Plus: The Caribbean's booming cannabis industry ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher explains how US President Donald Trump's messaging on the events in Minnesota has changed over the past 24 hours. From the island of Antigua, business reporter Gemma Handy writes about the Caribbean's booming cannabis industry. And finally, enjoy the spectacle of a group of starling swirling in the sky. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Trump and Walz speak on the phone |
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|  | Pretti, a US citizen, was shot dead on Saturday during an altercation with Border Patrol in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Credit: Reuters | The White House's tone around the killing of Alex Pretti by law enforcement agents in Minnesota is changing. The initial response included accusations that the 37-year-old posed a danger to the agents. On Monday, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt blamed local and state Democrats officials for the tension and violence in the state. She said President Trump made a list of requests in a call with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz that, if met, would decrease the number of officers needed on the ground. Trump is also dispatching "border czar" Tom Homan to Minnesota. This, Anthony Zurcher writes, may not mark a change in policy, but it could be a change in presentation. |
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| Cannabis growers eye future growth |  | Cannibis plants thrive in Antigua's warm, sunny conditions. Credit: Gemma Handy | In the past decade, several Caribbean nations have decriminalised the recreational use of cannabis and legalised its production and sale for medical reasons. The region is now home to a plethora of legally registered cannabis farms and medicinal dispensaries, accessible to both locals and tourists, if they have a valid medical authorisation card. |
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| | Gemma Handy, Business reporter |
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| | Rub the leaf and inhale the fragrance, Michaelus Tracey is saying. The musky scent of this cannabis plant is distinctly different from the citrusy aroma of another that he is also holding. Intense trials were conducted to produce the various strains, Tracey explains. "We wanted different flavour profiles as well as different effects, but all with a medicinal value."
Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, an expert on the cannabis industry in the Caribbean, believes there needs to be further liberalisation. "We should just make it legal but regulated," says Antoine. She is campus principal at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, where researchers are due to start studying various potential benefits of cannabis - from alleviating the side effects of cancer treatment, to how the plant can boost agriculture by improving soil health. |
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