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President Trump signs continuing resolution, officially averting a shutdown

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’

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

‘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?

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.

Transgender sailors, Marines offered benefits to voluntarily leave service or face being kicked out

Transgender sailors, Marines offered benefits to voluntarily leave service or face being kicked out

The Department of the Navy is offering transgender sailors and Marines the option to voluntarily separate from the service by March 28. Otherwise, they risk being booted from the service — cutting the benefits they’re eligible for in half, according to a Thursday memo released by the Department of the Navy.  The policy aligns with an executive order that President Donald Trump signed in January to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s subsequent orders in February instructing each of the service branches to start separating transgender troops within 30 days.  Acting Secretary of the Navy Terence Emmert said in the memo that the Department of the Navy recognizes male and female as the only two sexes, and that “an individual’s sex is immutable, unchanging during a person’s life.” As a result, Emmert said that those who have a history or “exhibit symptoms consistent with” gender dysphoria may no longer serve in the military and may voluntarily elect to depart the service by March 28. After that date, the Navy will remove sailors and Marines involuntarily from their respective services. FEDERAL JUDGE RIPS DOJ LAWYERS, DEMANDS WRITTEN RETRACTION FROM HEGSETH OVER TRANSGENDER MILITARY POLICY POST  “A history of cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment or genital reconstruction surgery as treatment for gender dysphoria or in pursuit of a sex transition is disqualifying for applicants for military service, and incompatible with military service for military personnel,” the memo said.  Even so, the Navy said it will not go through medical records or health assessments to identify transgender service members, unless explicitly requested to do so.  Transgender service members who don’t take the Navy up on its offer to voluntarily separate are not eligible for as many benefits post-separation. Those who voluntarily depart from the service will receive double the separation pay as those who are involuntarily removed, according to the Navy’s memo.  For example, the Pentagon said on Feb. 28 that an E-5, a petty officer first class in the Navy, with 10 years of experience, would collect a total of $101,628 in voluntary separation pay, but only $50,814 if that service member were to opt for involuntary separation pay.  Those with less than six years of service, or more than 20 years of service, are not eligible for voluntary separation pay.  “The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) will maximize the use of all available command authorities to ensure impacted personnel are afforded dignity and respect,” the Navy’s memo said.  Some exceptions to the rule may apply. The memo said that the Secretary of the Navy may issue waivers for those seeking to remain or join the service on a “case-by-case basis,” if there is proof that keeping or recruiting such individuals “directly supports warfighting capabilities.”  DOJ ISSUES COMPLAINT ABOUT FEDERAL JUDGE’S ‘MISCONDUCT’ WHILE PRESIDING OVER MILITARY TRANS BAN COURT CASE The Navy referred Fox News Digital to its press release on the order when reached for comment, and did not provide an answer as to how many sailors this order would likely impact.  The Navy released its guidance the same day that a federal judge heard arguments for a lawsuit that LGBTQ legal rights advocacy group GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed in February against the Trump administration, seeking a preliminary injunction pausing the ban while litigation is pending.  U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes is expected to issue a final decision on the preliminary injunction by March 25. GLAD Law did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  The Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Lambda Legal also filed a separate lawsuit in February challenging the Trump administration’s order on behalf of six trans service members and asked a federal judge to block the order amid the legal proceedings.  “A dishonorable action from a dishonorable administration,” the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Lambda Legal said in a Feb. 27 statement. “This attack on those who have dedicated themselves to serving our country is not only morally reprehensible but fundamentally un-American. Forcing out thousands of transgender servicemembers, who have met every qualification to serve, does not enhance military excellence or make our country safer.” The Human Rights Campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.  Navy leaders have previously defended LGBTQ service members. For example, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday defended a nonbinary Navy officer assigned to the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford featured in a video the Navy Judge Advocate General Corps shared on Instagram about participating in an LGBTQ spoken-word night during deployment. PENTAGON SAYS TRANSGENDER TROOPS ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM SERVICE WITHOUT EXCEPTION The video attracted scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, who called into question the Navy’s war-fighting priorities. For example, then-Sen. Marco Rubio shared the video on X in April 2023, and said: “While China prepares for war this is what they have our @USNavy focused on.”  But Gilday, who retired in August 2023, told Republican lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee in April 2023 that he was proud of the officer and that people from all different backgrounds serve in the Navy.  As a result, Gilday said it is incumbent upon Navy leaders to “build a cohesive warfighting team that is going to follow the law, and the law requires that we be able to conduct prompt, sustained operations at sea.” “That level of trust that a commanding officer develops across that unit has to be grounded on dignity and respect,” Gilday said in April 2023. “And so, if that officer can lawfully join the United States Navy, is willing to serve and willing to take the same oath that you and I took to put their life on the line, then I’m proud to serve beside them.”