Liam Payne, the former One Direction member, died on October 16th in Buenos Aires after falling from a hotel balcony. His body was released to his family on November 6th and transported back to the UK. Authorities are investigating the cause of death, while initial reports suggest a combination of drugs and alcohol may have played a role.
Recent data suggests that the United States may have reached a turning point in its fight against obesity, with 2020 potentially marking the year when obesity rates peaked and began to decline. This potential shift is attributed to the emergence of new, highly effective weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which have shown remarkable results in clinical trials and are now being used by a significant portion of the US population.
Australian field hockey player Tom Craig has been suspended for 12 months by Hockey Australia for attempting to purchase cocaine during the Paris Olympics. He was arrested but released without charge after a night in custody. The suspension comes after an investigation by Hockey Australia’s Integrity Unit.
The Indian government has banned 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) medicines, including popular painkillers and multivitamins, citing potential risks to human health. The decision follows recommendations from expert committees and aligns with previous efforts to regulate the use of FDCs in the country.
A video showing youngsters allegedly consuming drugs in a Pune hotel has gone viral, triggering outrage and political accusations. The incident comes amid an ongoing drug controversy in the city, with opposition leaders questioning the government’s commitment to law and order.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has criticized the Congress-led government in Karnataka for the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the state, after 86 out of 103 attendees at a rave party in Bengaluru tested positive for drugs. The BJP has termed the Silicon City “Udta Bengaluru,” alleging that the city is becoming a haven for narcotic substances and rave parties.
The saffron party’s use of the term “Udta Bengaluru” is a reference to the 2016 Bollywood movie “Udta Punjab,” which highlighted drug abuse by youth in Punjab. However, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has said that the opposition’s use of the term is incorrect and that the BJP should not cast aspersions.
In Haryana, law enforcement agencies have confiscated a significant amount of contraband and illicit substances since the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) on March 16th in preparation for the Lok Sabha elections. These seizures include 344 unlicensed firearms, 633 cartridges, and various forms of contraband worth over ₹23 crore. This includes ₹8.17 crore worth of alcohol, ₹8.02 crore worth of narcotics, ₹4 crore in unaccounted-for cash, ₹1.73 crore worth of precious metals, and ₹1.33 crore worth of other illegal items. Additionally, police have been directed to step up vigilance at interstate borders to prevent the entry of illicit liquor into the state.
Mint Butterfield, the 16-year-old child of Slack and Flickr co-founders Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake, has vanished in the crime-ridden Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. The teen was last seen on Sunday night in Bolinas, a community on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from the city. Mint was reported missing the following morning by their mother. The Tenderloin neighborhood has become well known for high levels of crime and it has one of the largest unhoused populations in San Francisco. Drugs are rife in the area, with fentanyl a particular concern.
Danny Butler, 45, from Tulse Hill, was sentenced to 18 years in prison at Croydon Crown Court on Monday after police raided a house in Lambeth and found a total of six weapons, including a pump action shotgun, ammunition, and Class A and Class B drugs. The investigation was part of an operation by the Met to target those responsible for gang violence in south London.
