates a democratic government with Hamas, thereby demonizing and delegitimizing Israel and the Jewish people. He has completely lost his moral compass.”Prosor added that Germany has a responsibility to “readjust this compass.” He called the warrant applications a “disgraceful political campaign,” saying they could become a “nail in the coffin for the West” and its institutions. Read more FILE PHOTO: US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). ‘We’re next!’ US senator warns about ICC Hebestreit declined to comment directly on the Israeli government’s demands. Germany is a signatory to the ICC and has staunchly supported such multilateral organizations.France, which is also among the 124 countries that recognize the ICC’s authority, is in the same boat. The French Foreign Ministry affirmed its support for the tribunal on Tuesday, saying it would be up to the court’s pre-trial chamber to decide whether to order the arrests of Israeli and Hamas leaders – based on evidence submitted by the prosecutor.Neither Israel nor the US is a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. US President Joe Biden denounced the proposed warrants as “outrageous,” and members of Congress have threatened to sanction the court. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/6FDuU1k

Macron’s attempt to center Kiev in the EU parliament campaign appears to have failed Security at home is a far more important issue for French voters ahead of the European Parliament election, despite President Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to use the Russia-Ukraine conflict to his advantage.Macron began ramping up his rhetoric on Ukraine in February, accusing the National Rally (RN) of being Russian stooges and Kremlin sympathizers, while positioning his Renaissance bloc as the “only pro-European campaign.”An Odoxa poll conducted last week, however, showed only 10% of French voters considering the Ukraine conflict among the top three factors that would influence their vote in the EU election, while 35% named domestic security. Read more Gerard Larcher, president of the French Senate Macron ‘denying reality’ – French Senate leader “This is an election cycle dominated by domestic issues, which lands halfway into Emmanuel Macron’s presidency and can be seen by voters as a midterm vote,” Odoxa researcher Erwan Lestrohan told Politico.The French are much more concerned with security within their own borders than globally, Lestrohan explained.While Macron’s government has tried to portray itself as being tough on crime, 70% of Odoxa’s respondents were dissatisfied with the government’s actions to curb drug, gun and immigrant violence. Only 19% believe any of the opposition parties would do better, however, and 50% were convinced that nothing would change. Read more French armored police vehicle in Paita, New Caledonia, on May 19, 2024. Delphine Mayeur / AFP France launches ‘major operation’ to quash unrest in overseas territory Recent EU polls have shown RN on track to win 30% or more of the vote next month, while Renaissance remained stuck at 16%. Moreover, the surveys have shown growing support for Place Publique, a boutique party led by Socialists and Democrats MEP Raphael Glucksmann.The son of the late philosopher Andre Glucksmann took part in the 2013 Maidan coup in Ukraine and worked as an adviser to former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. He has used Macron’s attempt to peel off RN voters by flanking the president from the left, according to Politico. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/gw9O0Zb

Tokyo has rebuked Beijing’s ambassador for suggesting that the Japanese people could be “brought into the fire” Japan has issued a complaint against the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo after the envoy warned that the Japanese people will be “brought into the fire” if their government plots to support a Taiwanese independence movement.“We consider it to be extremely inappropriate for an ambassador stationed in Tokyo to make such a comment, and we have immediately lodged a severe protest against it,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Wednesday.Hayashi added that Japan’s government has consistently called for issues surrounding Taiwan to be resolved peacefully, through dialogue. “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is important not only for the security of our country, but also for the stability of the international community as a whole,” he said. Read more Joe Biden (C) heads to a trilateral meeting with Fumio Kishida (R) and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (L) at the White House in Washington DC, April 11, 2024 Beijing slams US and allies for ‘attacking China’ Hayashi made his comments in response to a warning issued by Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianghao, who spoke on Monday about a Japanese delegation’s attendance at the inauguration of newly elected Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. “Once the country of Japan is tied to the tanks plotting to split China, the Japanese people will be brought into the fire,” Wu told an audience that included former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.Chinese officials have called Lai a “dangerous separatist” and have bristled at visits by US lawmakers and other foreign politicians to Taipei. Beijing has vowed to reunify with Taiwan – a self-governing island that it regards as a breakaway province – by force, if necessary.Sino-Japanese tensions have escalated in recent months. The Chinese government summoned the Japanese and Philippine ambassadors in April, after their leaders attended a summit in Washington and accused Beijing of “dangerous and aggressive behavior” in the South China Sea. Read more Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, center, celebrates his victory with running mate Bi-khim Hsiao, right, and supporters in Taipei, Taiwan. Jan. 13, 2024. ‘Troublemaker’ and ‘warmonger’: Who is the winner of Taiwan’s presidential election? The latest row comes just days before Chinese, Japanese and South Korean leaders are scheduled to hold a trilateral summit in Seoul. The Chinese Embassy in Tokyo stressed the importance of Sino-Japanese relations, saying, “the Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests. It is related to the political foundation of China-Japan relations and the basic trust between the two countries. It is an insurmountable red line.”The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry praised Hayashi’s rebuke of the Chinese ambassador on Wednesday, saying it “welcomes the international community’s attention to the situation in the Taiwan Strait and any actions that will help maintain regional peace.” via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/4LuopkF

The move would harm relations with Muslims at home and abroad, the mufti of Moscow has said Outlawing Islamic head coverings would violate human rights, cause discontent among Russian Muslims and harm Russia’s diplomatic efforts abroad, Moscow’s chief mufti, Ildar Alyautdinov, has said.Alyautdinov was speaking to the outlet RBK on Tuesday, commenting on a recent interview in which Russian Human Rights Council head Valery Fadeev argued for a niqab ban as a way to tackle extremism.“Such attempts would also look like a public violation of secular rights and the Constitution, which guarantees all citizens of Russia the freedom of religion, and therefore the right to religious practices,” the mufti said.Banning the headdress could cause discontent among Muslims in Russia and lead to new unrest in society, the cleric cautioned. Moreover, he said, it could negatively impact the recent improvement in relations between Russia and countries in the Middle East.The Council of Ulema of the Russian Muslim community is ready to discuss issues related to the wearing of the niqab with government officials, Alyautdinov said, but is strongly opposed to an outright ban on the garment. Read more A young woman wearing a niqab in Moscow city center, April 23, 2022 Russian human rights official calls for ban on Muslim face coverings Muslim women are required by their religion to dress modestly. The interpretations of this requirement have led to a range of headdresses, which cover just the hair (hijab), the face (niqab) or the entire body (burqa or chador).According Alyautdinov, the Ulema does not promote the use of the niqab, believing that in a modern society it is “more proper to follow generally accepted religious rules” and choose clothes that comply with the basic requirements of Islam but “will not provoke a negative attitude among others.”However, “any infringement on the right to wear a niqab will inevitably be regarded in Muslim countries as unfriendly actions and repression” against Islam, he added. Read more File photo. Russia allows hijabs for citizen application photos Fadeev’s comments came almost two months after the deadly terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow, in which 145 people died and over 500 were injured. The suspected perpetrators turned out to be nationals of Tajikistan, a majority-Muslim former Soviet republic in Central Asia. The terrorist group Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack, though Russian authorities said that Ukrainian intelligence may have been involved as well.Last year, Uzbekistan banned the wearing of face coverings in public, with exceptions that did not include religious clothing. Kazakhstan has already prohibited the hijab in schools and said it might expand the ban. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan has proposed fines for women wearing Islamic niqabs and men with bushy beards. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/IcJmgH2

Kiev’s forces in the town of Seversk were targeted with a 1.5-tonne aerial bomb Russian troops recently struck Ukrainian positions in the Donbass town of Seversk with a massive FAB-1500 bomb, several Telegram channels have reported, citing a video taken at the scene. The footage posted to social media showed multistory buildings where Ukrainian troops had taken up positions being targeted with the 1.5-tonne projectile.The clip, which is less than a minute long, first shows what appears to be a group of Ukrainian servicemen walking between partially damaged buildings before a projectile hits the area and causes a powerful explosion. The video ends with the buildings appearing to be partially destroyed and engulfed in flames.Some Telegram channels identified the projectile used in the strike as a Russian high-explosive FAB-1500 bomb weighing around a ton and a half. Such projectiles are used to destroy defenses or fortifications, as well as military industrial facilities.Other sources described the projectile as an air-fuel explosive bomb (ODAB). Such bombs have a dispersing charge that scatters fuel around a significant area when hitting a target. The fuel contained inside the bomb evaporates and mixes with air to form a gaseous cloud. A secondary charge is then activated, igniting the cloud and producing a massive explosion. The Russian Defense Ministry has not confirmed the strike or commented on the videos published on social media. Earlier in May, Ukrainian officials compared the explosion produced by a FAB-1500 bomb to an “earthquake” when it was used against Ukrainian defenses in the northeastern Kharkov Region.In March, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that production of FAB-1500 bombs had doubled since the beginning of this year. Manufacturing of smaller FAB-500 bombs had also increased “manyfold,” it said. It has been widely reported that these bombs have been turned into gliding high-precision projectiles by being outfitted with what is called a universal gliding and correction module. Read more FILE PHOTO: A Russian serviceman near Donetsk. Russia liberates another key Donbass stronghold – MOD The town of Seversk is located in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic but is still controlled by Ukraine. It is some 15km away from the front line.Meanwhile, Russian forces continue their offensive in Donbass and the Kharkov Region. The operation in northeastern Ukraine was launched in early May in response to repeated Ukrainian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in Russia’s border regions. One strike killed 19 people in Belgorod Region in just one day earlier this month.Last week, President Vladimir Putin stated that the shelling of residential areas is pushing Moscow to create a buffer zone along the border with Ukraine. “If this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone. This is what we are doing,” he said at the time.Russian troops have made steady gains in recent weeks, pushing Ukrainian forces out of numerous settlements both in Donbass and Kharkov Region. On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the village of Klescheevka had been captured, thus giving Russian forces control over strategically important high ground in Donbass. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/hL6r0Y8

<strong>The recent application for arrest warrants shows that even those backed by Washington can’t get away with everything</strong> The challenge of witnessing a historic event in real time isn’t to notice it. That’s the easy part. What’s hard is to understand its meaning for the future, which is what historic events are really all about. Recent news from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague have confirmed that rule.Its prosecutor, Karim Khan, <a href="https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state">has applied for arrest warrants that will make history one way or the other. The official application is a long document, but its key points can be summarized quickly. With regard to what Khan describes as <em>“an international armed conflict between Israel and Palestine, and a non-international armed conflict between Israel and Hamas running in parallel,”</em> he accuses the senior Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Al-Masri (aka Deif), and Ismail Haniyeh of a list of crimes against humanity and war crimes: extermination, murder, hostage taking, sexual violence (including rape), torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, and other inhumane acts.Khan also accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Galant of a similar set of crimes against humanity and war crimes: starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury, cruel treatment, willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, extermination and/or murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.Applying for the warrants is not the same as the ICC actually issuing them. For that to happen, three of its judges, sitting as a pre-trial chamber, have to grant Khan’s applications. But this fact makes little difference. First, because rejection of such applications at this stage is, as legal experts agree, <em>“very rare.”</em>Second, and more importantly, the political impact of Khan’s request alone is already profound and irreversible. Even if his applications were to fail in the pre-trial chamber, such an outcome would only damage the ICC’s already fragile credibility, especially if it were to act with obvious bias, by, for instance, granting Khan’s request regarding the Hamas leaders but not for the Israeli ones. In such an improbable scenario, the message of the rejected warrant applications would continue reverberating; indeed, it would only become even more resonant. <strong>Read more</strong> <a href="https://mf.b37mrtl.ru/files/2024.05/thumbnail/6641fea985f5400c250745ea.jpg">Boys watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 13, 2024.</a> <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/597505-israel-rafah-invasion-us-diplomacy/">Only one power could stop Israel’s Rafah invasion – but it dropped the ball But what is that message and what will be its main effects? It is certain that they will be political rather than strictly judicial, because one thing that will not happen – at least not soon or easily – is actual arrests. The ICC is special in that, based on its foundational Rome Statute of 1998, it is the only permanent international tribunal empowered to pursue individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. (Unlike the older International Court of Justice, also based in The Hague, which can deal with similar crimes but only while targeting states. Israel as a state is, of course, already the subject of ongoing ICJ processes, likely to receive a boost from the ICC joining the fray.) However, the ICC does not have its own police force to detain suspects and instead has to rely on the 124 states that have signed up to the Rome Statute. For both the Hamas and Israeli leaders in question, the warrants are likely to merely make traveling more complicated, at least for now.There are many other good reasons to be skeptical about Khan’s move. This is very far from some…

A model has accused the rap mogul of taking advantage of her in 2003 Model Crystal McKinney has accused rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of drugging and raping her in 2003. It is the seventh in a string of lawsuits against the Bad Boy Records founder in recent months.McKinney’s lawsuit was filed in a federal court in New York CIty on Tuesday, just days after a video emerged of Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Ventura’s lawsuit was settled within a day of her filing, for an undisclosed amount.According to the complaint, McKinney was a 22-year-old model when she met Combs at a Manhattan fashion event. He said she was “going to make it big one day,” promised to help her career, and invited her to his studio, where one of his associates offered her marijuana.“Plaintiff later came to understand that Combs had laced the joint with a narcotic or other intoxicating substance,” the complaint says.Once McKinney was “very intoxicated” by marijuana and alcohol, Combs allegedly took her to a bathroom and forced her to perform a sex act. McKinney said she passed out in Combs’ studio and woke up in a taxi.  Read more FILE PHOTO: Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs. Diddy knows too much – former rival Instead of breaking into modeling, McKinney’s opportunities dried up as Combs “blackballed” her, the lawsuit claims. She became “severely depressed” and blamed herself for sabotaging her career, while fearing retaliation from the rap mogul.McKinney has named Combs, Bad Boy Records, Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John Clothing and Universal Music Group as the defendants, seeking damages for “pain and suffering” as well as punitive damages, without specifying an amount.Combs is currently under federal investigation for sex trafficking and has been accused of physical abuse, gang rape and “serious illegal activity.” He has not been arrested and denies any wrongdoing.After the Ventura assault video was made public, Combs apologized and said he has since changed his ways. Several New York City council members, however, remained unconvinced and called on Mayor Eric Adams to revoke his honorary key to the city.“As an abuser, Diddy lost his right to have such an honor and should be held accountable for his actions,” Sandy Nurse told TMZ. Shaun Abreu urged Adams to “snatch back Diddy’s key and slam the door behind him,” while Joe Borelli argued that “taking away an honor from a woman beater seems like par for the course.” via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/awEb7KL

The US credit institution has been given the right to “voluntary” close its Russia business Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted American Express bank the right to “voluntary liquidate” its business in Russia, according to a document published on the portal of legal acts on Wednesday.The order did not specify how and when exactly the liquidation process will take place.According to the document, the decision comes in accordance with a decree signed by Putin in August 2022 concerning special economic measures in the financial and energy sectors in connection with the “unfriendly actions of some foreign states and international organizations.”In October 2022, Putin approved a list of 45 foreign-owned credit institutions, including American Express, transactions in the shares or share capital of which were banned without the president’s special permission.American Express announced in March 2022 that it was suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus in light of Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. The decision followed a similar move by fellow US payments firms Visa and Mastercard.Since then, globally issued AmEx cards no longer work in Russia, while cards issued locally in Russia don’t work outside the country on the American Express global network.American Express had been operating in Russia since 2008, as part of the American Express Global Corporate Payments business division. via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/qTAsDcQ

A program billed as fighting global warming has reportedly funneled back billions of dollars to wealthy nations A program that ostensibly helps developing nations deal with the effects of climate change has reportedly generated windfall profits for Japan, the US, and other wealthy countries.The gains stem from a pledge to provide $100 billion a year to help poor nations cope with climate change and undertake projects to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Benefactor countries have channeled money from the program back into their own economies, reaping billions of dollars in profits, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing an analysis of UN and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data.Japan, the US, France, Germany, and other wealthy nations have made the initiative a money-making opportunity by extending loans at market rates – rather than giving grants or low-interest financing – or insisting that the recipients hire their companies to carry out the projects. Reuters said it identified nearly $22 billion in loans and grants that came with such strings attached. Read more RT Unstoppable march of the Global South: How Russia and Africa made 2023 a pivotal year for bilateral relations “Offering climate loans at market rates or conditioning funding on hiring certain companies means that money meant for developing countries gets sent back to wealthy ones,” Reuters said. Liane Schalatek, associate director with Germany’s Heinrich-Boll Foundation policy think tank, called the tactics “deeply reprehensible.” She added, “Climate finance provision should not be a business opportunity.”The funding pledges were first made in 2009, supposedly to help poor countries that were disproportionately harmed by climate change. Roughly $353 billion was paid from 2015 through 2020. Reuters said more than half of that money came in the form of loans, which indebted poorer nations used “to solve problems largely caused by the developed world.”Andres Mogro, Ecuador’s former director of climate initiatives, said the program heaped a new wave of debt on the global south. “It’s like setting a building on fire and then selling the fire extinguishers outside.”Ritu Bharadwaj, a researcher at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development, told Reuters that the benefits reaped by developed nations have overshadowed the program’s primary objective of supporting climate action in poorer countries. “This is a classic example where a bad loan, which has been given to a country in the garb of climate finance, will create further financial stress.” READ MORE: EU’s green initiative could de-industrialize Africa – development bank head UN data showed that more than half of the 54 most indebted developing nations also ranked among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Reuters showed that ten debt-distressed nations – led by Egypt, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Tunisia – took on a combined $11.5 billion in climate loans.“Heavily indebted countries face a vicious cycle: Debt payments limit their ability to invest in climate solutions, while extreme weather causes severe economic losses, often leading them to borrow more,” Reuters said. READ MORE: ‘No science’ behind calls to phase out fossil fuels – COP28 president   via RT - Daily news https://ift.tt/89mwNl4