In April 2026, the North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis recommended that lawmakers set a path for the legalization of marijuana for adults. Two top Republican lawmakers are continually pushing back on such legislation, resurfacing marijuana debates in Raleigh.

New Zealand and the Cook Islands have signed a defense and security declaration, ending over a year of open tensions. But the strategic partnership deal with China that started the crisis remains intact, and New Zealand knows it.

Ukraine has denied involvement in an incident where explosives were found near a pipeline in Serbia, and experts have asserted that the incident was rather an attempt by Russia to influence Hungary’s election. Given that incumbent Viktor Orbán’s party is falling behind in polls, there have been accusations that this was a “false flag” operation by Orbán and Russia to drum up support.

Mass protests have erupted across Prague in recent weeks, as tens of thousands of citizens rally against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his coalition government, citing fears of democratic backsliding as governmental policies begin to shift from a traditional progressive to a more far-right stance. With protests being organized by the Million Moments for Democracy NGO, many state that these have been the largest protests since the Velvet Revolution of 1989.

In the decades following Apollo, the absence of a clear rival to the United States has reduced the urgency of lunar exploration, while domestic priorities focused on lower-cost missions in low Earth orbit made sustained investment in Moon expeditions difficult. In the 2020s, however, China’s growing space capabilities have reintroduced external pressure, creating the conditions under which multiple administrations have supported a consistent lunar strategy.