EU-DIGEST

The White House has sought to clarify remarks by US President Joe Biden who declared that the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre underscored that there are no indications "that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons".

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com

King Willem-Alexander has said the Dutch royal family will temporarily stop using the Golden Coach until "the Netherlands is ready," following criticism of colonial ties to the horse-drawn carriage.

"Our history contains much to be proud of. At the same time, it also offers learning material for faults to recognize and to avoid in the future," King Willem-Alexander, the ruling monarch in the Netherlands, said in a video message published on the royal family's verified YouTube account on Thursday.

"We cannot rewrite the past. We can try to come to terms with it together. That also applies to the colonial past. Instead, a collective effort is needed that goes deeper and lasts longer. An effort that unites us rather than divides us."

Read more at: The Golden Coach and colonialism: Dutch royal family to temporarily stop using carriage due to colonial ties - CNN Style

U.S. health officials on Tuesday gave final approval to Pfizer's kid-sized COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opens a major expansion of the nation's vaccination campaign to children as young as five.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already authorized the shots for children ages five to 11 — doses just one-third of the amount given to teens and adults. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) formally recommends who should receive FDA-cleared vaccines.

The announcement by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky came only hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer's shots should be opened to the 28 million youngsters in that age group.

Read more at: CDC approves Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids 5 to 11 in the U.S. | CBC News

As marijuana continues to increase in popularity and cultural acceptance, some key questions are increasingly being asked in faith circles. Among them: Is recreational marijuana use moral?

This is just one of the topics being tackled by Todd Miles, professor of theology at Western Seminary and author of Cannabis and the Christian: What the Bible Says about Marijuana.

“We’re being told that [marijuana] is safe,” he said. “But once you dig below the surface, you find, well, maybe not so much.”

Miles said one of the misconceptions and mistruths is that marijuana is not addictive. While the drug might not be as habit-forming as other substances, he pushed back against this sentiment, and noted some of the additional impacts that must be considered when discussing the issue."

Demonstrably, getting high on cannabis ... impairs cognitive abilities, it impairs physical abilities and it impairs moral judgment,” he said, noting that these consequences are “unhelpful.”

Read more ar: Can Christians use marijuana? Prof. details the biblical response | Living News

Extensive research has already shown that these types of coronavirus tests are effective and reliable, and now 10 short-term trials will be used to determine whether their large-scale use is realistic or practical.

Eight of the 10 pilots will take place at educational institutions in Groningen, Delft, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Utrecht and Rotterdam, while the last two will take place at the fire station at Schiphol Airport and a private company. All trials will be supervised by Dutch hospitals and universities.

Read more at: The Netherlands to trial rapid and home coronavirus tests