With the school year wrapping up, it is easy to miss the latest news stories. Here are some quick hits on the latest national news.

England Bans Knives:

The number of murders in London are on a steep rise. The mayor of London, Shadiq Kahn, thinks he has the conclusion—banning knives. The new law makes it illegal to sell a knife to someone under 18, carry most knives in public without “good reason” and use any knife in a threatening way. Even a “legal knife,” which has a folding blade three inches long or less, are not to be used in any threatening manner. Khan has even deployed 300 London Police Officer to stop and search anyone they find suspicious of carrying a knife. The affair has struck a lot of controversy amongst Londoners, especially since one of Khan’s campaigns while running for election was to end “stop and search” in the city of London.

Read more about it here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/04/09/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-enacts-knife-control-policies-to-crack-down-on-stabbing-epidemic
And here: https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

Gas Strikes in Douma Syria

This past weekend, an air strike of poison gas devastated Douma, Syria. Syrians blamed the United States for the attack, but the new suspect of the attack is Israel. Eight missiles were fired and 14 people were killed, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel has refused to comment, but they conducted a similar airstrike at the same base on February 10, 2018. President Trump responded to the attack during the most recent Cabinet meeting.

“If it’s the Russians, if it’s Syria, if it’s Iran, if it’s all of them together, we’ll figure it out,” said President Trump.

Read more about it here: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/09/600765750/russia-syria-israeli-jets-strike-air-base-after-alleged-poison-gas-attack-in-dou

North Korea, The U.S. and denuclearization

A U.S. Official has confirmed that Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, has told Washington that they plan to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Late Sunday, it was reported that Kim Jong Un will be willing to talk about the relationship between the two countries when he meets with President Trump. Although this is the first time North Korea has reached out to the U.S., officials are unsure what Pyongyang means by denuclearization. The U.S. is pushing for the complete end to North Korea’s nuclear weapons, but the future is unknown.

Read more about it here: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/09/600741594/north-korea-ready-to-talk-about-denuclearization-u-s-officials-say

The National Guard and the U.S. Mexican Border:

In further efforts to secure the border, Donald Trump has requested National Guard Troops to be deployed to the area. Both President Obama and President Bush took the same action during their time in office to keep our nation safe. Trump plans to send between 2,000 and 4,000 troops to the border, but so far only 1,600 troops have committed. Due to a law called Title 32,it is up to the states whether or not they deploy, but all expenses will be paid by the federal government. New Mexico, Arizona and Texas have already begun sending troops and plan to send many more. California has yet to respond.

Read more about it here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/10/heeding-trumps-call-national-guard-troops-mass-along-border/502018002/

Deadly Synthetic Marijuana:

Over 100 people in Illinois have experienced severe bleeding after using synthetic pot, called K2.There are now 107 people who have experienced the bleeding, including three deaths, all in the Central Illinois and Chicago area. Synthetic Marijuana is a designer drug made to mimic the effects of its natural counterpart. The drug is a mix of substances that are unknown yet prove to be quite toxic. The bleeding is most likely caused by brodifacoum, a very deadly substance used in most rat poisons.

Read more about it here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-100-severe-bleeding-synthetic-pot-illinois-health/story?id=54362392

It is important to stay aware of the world around you, even though it may be difficult in busy times. Finding news quick hits can help make it easier to keep in touch with current events.