‘Fascinating conversation’: PM Modi’s ‘epic’ 3-hour podcast with Lex Fridman drops on Sunday
Lex Fridman is a research scientist who also hosts his own podcast, “Lex Fridman Podcast.”
Trump invokes wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target violent illegal immigrant street gangs
President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 Saturday to target the designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) just hours after a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled the law could not be used to deport five Venezuelans. The wartime law, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, has been invoked three times, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. All Venezuelan citizens 14 years or older who are members of TdA, are within the U.S. and are not naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the U.S. may be apprehended, restrained, secured and removed as “alien enemies,” according to a proclamation. ‘WEAPONIZED MIGRATION’: US FACES DEADLY CONSEQUENCES WITH MADURO IN POWER, VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION WARNS Hours before the act was signed, a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Democracy Forward and the ACLU of the District of Columbia, claiming the proclamation could be used to deport any Venezuelan in the country, regardless of whether they are a member of TdA. Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg of the D.C. Circuit granted a temporary restraining order preventing the deportation of five Venezuelans already in immigration custody for two weeks. The Trump administration appealed the restraining order, alleging it is improper to delay a presidential act before it is announced, affiliate FOX 32 Chicago reported. A second hearing is scheduled for Saturday afternoon to establish if the order should be broadened to everyone in danger of removal under the act. “The United States is not at war, nor has it been invaded. The president’s anticipated invocation of wartime authority — which is not needed to conduct lawful immigration enforcement operations — is the latest step in an accelerating authoritarian playbook,” Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, wrote in a statement. “From improperly apprehending American citizens to violating the ability of communities to peacefully worship to now improperly trying to invoke a law that is responsible for some of our nation’s most shameful actions, this administration’s immigration agenda is as lawless as it is harmful.” An in-person hearing on the lawsuit’s merits is scheduled for D.C. Monday. The move fulfills a campaign promise made during an October rally, when Trump announced he would use the law to combat Tren de Aragua (TdA) members in the U.S. Tren de Aragua (TdA), designated a foreign terrorist organization Feb. 20 by the Department of State, has thousands of members, many of whom the White House says have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are “conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.” Colorado officials confirmed TdA occupied entire apartment complexes in Aurora, noting a special task force had to be established to combat its activity. TRUMP TO INVOKE WARTIME ALIEN ENEMIES ACT OF 1798 TO FAST-TRACK DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS As of Sept. 11, 2024, the Aurora Police Department linked the gang to nearly a dozen people, resulting in eight arrests. “Two of the eight individuals who were taken into custody were involved in a July shooting at one of the specific properties in the city that have experienced issues with TdA activity,” according to a statement. “In line with these arrests, we can also now confirm that criminal activity, including TdA issues, had significantly affected those properties.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The White House said the gang has continued to engage in mass illegal migration to the U.S. to “further its objectives of harming United States citizens,” undermining public safety. TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortion and human, drug, and weapons trafficking, according to the White House. It grew significantly while Tareck El Aissami served as governor of Aragua between 2012 and 2017. In 2017, El Aissami was appointed vice president of Venezuela. Soon after, the Treasury Department designated El Aissami a specially designated narcotics trafficker under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, and he remains a U.S. fugitive. In 2020, Maduro and other regime members were charged with narcoterrorism and other crimes in an alleged plot against America. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Sylvester Turner eulogized as a man of faith, family and public service to Houston
The former Houston mayor’s funeral drew more than 1,000 mourners on Saturday, including 20 of his congressional colleagues from both political parties.
At least 11 people dead in Pakistan after military raids
The raids take place in the Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan’s security forces have raided two hideouts used by an armed group in the restive northwest, triggering gun battles that killed at least two soldiers and nine of the group’s fighters, the military says. The raids were conducted on Saturday in the Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. According to local police, the fighters belonged to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. The outlawed TTP is a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban, who reseized power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021 as United States and other NATO troops were in the final stages of a withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war. Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries and have even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which also emboldened the Pakistani Taliban. In a separate incident on Saturday, fighters ambushed security forces in northwestern Pakistan’s Kurram district, bordering Afghanistan, local police said. Authorities have yet to confirm any casualties in that attack. Advertisement Pakistan’s military is engaged in an ongoing operation in Kurram, an area that has witnessed years of violence between Sunni and Shia Muslim communities. Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between armed groups, exacerbating tensions in the region. Since November, Kurram has remained isolated after authorities blocked key roads following sectarian violence. The closure has led to severe shortages of medicine and food, deepening a humanitarian crisis. Also on Saturday, a bomb exploded outside a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing a Muslim leader, local police said. It was unclear who was behind the attack, and an investigation was being conducted. Adblock test (Why?)
WPL 2025 final: Mumbai Indians claim second title as Delhi Capitals despair
Delhi lose third straight final as Mumbai wins by eight runs. The Mumbai Indians have claimed their second Women’s Premier League (WPL) title with an eight-run win against the Delhi Capitals, who have seen their third straight defeat in the final. Delhi, ever present in the three finals of the fledgling competition, would have felt very much in the game after reducing Mumbai to 149-7 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in the first innings on Saturday. Captain and India international Harmanpreet Kaur’s 66 held together Mumbai’s hopes of keeping at bay the side they overcame in 2023’s inaugural final. It was a miserly bowling performance from Delhi, led by South African Marizanne Kapp’s 2-11. Despite a series of cameos in the chase, including a powerful late-innings blast from Kapp, it was Mumbai’s masterful control – led by 3-30 from England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt – that smothered Delhi’s hopes. Having won the toss, Delhi were instantly vindicated in their decision to field first when West Indies opener Hayley Matthews was bowled for three by Kapp. The right-armed seamer opened and bowled straight through her four overs as she also removed Mumbai’s other opener, Yastika Bhatia, in her third over. Advertisement Sciver-Brunt and Kaur began the fight for the 2023 champions with a partnership of 89, brought up in 10 overs, for the third wicket. The former would have thought she was in for more runs when powerfully sweeping Shree Charani while on 30. However, the sweetly timed stroke perfectly picked out Minnu Mani at square. Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur plays a shot during the WPL Twenty20 final [Indranil Mukherjee/AFP] Kaur’s 66, the top score of the final, held the innings together thereafter, but she was desperate for someone to stay with her. The next biggest partnership of the innings was the unbeaten eighth-wicket stand of 17. Delhi’s reply could not have got off to a worse start with captain Meg Lanning and opening partner Shafali Verma both removed inside the first three overs. Jess Jonassen followed in the first over after the powerplay before Annabel Sutherland followed in the eighth. Another WPL final and another defeat loomed. The captain may have departed, but her deputy, Jemimah Rodrigues, grasped the moment. The Delhi vice captain praised her captain’s leadership in the build-up to the final, but it was her dynamic innings with the highest strike rate in the match of anyone facing more than seven deliveries that gave her side a chance. Back-to-back boundaries to start the 11th propelled the right-hander to 30, but Amelia Kerr struck back before the over was out with a caught-and-bowled to remove the Delhi number four, who was premature in closing her bat face in search of a single. Mumbai Indians’ Amelia Kerr takes the catch to dismiss Delhi Capitals’ Jemimah Rodrigues [Indranil Mukherjee/AFP] Kapp, a leading light with the ball, appeared to be offering one final glimpse of hope for Delhi as she and Sarah Bryce started another partnership before a mix-up and a momentary hesitation by the latter saw her comfortably run out. Advertisement It was the third highest partnership of the innings at 18, but with the best being 22, it was a shallow return in search of a foundation upon which to build a chase. Kapp continued her near one-woman pursuit to try to end Delhi’s losing streak in finals, and when Kerr carried a catch over the boundary in the 16th, it appeared the tide may well be turning. When the powerful all-rounder holed out to long-on and Matthews – the first wicket she claimed in the match – for 40, the game and the final was well and truly up. Sciver-Brunt, who claimed Kapp’s wicket, bowled Shikha Pandey the very next ball, and the chase quickly ended. The celebrations for the hosts in Mumbai will long continue. However, so too will the pain of third time unlucky in a final for Delhi. Adblock test (Why?)
US launches major air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen; At least 9 killed
President Trump warns Houthis, promises intensified action as US strikes escalate in Yemen. United States President Donald Trump has announced a series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in the most significant military action of his second term to date. At least nine civilians were killed and nine injured in the strikes in Sanaa on Saturday, according to Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry. “Your time is up, and your attacks must stop, starting today. If they don’t, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social, his social media site. “I have ordered the US military today to launch a decisive and powerful military operation against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen,” Trump added. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” he said in the post, accusing the Iran-aligned group of threatening Red Sea shipping. The Houthis, who control much of the Arabian Peninsula country, started a campaign targeting the busy sea route in support of Palestinians in Gaza after Israel began bombing the besieged enclave. Advertisement Trump also told Iran it needed to immediately stop supporting the Houthis. He said if Iran threatens the US, “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!” Earlier, Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported attacks in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. [Al Jazeera] The strikes take place as the armed group announced this week it would resume attacks on Israeli ships after Israel failed to stop its punishing blockade of the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The Yemeni group said it was “resuming the ban on the passage of all Israeli ships” in the Red Sea. “Any Israeli ship attempting to violate this ban shall be targeted in the declared zone of operations,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. The “ban” also covers the Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, the group said. The strikes affected global trade, forcing a significant volume of maritime traffic between Asia and Europe away from the Suez Canal to take the far longer journey around Africa. The group halted its drone and missile attacks, which had targeted vessels with tenuous Israeli links when the Gaza ceasefire was declared in January. But it threatened to resume the attacks when Israel blocked all aid into war-battered Gaza on March 2, in the hope of pressuring Hamas into releasing remaining captives it took in its October 7, 2023 attack. Earlier this month, the US designated the Houthi movement, known formally as Ansar Allah, as a “foreign terrorist” organisation. Adblock test (Why?)
President Trump signs continuing resolution, officially averting a shutdown
President Donald Trump signed H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, into law after it passed both the House and the Senate. The passage of the continuing resolution (CR), which was backed by Trump, officially stopped a potential government shutdown. The CR extends the government’s budget through the end of September and was approved by a majority of Senate Republicans. Only Sen. Rand Paul, R-K.Y., voted against the bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., faced backlash on Friday from fellow Democrats after announcing his intention to vote for the bill. SHUTDOWN AVERTED AFTER SCHUMER CAVES AND BACKS TRUMP SPENDING BILL In total, 10 Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the CR and avert a government shutdown, including Schumer, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durban, D-Ill., and Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. TRUMP-BACKED BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PASSES HOUSE DESPITE MUTINY THREATS Before the bill passed the senate, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement urging Democrat senators to “listen to women.” The California congresswoman referenced Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Ct., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wa., both of whom opposed the bill. “Appropriations leaders Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray have eloquently presented the case that we must have a better choice: a four-week funding extension to keep government open and negotiate a bipartisan agreement,” Pelosi’s statement read. “America has experienced a Trump shutdown before – but this damaging legislation only makes matters worse.” Trump appeared to hear about the Senate vote while answering reporters’ questions at Joint Base Andrews. He told the media that he was “very impressed” by the Senate passing the CR. Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
UN chief calls for global action against rising ‘anti-Muslim bigotry’
Marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Guterres speaks out against bigotry, xenophobia and discrimination. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern over “a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry”, calling on governments to protect religious freedom and for online platforms to curb hate speech. Guterres made the remarks on Saturday to mark the International Day to Combat Islamophobia marked every year on March 15. Rights groups around the world and the UN have noted a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Arab bias and anti-Semitism since the start of Israel’s 17-month war on Gaza. “We are witnessing a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry. From racial profiling and discriminatory policies that violate human rights and dignity, to outright violence against individuals and places of worship,” the UN chief said in a video post on X. “This is part of a wider scourge of intolerance, extremist ideologies and attacks against religious groups and vulnerable populations.” He called on governments, without specifying any one nation, to “foster social cohesion and protect religious freedom”. Advertisement “Online platforms must curb hate speech and harassment. And we must all speak out against bigotry, xenophobia and discrimination,” he added. We are witnessing a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry that is part of a wider scourge of intolerance & attacks against religious groups & vulnerable populations. This International Day to Combat Islamophobia, let’s work together to uphold equality, human rights & dignity. pic.twitter.com/QIO1TeWME5 — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 15, 2025 Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Miguel Angel Moratinos said Muslims were facing “institutional discrimination and socioeconomic restrictions”. “Such biases are manifested in the stigmatisation and the unwarranted racial profiling of Muslims and are reinforced by biased media representations, and by the anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies of some political leaders,” he said in a speech to the UN General Assembly. Rights advocates have for years raised concerns about the stigma faced by Muslims and Arabs because of how some people conflate those communities with armed groups. At present, many pro-Palestinian activists, including in Western nations such as the United States, have complained and say that their advocacy for Palestinian rights is wrongly labelled by their critics as support for Hamas in Gaza. In recent weeks, rights watchdogs have published data noting record levels of anti-Muslim hate incidents and hate speeches in countries such as the United Kingdom, the US and India, among others. Advertisement A report released by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Tuesday said that the 8,658 complaints regarding anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents last year – representing a 7.4 percent rise year on year – was the highest number since the group began compiling data in 1996. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Inch by inch’: Myanmar rebels close in on key military base in Chin State
Falam township, Chin State – In the mountains of western Myanmar, photographs of fallen fighters line a wall of a rebel headquarters – an honour roll of some 80 young men, beginning with 28-year-old Salai Cung Naw Piang, who was killed in May 2021. The true toll on the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) extends beyond this hall and grows as war against Myanmar’s military grinds on in Chin State – a Christian region of the country bordering India where ethnic Chin fighters have expelled the military from most of their territory. “Even if they don’t surrender, we will go till the end, inch by inch,” CNDF Vice President Peter Thang told Al Jazeera in a recent interview. Launched in mid-November, the Chin offensive to capture the town of Falam – codenamed “Mission Jerusalem” – has come at a heavy cost. About 50 CNDF and allied fighters were killed in the first six weeks, some buried alive after direct air strikes by jet fighters of Myanmar’s military regime on earthen bunkers, Thang said. Advertisement Thang estimated similar casualties among Myanmar’s military, and more than 100 government soldiers captured, in the continuing operation. Formed by civilians to fight the military after the 2021 coup in Myanmar, the CNDF has encircled the regime’s last garrison in a hilltop base in Falam. “We are facing a difficult time,” Thang admitted. “If God is willing to hand over the enemy, we will take it,” he said of Mission Jerusalem’s ultimate objective. Taking and holding Falam – Chin State’s former capital – would also mark the first district centre captured by the country’s new rebel forces without support from established ethnic armies, according to Thang, who ran a travel agency in Myanmar’s commercial capital Yangon before the coup. “We have more challenges than others,” he said. “The military has so much technology. We have limited weapons, and even some of them we can’t operate,” he added. Peter Thang, Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) vice president, sits in front of the CNDF flag during an interview in a village at the front line in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar, in January 2025 [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] Besieged hilltop base With the CNDF supported by fighters from 15 newly formed armed groups, including from Myanmar’s ethnic Bamar majority, about 600 rebels have besieged Falam and the roughly 120 government soldiers who, confined to their hilltop base, depend on supplies dropped by helicopter for their survival. Unlike established ethnic armies who are fighting to gain more territory for themselves, the rebel forces massed in Chin State said they aim to overthrow Myanmar’s military regime entirely. Advertisement While the CNDF and allies in the Chin Brotherhood (CB) coalition scored previous victories against the military with help from the powerful Arakan Army (AA) to the south in Rakhine State, seizing Falam independently would represent a new phase in Myanmar’s revolution. But the biggest challenge in the battle remains aerial attacks by the military. Operations against the hilltop base in Falam trigger bombardments from the military’s Russian and Chinese fighter jets, along with rocket-propelled grenades, artillery, sniper and machinegun fire from troops defending the outpost. A Chin National Defence Force fighter points to the Myanmar military’s hilltop base in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] CNDF commanders told how the besieged soldiers once chatted freely with locals and some had even married local Chin women. But that all changed when Myanmar’s security forces shot peaceful protesters demonstrating against the military’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021. Demonstrators fought back, and an uprising was born that has become steeped in blood and the lore of many martyrs. Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, a 19-year-old protester, was the first victim – shot in the head by police on February 9, 2021 in the country’s capital, Naypyidaw. In April 2021, armed with hunting rifles, the Chin launched the first significant battle of Myanmar’s uprising in Mindat town, which has since been liberated. Now the rebels are equipped with assault rifles and grenade launchers. They control most of the countryside and several towns, but remain outgunned, as the military entrenches itself in urban centres. Unable to launch ground offensives from their depleted ranks, the regime’s generals have turned to forced conscription and indiscriminate air strikes nationwide. Advertisement According to rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the military has killed at least 6,353 civilians since the coup. With at least 3.5 million people displaced inside the country, according to the United Nations, observers predict even fiercer fighting this year. A CNDF fighter stands near the ruins of a Christian church bombed by a Myanmar military jet in Falam township, Chin State, Myanmar [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] ‘Some died, others ran in all directions’ In Falam, CNDF defence secretary Olivia Thawng Luai said spouses live with some of the soldiers in the surrounded hilltop holdout. “Most soldiers want to leave their base but they are under the commander’s control,” said Olivia Thawng Luai, a former national karate champion. “They aren’t allowed to leave the base or use their phones,” she said. Another senior CNDF figure, Timmy Htut, said the commander in the besieged base still has his own phone – and the rebels call his number regularly. “One day he will pick up,” he said. “When he’s ready.” Attempts by the military to send reinforcements to Falam have failed. Helicopters, facing sheets of gunfire, have dropped conscripted airborne recruits on Falam’s outskirts, ordering them to fight their way into the town. None has succeeded. Olivia Thawng Luai, CNDF defence secretary, at the front line in Falam town [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] A captured soldier said his unit was dropped in without a plan, and, under heavy fire and pursued by resistance fighters, they scattered in chaos. Advertisement “Some died, others ran in all directions,” the soldier told Al Jazeera. “The headquarters said they couldn’t waste their jet sorties for just a few of us,” he said. The military, he continued, has lost “many skilful,
Can an aspirin a day keep cancer at bay?
For decades, aspirin has been known as a go-to painkiller. New research reveals how it may also help fight cancer. While previous research hinted at a link between aspirin use and improved cancer survival, a study published in Nature last week explains why. However, experts caution that aspirin is not a cure – and it carries risks like increased potential for internal bleeding. So, how might aspirin keep cancer from spreading? And what does this mean for future treatments? What have studies found about aspirin use and cancer? Recent studies have revealed how aspirin, a widely used painkiller, may help prevent the spread of cancer, although it is unclear whether it would work the same for all types of the disease. Researchers have been exploring this link for decades. The first clinical study, published in 1988, showed that regular aspirin use significantly lowered the risk of colorectal cancer, though the underlying reason remained unclear. Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge offers more insight. It found the mechanism by which aspirin may help prevent cancer from spreading, a process known as metastasis. Advertisement Metastasis is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths, as cancer cells break away from the original tumour and try to take root elsewhere across the body. As these drifting cancer cells go rogue, aspirin may enhance the body’s natural ability to fight back, keeping the cancer cells from taking hold of more organs. How can aspirin keep cancer from spreading? The key to aspirin’s effect on cancer lies in the body’s immune system, a complex network of cells and proteins that defends against infections, diseases and harmful germs. When cancer cells break away from a tumour, they enter the bloodstream, where the immune system – specifically types of white blood cells known as T-cells – normally hunts them down and destroys them. However, platelets – tiny cell fragments in the blood that help with clotting – can interfere with this process. Cancer takes advantage of platelets by triggering a response similar to an injury. When platelets detect the free-floating cancer cells, they rush to coat them, much like they would cover a wound to stop bleeding. This creates a protective shield, making it harder for the immune system to recognise and attack the cancer cells. Additionally, platelets release signals that suppress T-cells, preventing them from doing their job. Aspirin disrupts cancer’s attempts at trickery by reducing the production of a molecule that platelets use to suppress immune activity. With the platelets weakened, T-cells regain their ability to recognise and destroy cancer cells before they have a chance to form new tumours. Advertisement How could aspirin be used against cancer? The study suggests that aspirin could be used after treatments like surgery where tumours are removed. This is because some cancer cells may have already escaped from the tumour and begun to settle in other parts of the body, a process known as seeding, where tiny cancer cells embed themselves in new areas and may later grow into tumours. However, experts caution against immediately using aspirin as a cancer treatment without further research. The painkiller carries the potential for serious side effects such as internal bleeding because by weakening the platelets, it can weaken their ability to help blood clot. Aspirin blocks a molecule that prods platelets to clump together. This makes the blood thinner and increases the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. This is especially dangerous in the stomach, where aspirin can irritate the lining and cause ulcers, and in the brain, where it raises the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke if a tiny blood vessel bursts. Additionally, the study was carried out on mice, not humans, so its effects on cancer spread still need to be confirmed before it can be recommended for treatment. “Our research provides a molecular explanation for observations from clinical studies, but proper clinical validation is still needed,” Rahul Roychoudhuri, a professor in Cambridge’s Department of Pathology who was part of the Nature study, told Al Jazeera. Several clinical trials, such as the ADD-ASPIRIN trial in the United Kingdom, Ireland and India, are under way to determine which patients are most likely to benefit most from taking aspirin and whether it works for specific types of cancers. Advertisement Roychoudhuri added that he does not anticipate an “immediate fast-tracked translation” of aspirin to cancer treatment. Has aspirin been used against diseases in the past? Some patients with a high genetic risk for cancer, such as those with Lynch syndrome (a condition that increases the likelihood of developing certain cancers), are already recommended aspirin as a preventive measure in countries such as Australia and the UK. Since the 1980s, aspirin has also been prescribed to help prevent heart attacks and strokes in people at high risk of heart disease, by reducing the ability of platelets to form harmful clots that can block blood flow to the heart or brain. This clot-preventing effect helps lower the risk of heart attacks in those with a history of cardiovascular disease. Does this mean we are close to a breakthrough in curing cancer? Not necessarily. While aspirin may help slow or prevent the spread of cancer, it does not eliminate tumours entirely. However, scientists are working to identify biomarkers – measurable signs in the blood – and platelet activity to help detect individuals at risk for cancer early on. “This would allow for timely treatment with aspirin while minimising unnecessary exposure for those who do not require it,” said Paola Patrignani, a professor of pharmacology at Gabriele d‘Annunzio University in Italy. Experts say the findings could also contribute to the development of drugs that inhibit cancer spread. “Our discoveries open possibilities for developing more targeted therapies that could potentially provide the benefits without aspirin’s side effects,” Roychoudhuri said. Advertisement Patrignani, who is involved in research funded by Cancer Research UK to investigate whether other anti-platelet drugs, like clopidogrel, might offer similar benefits, says these studies will require another three to five years to be completed.