Findings: Most social media users who buy hard drugs online are aged between 13 and 18 years
The world’s first internet-facilitated sale, in the early 1970s and on the internet precursor Arpanet, was for an undetermined amount of cannabis. The agreement was between students. Today, strangers may contact you on social media offering drugs to buy. For as many people who believe this is something of a utopian development, you can be sure many more view it as dystopian – especially if the dealers are in fact scammers or selling dodgy goods.
How hard drug peddlers turned emojis, gifs into cool tools of trade to evade security surveillance
For every illegal drug, there is a combination of emojis that dealers and consumers use to evade detection on social media and messaging platforms. Snowflakes, snowfall and snowmen symbolise cocaine. Love hearts, lightning bolts and pill capsules mean MDMA or molly. Brown hearts and dragons represent heroin. Grapes and baby...
Breakup of United Methodist Church over LGBTQ policies unleashes deadly violence in Nigeria
While the Global Methodist Church, at its general conference in May, lifted its longstanding bans on LGBTQ ordination and same-sex marriage, it also granted local conferences the right to set their own standards. The West Africa Central Conference, which includes Nigeria, restricts marriage to between a man and a woman and instructs its churches to follow national laws on LGBTQ issues, according to the news service.
Ukraine kills top Russian general in Moscow it accuses of chemical weapons crimes
Former president Dmitry Medvedev, now a senior Russian security official, was cited by the state RIA news agency as saying that Ukraine’s military and political leadership now faced imminent revenge for Kirillov’s murder.
Genetically engineered crops caused farmers billions of dollars in market losses from transgenic contamination, now US federal court rules GMOs must be regulated
The December 3 ruling overturns the 2020 rule overhaul by the first Trump administration that had eliminated most government oversight over GE crops, trees and grasses. The court held that the previous regulations violated the Plant Protection Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Passing the buck: Nation wants answers on Guinean stadium carnage but Fifa, CAF and FA won’t accept responsibility
The police and security forces are blamed by many of those at the game for firing the teargas rounds that created a dense noxious fog in the stands and pitch area.
Guinea stadium disaster: Before the game there was a colourful carnival, but by end of the day, it was carnage
“I loved my son very much. I can’t talk about him without crying,” says Mory Sanoh, as the tears come again and his voice breaks. “Who can bear such a tragedy?” Lacinte, his seven-year-old son, did not make it out of the Stade du 3 Avril alive on December 1,...
West Africa economic bloc sets up court for crimes during Yahya Jammeh’s regime in Gambia
The court will cover alleged crimes committed under military dictator Yahya Jammeh, whose rule from 1996 to 2017 was marked by arbitrary detention, sexual abuse and extrajudicial killings. Jammeh lost a presidential election in 2016 and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea a year later after initially refusing to step down.
Nuclear: Moscow vows to retaliate as Putin accuses West of pushing Russia to its ‘redlines’
Putin, who said Russian forces in Ukraine has taken control of 189 settlements so far this year, said Russia’s nuclear weapons were there for deterrence.
Adani extradition: US case against Adani Group top brass is strong but it’s doubtful India will let its credibility to be soiled
The US fraud case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani appears to be backed by documents that will help prosecutors make a strong case, legal experts said, but the tycoon is unlikely to be extradited to stand trial anytime soon. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn last month unsealed an indictment accusing Adani...
