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Kratom, a psychoactive plant that can produce opioid like effects at high doses, has been linked to a sharp rise in poison center reports and serious medical outcomes across the United States. New research published in Addiction found that reported kratom exposures have increased dramatically over the past decade. According to the study, kratom exposures reported to America’s Poison Centers climbed from just 19 cases in 2010 to 1,242 cases in 2023. That represents an increase of more than 65 times (6,500%). Serious cases also became much more common. There were no severe outcomes reported in 2010 (2012 was the…

The top stories and transfer rumours from Wednesday’s newspapers…PREMIER LEAGUEBarcelona and Spain midfielder Gavi has rejected the chance to join Manchester United – The Mirror Marcus Rashford has left Manchester United officials ‘seriously impressed’ following his return to the club after his loan spell at Barcelona – Daily Mail Watch Paper Talk on Sky Sports News Paper Talk is a review of the sports headlines from the national newspapers, every Monday to Friday, live on Sky Sports News from 10.30pm. Missed the show? Catch up on the latest news with the Paper Talk podcast. Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton is…

Members of the group have included founder and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons and the late Dusty Hill. When Hill died in 2021, the group carried on performing with Elwood Francis as its bassist.”Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas,” Gibbons said. “His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top. The band of which he was part for six decades is going to keep on keeping on as he had wished,” he said.ZZ Top, which was inducted…

The Enugu State Government has announced the resumption of the Continuous Survey Revalidation and Digitisation Exercise under the ongoing Survey Records Digitisation Programme. The exercise, which will run until the end of August 2026, is a key component of the state’s ongoing digital transformation of its Land and Survey Records System. According to the state government, the objective is to establish a fully digital, transparent and reliable land administration framework in Enugu State. The exercise also forms part of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s comprehensive agenda for the development of the state. The government called for the participation of all landowners,…

US Agriculture Department says rescinding the 2001 rule will help reduce wildfire risk and return control to local managers.The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed a proposal to rescind the entirety of the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which prohibits road construction and logging on nearly 45 million acres (18 million hectares) of national forest land.Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins submitted the proposal on Tuesday, saying it will mitigate wildfire risk by returning authority to local forest managers, who “know the land best”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of…

The arrest comes after an attack on activist Nadia Beller, who says she was targeted for her opposition to conservative reforms and corruption.Published On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026Bolivia has arrested a prominent adviser to several right-wing political leaders in Latin America on suspicion of plotting a murder.Fernando Cerimedo was arrested on Tuesday following an attack on lawyer and political activist Nadia Beller. The consultant has worked on political campaigns for Argentina’s President Javier Milei, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz.The Argentinian national was arrested in Bolivia at an airport, trying to travel to his home…

Fashion retailer completes its Series 1 Tranche B repayment at maturity, following the successful redemption of Tranche A in May 2026. Miskay Boutique International Limited (Miskay) has redeemed in full its ₦824.2 million Series 1 Tranche B Commercial Paper at maturity.The repayment represents Miskay’s second successful Commercial Paper redemption in 2026, following the redemption of its Series 1 Tranche A issuance in May. Both instruments were issued under the Company’s ₦5.00 billion Commercial Paper Programme. The successful repayment comes as Miskay enters a new phase of growth following the November 2025 capital raise, which enabled the Company to rebuild inventory…

You’re walking the dog at night, and your little flashlight, which has been getting dimmer, conks out. Instead of stumbling home in the dark, wouldn’t it be great if you could somehow eke a little more energy out of the batteries inside?That’s not as crazy as it sounds. When a battery-powered device stops working, we say the battery is “dead”—but it’s not really. It still contains chemical energy, and the voltage isn’t zero; it’s just not high enough to run a current through the light bulb or LED (or whatever load you have).But with a little physics chicanery, you can…

I’ve always thought you can tell something about a country by what it learns to walk past. And, somewhere along the way, we’ve got used to seeing people sleeping rough on our streets.We see people bedded down in doorways and sat outside stations, carrying their lives in rucksacks and with sleeping bags on their backs. And I think most people have the same reaction: this isn’t right; it shouldn’t be happening here. But we’ve lived with it for so long that something that used to shock us now feels like part of the scenery.That’s not on the public. It’s on…

Scientists who turned to OnlyFans to help save long-running research into marmots have raised more than $100,000 after harnessing the support of another, very modern, funding avenue – cryptocurrency.The 60-year project of continuous study of marmots – stout, ground-dwelling rodents that are the largest members of the squirrel family – across the US west was facing termination following science funding cuts imposed by Donald Trump’s administration.In desperation, researchers in June decided to put the marmots on OnlyFans, the adult-content website, to raise funds. Since then, posts on the new account, named OnlyMarms, have shown marmots scurrying across rocky landscapes and…