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Psychedelic drug MDMA eases PTSD symptoms in a study that paves the way for possible US approval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

The psychedelic drug MDMA can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported in a new study published Thursday. The company sponsoring the research said it plans later this year to seek U.S. approval to market the drug, also known as ecstasy, as a PTSD treatment when combined with talk therapy.“It’s the first innovation in PTSD treatment in more than two decades. And it’s significant because I think it will also open up other innovation,” said Amy Emerson, CEO of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, the research sponsor.Earlier this year, Australia became the first country to allow psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. The drugs are gaining wider cultural acceptance in the U.S. in part because of efforts by the nonprofit advocacy group Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.For the new study, researchers measured symptoms in 104 people with PTSD who were randomly assigned to get eithe...

Justin Jefferson can’t hold on, Vikings’ 4 fumbles prove costly in sloppy loss to Eagles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Justin Jefferson had a touchdown in his grasp.He just couldn’t hold on to the ball.Jefferson hauled in a 30-yard reception that took Minnesota to the Philadelphia 1-yard line, tried to stretch into the end zone and lost the ball as he was tackled. The ball rolled into the end zone and out of bounds, and a seemingly sure score for the Vikings — a first-and-goal, at the very least — turned instead into a touchback.Go-ahead TD, wiped out.“Justin’s just trying to make a play in that moment,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said.Jefferson, who otherwise had a fantastic game with 11 catches for 159 yards, had company on the fumble-happy Vikings. The Vikings lost four fumbles, a critical factor in a 34-28 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night.“I’m putting a lot on myself, fumbling in the end zone like that when we need points,” Jefferson said. “Being the captain of the team, I have to know the situation, take care of the ball. I told my teammates, that’s on me ...

Trabajadores de General Motors, Ford y Stellantis van a huelga al mismo tiempo por primera vez en la historia de EE.UU.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

(CNN) — El sindicato United Auto Workers está en huelga contra General Motors, Ford y Stellantis, la primera vez en su historia que acciona contra los tres fabricantes de automóviles del país que tienen sindicatos a la misma vez.El presidente de United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain, había dicho el jueves por la noche que el sindicato haría huelga en los tres grandes fabricantes de automóviles al mismo tiempo a partir de la medianoche si las empresas no llegaban a acuerdos laborales tentativos con sus trabajadores.“Esta noche, por primera vez en nuestra historia, iremos a la huelga los tres grandes al mismo tiempo”, dijo Fain en una transmisión en directo por Facebook. E identificó tres plantas de montaje para las huelgas: una planta de GM en Wentzville, Missouri; una planta de Stellantis en Toledo; y una planta de Ford en Wayne, Michigan.Aunque solo tres plantas entren en huelga, la producción podría paralizarse en General Motors, Ford y Stellantis, que fabrica vehículo...

Zelenskyy to visit Washington after UN appearance

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden and key members of Congress in Washington next week, a person familiar with the plans confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday evening.Zelenskyy’s stop-off in Washington will follow his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he hopes to shore up support for his country in the war against Russia.Zelenskyy will meet with Biden at the White House next Thursday and will also visit Capitol Hill, The Associated Press reported.Zelenskyy previously traveled to Washington in December 2022, on what was his first foreign trip since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the previous February. During that trip, which included a visit to the White House and an address to Congress, the Ukrainian president sought further aid for his country, arguing that continued military and humanitarian assistance were both worthwhile and necessary. There is little doubt he will make a similar case this time a...

Finns have one question for their next president 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

HELSINKI — As five months of campaigning for Finland’s presidential election get underway, one key question looks set to dominate: Whom do Finns trust to deal with Russia?Finland’s president has a big say over foreign policy, and when the Nordic state decided to join NATO last year, it was head of state Sauli Niinistö who led the diplomacy in capitals from Washington to Ankara. Now, with Niniistö heading for the exit after serving the maximum two six-year terms in office, voters must decide who should succeed him at a time when relations with Russia are as frosty as they have been in decades. On the streets of Helsinki on a recent weekday, voters focused on the international nature of the presidential role and the need for a safe pair of hands, with Russia’s assault on Ukraine raging and Finland still finding its feet as a NATO member after its April accession.“The president is the face of the country,” said Tommi Vaurio, a 37-year-old nurse ...

PHOTOS: San Diego sky lit up by rocket blazing over county

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diegans looked up to the sky Thursday night as a rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara blazed over the county. The object was first seen over the region around 7:30 p.m. While some initially speculated that it was a SpaceX mission, the base's Space Systems Command confirmed after 11:30 p.m. that the rocket was apart of a mission known as VICTUS NOX. The mission was a coordinated effort between the U.S. Space Force and Firefly Aerospace, successfully launching a Millennium Space Systems-built vehicle -- known as the Alpha FLTA003 -- with a VICTUS NOX satellite into the atmosphere.Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha FLTA003, carrying the VICTUS NOX satellite for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command, successfully lifted off Sept. 14 at 7:28 p.m. PDT from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. (Courtesy photo: Firefly Aerospace)According to officials, liftoff took place at 7:28 p.m., which was the first available...

California lawmakers approve bills including eviction protections and mental health care reform

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Legislature voted Thursday to bolster eviction protections for renters and close a loophole in an existing law that has allowed landlords to circumvent the state’s rent cap.The eviction reform bill was among hundreds approved before the end of a late legislative session, including giving striking workers unemployment benefits and reforms to the state’s mental health system.Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Oct. 14 to act on the bills by signing them into law, rejecting them with a veto or allowing the bills to become law without his signature. The rental bill by Democratic state Sen. María Elena Durazo would update a 2019 landmark law creating rules around evictions and establishing a rent cap at 5% plus the inflation rate, with a 10% maximum.The governor was the architect of the 2019 law on renter protections, but he has not indicated whether he will sign the new eviction legislation, the bill sponsors said. Under the 2019 law, landlord...

Ukrainian forces reclaim a village in the east as part of counteroffensive

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As part of a multi-pronged counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces have recaptured a village in the country’s east after intense battles with Russian troops, the country’s military said Friday.The village of Andriivka — about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the Russia-occupied town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region — is the latest gain for Kyiv in a counteroffensive that has seen slow but steady gains by Ukrainian forces.The announcement of reclaiming Andriivka came early Friday from the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces.The 3rd Assault Brigade said it captured the village after surrounding the Russian garrison in Andriivka in what it described as a “lightning operation” and destroying it over two days. It described the capture of Andriivka as a breakthrough on the southern flank of Bakhmut and “key to success in all further directions.”Just hours before confirming the capture of Andriivka early Friday, the brigade contested a statement by U...

Stock market today: Asian shares gain after data show China’s economy stabilizing in August

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Friday after China reported that its slowing economy showed signs of stabilizing in August. Benchmarks rose in most regional markets but fell back in Shanghai. Oil prices advanced. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.0% to 18,219.51 in afternoon trading, while the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.5% at 3,110.22. Late Thursday, the People’s Bank of China said it would cut the reserve requirement for banks by 0.25 percentage points as of Friday, “In order to consolidate the foundation for economic recovery and maintain reasonable and sufficient liquidity.”Further boosting sentiment, the government reported Friday that China’s industrial output rose 4.5% in August from a year earlier, up from 3.7% in July. That is seen as a sign the economy may be breaking out of its post-pandemic malaise.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 1.2% to 33,551.04. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.3% to 7,279.00. South Korea’s Kospi...

Key trade crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan reopens after 9 days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:24 GMT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A key northwestern border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened Friday after a nine-day closure due to clashes between border forces, officials from both sides said.Pakistan shut the Torkham border with its neighbor on September 6 after guards from both countries exchanged fire. It accused Taliban authorities of building “unlawful structures” in the vicinity.Pakistani government official Nasir Khan said the crossing reopened Friday morning. Afghanistan’s commissioner in Torkham, Ismatullah Yaqoob, said stranded trucks and pedestrians have started passing through the border.A representative from the Pakistan and Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce welcomed the move.“The reopening has ended the nine-day-long trouble faced by traders on both sides of the border,” said Ziaul Haq Sarhadi. Traders have faced heavy losses in perishable items, he said.Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani met the Taliban administration’s...