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CNN  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he is open to the possibility of bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time in years, as pressure from the United States builds on both sides to agree to a quick peace deal. US, European and Ukrainian officials are set to meet this week in London after Washington warned that it could abandon its efforts on ending the conflict if there were no signs of progress. Speaking to reporters, Putin said it could be possible to discuss the halting of strikes against civilian infrastructure directly with Kyiv. “We have a positive…

CNN  —  The Department of Education announced on Monday that it will restart collecting federal student loans in default on May 5, ending a pandemic-era pause that began roughly five years ago. More than 5 million borrowers are in default, the department said in a news release. Federal student loans go into default after 270 days without payment. “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away,…

Hong Kong CNN  —  As the world rushed to pay tribute to Pope Francis following his death, the response has been comparatively muted in China – an officially atheist state with millions of Catholics whose government has had a difficult and complex relationship with the Vatican. In the passing of Pope Francis, Beijing loses a well-respected global leader who had pushed the Vatican closer to China’s Communist Party leadership than any of his predecessors. Nonetheless, Chinese state-controlled media’s coverage on his death has been terse. The Chinese government extended its condolences nearly 24 hours after the Vatican’s announcement of the…

CNN  —  Unsupervised use of psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” has accelerated among all age groups in the United States, but especially among adolescents and people 30 and older, a new study found. “The prevalence of psilocybin use in 2023 rose dramatically over the prior five years since states began liberalizing policy in 2019,” said study coauthor Dr. Andrew Monte, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Use of psilocybin increased by 2.4% among 12th graders in 2023, an increase of 53% over five years, according to the study published Monday in the…

With around one million people living with Parkinson’s disease in the U.S. — and 90,000 getting new diagnoses each year — the race is on for a cure.Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have announced progress on that front — they have developed a new therapy that uses stem cells to treat advanced Parkinson’s.In the phase 1 trial, the researchers used donated stem cells (taken from early-stage embryos) to create nerve cells (neurons) and transplanted them into the brains of 12 Parkinson’s patients, according to a press release from MSK.NEW DRUG FOR PARKINSON’S SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN…

Hong Kong CNN  —  China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest producer of electric vehicle batteries, has unveiled an upgraded battery it says promises an even longer range than rival BYD’s cutting-edge technology. Both tech giants now boast they have batteries that can charge EVs in as little as five minutes. But on Monday, CATL upped the ante by announcing that its new Shenxing battery has a range of 320 miles, about 70 miles longer than BYD’s stated range of 250 miles. By comparison, Tesla’s Superchargers lag way behind by delivering 200 miles of range in a 15-minute charge.…

CNN  —  The National Institutes of Health says it will pull medical research funding from universities with diversity and inclusion programs and any boycotts of Israeli companies, according to a policy note issued Monday. The agency “reserves the right to terminate financial assistance awards and recover all funds” if grant recipients do not comply with federal guidelines barring diversity and equity research and “prohibited boycotts,” the notice stated. The policy applies to “domestic recipients of new, renewal, supplement, or continuation awards” issued starting April 21, the notice said. The directive mirrors funding freezes the Trump administration placed on Harvard and…

Rome CNN  —  An old saying about papal elections goes as follows: “He who enters the conclave as pope, leaves it as a cardinal.” In other words, any candidate seen as the frontrunner before the voting begins should be treated with caution, and no cardinal should go into the Sistine Chapel assuming they will get the votes. At the 2013 conclave, one of the favorites was Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan. The Italian bishops were so confident that he would be chosen that after the white smoke emerged from the Vatican chimney, a senior Italian church official sent a message…

A New York judge has ordered Mayor Eric Adams to temporarily halt a program to have immigration agents operate in the city’s infamous Rikers Island jail. Judge Mary Rosado has barred the city from “taking any steps toward negotiating, signing, or implementing any Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government” before an April 25 hearing in a lawsuit challenging the plan. NJ GOVERNOR ACCUSED OF HARBORING VIOLENT ILLEGAL CRIMINALS, DOJ LAUNCHES PROBE New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been ordered by a judge to temporarily halt a program to have immigration agents operate in the city’s infamous Rikers Island jail.  (Christopher…

A day after Nico Iamaleava announced his decision to leave Tennessee for UCLA, it appears that a quarterback “trade” has been completed.Joey Aguilar, who joined the Bruins through the winter portal, will now be headed to Knoxville and joining the Volunteers, ESPN reports.Iamaleava’s saga was highly-publicized, as it stemmed from a reported rift with Tennessee over NIL negotiations.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Appalachian State Mountaineers quarterback Joey Aguilar (4) throws a warmup pass before the game against the South Alabama Jaguars at Kidd Brewer Stadium.  ESPN reported that Iamaleava was seeking a deal worth $4 million for…