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o777 Outcry as SNP unveils soft-touch ‘Charter of Rights’ for drug users Relaxed rules for addicts a ‘green light to crime gangs’ Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport By MICHAEL BLACKLEY, SCOTTISH POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 17:31 EST, 11 December 2024 | Updated: 17:31 EST, 11 December 2024 e-mail 2 View comments The SNP was yesterday accused of ‘doubling down’ on its ‘soft-touch approach’ to drugs after a new ‘Charter of Rights’ for users was announced. The Scottish Government has come under fire over its plans to tackle the country’s drug deaths crisis after John Swinney launched the new document yesterday. It stated that people must not be arrested or detained ‘solely based on substance use or dependence’. It also said that those given drug or alcohol treatment programmes as an alternative to prison should face ‘no penalties’ if these are not completed. As he launched the document at an event in Glasgow yesterday, the First Minister also confirmed his government supports full decriminalisation of drugs and has discussed the matter with the UK Government . Annie Wells, drugs spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives , said: ‘Drug deaths are Scotland’s shame on the SNP’s watch, yet they still refuse to accept their approach is not working. ‘They appear to be doubling down on their soft-touch approach, including continuing to show support for drug decriminalisation. ‘Communities already ravaged by drugs will be appalled that the SNP appear relaxed about flooding them with more substances. Mr Swinney launches Charter in bid to tackle drug abuse Swinney confirmed his government supports full decriminalisation of drugs 'While it is right Scotland’s drug deaths crisis is treated as a public health emergency, SNP ministers shouldn’t be giving the green light to organised criminals with these latest plans.’ The Charter includes a section on ‘freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention’ which states that ‘duty bearers’ – which include police officers, prisons and courts – ‘must make sure that people are not detained solely based on substance use or dependence’. It also states they should ‘prioritise diversion from prosecution and non-custodial measures for substance offences of a minor nature’. Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport Advertisement It goes on: ‘Drug or alcohol treatment as an alternative to prison should only be undertaken with informed consent and where medically appropriate. ‘No penalties should be attached to failure to complete such a treatment. All guidance need to be applied in line with the right to be free from arbitrary arrest or detention.’ The Scottish Government said the Charter has been recognised as ‘the first of its kind in the world’ by the United Nations Human Rights Office. In a section on the right to private and family life, the document also highlights that national child protection guidance ‘does not include substance use as grounds for child removal’. Official figures released in August showed there were 1,172 drug deaths in 2023, which was 121 higher than in 2022. Speaking at yesterday’s launch, Mr Swinney said: ‘We want every person experiencing harm from alcohol or drug use to be able access the support they need and through our £250million national mission on drugs we’re taking a wide range of actions. ‘This Charter is a key part of that mission. It strengthens our public health and human rights-based approach to substance use-related harms and, over time, it will contribute to saving lives.’ He confirmed talks have taken place with the UK Government on drug laws, which are reserved to Westminster. Mr Swinney added: ‘Very clear arguments have been marshalled by the Scottish Government that support decriminalisation in certain circumstances.’ Police Scotland has been asked for comment on the Charter. SNP Glasgow John Swinney Share or comment on this article: Outcry as SNP unveils soft-touch 'Charter of Rights' for drug users e-mail Add comment

By MARK VANCLEAVE and MICHAEL GOLDBERG FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — A jury convicted two men on Friday of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has brought increasing numbers of Indians into the U.S., prosecutors said. They were each convicted on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. “This trial exposed the unthinkable cruelty of human smuggling and of those criminal organizations that value profit and greed over humanity,” Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said. In an image released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, shows how the migrants who survived the crossing were terribly inadequately dressed. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP) This combination image shows left to right; undated photo released by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office shows Harshkumar Patel in Elk River, Minn., and undated photo released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows Steve Shand. (AP Photo) The Edward J. Devitt U.S. Courthouse and Federal building is seen, where two men on trial face human smuggling charges, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Fergus Falls, Minn. (AP Photo/Michael Goldberg) FILE – Road signage is posted just outside of Emerson, Manitoba, Jan. 20, 2022. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP, File) In an undated image released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, shows items found in a migrant child’s backpack. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP) FILE – Road signage is posted just outside of Emerson, Manitoba on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) In an image released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, shows how the migrants who survived the crossing were terribly inadequately dressed. (U.S. Attorney’s Office via AP) “To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers put men, women and children in extraordinary peril leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of an entire family. Because of this unimaginable greed, a father, a mother and two children froze to death in sub-zero temperatures on the Minnesota-Canadian border,” Luger added. The most serious counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press before the trial. But federal sentencing guidelines rely on complicated formulas. Luger said Friday that various factors will be considered in determining what sentences prosecutors will recommend. Federal prosecutors said 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, while trying to cross the border into Minnesota in a scheme Patel and Shand organized. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel. The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. The family was fairly well off by local standards, living in a well-kept, two-story house with a front patio and a wide veranda. Experts say illegal immigration from India is driven by everything from political repression to a dysfunctional American immigration system that can take years, if not decades, to navigate legally. Much is rooted in economics and how even low-wage jobs in the West can ignite hopes for a better life. Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an alleged participant in the smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts. Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. Patel’s lawyers, The Canadian Press reported , said their client had been misidentified. They said “Dirty Hary,” the alleged nickname for Patel found in Shand’s phone, is a different person. Bank records and witness testimony from those who encountered Shand near the border didn’t tie him to the crime, they added. Prosecutors said Patel coordinated the operation while Shand was a driver. Shand was to pick up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the border, prosecutors said. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found two parents and their young children later that morning, dead from the cold. The trial included an inside account of how the international smuggling ring allegedly works and who it targets. Rajinder Singh, 51, testified that he made over $400,000 smuggling over 500 people through the same network that included Patel and Shand. Singh said most of the people he smuggled came from Gujarat state. He said the migrants would often pay smugglers about $100,000 to get them from India to the U.S., where they would work to pay off their debts at low-wage jobs in cities around the country. Singh said the smugglers would run their finances through “hawala,” an informal money transfer system that relies on trust. The pipeline of illegal immigration from India has long existed but has increased sharply along the U.S.-Canada border. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30, which amounted to 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates more than 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the U.S., behind only Mexicans and El Salvadorans. Jamie Holt, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said the case is a stark reminder of the realities victims of human smuggling face. “Human smuggling is a vile crime that preys on the most vulnerable, exploiting their desperation and dreams for a better life,” Holt said. “The suffering endured by this family is unimaginable and it is our duty to ensure that such atrocities are met with the full force of the law.” One juror Kevin Paul, of Clearwater, Minnesota, told reporters afterward that it was hard for the jurors to see the pictures of the family’s bodies. He said he grew up in North Dakota and is familiar with the kind of conditions that led to their deaths. “It’s pretty brutal,” Paul said. “I couldn’t imagine having to do what they had to do out there in the middle of nowhere.”NSU Islamabad expands global horizons with Chinese partnership

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Google, already facing a possible breakup of the company over its ubiquitous search engine , is fighting to beat back another attack by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging monopolistic conduct, this time over technology that puts online advertising in front of consumers. The Justice Department and Google made closing arguments Monday in a trial alleging Google's advertising technology constitutes an illegal monopoly. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.I ditched my best friend's wedding because I had work and she refused to change the date: 'I was maid of honour... I cut up my dress'JAY Sneddon hopes Cardiff-Boolaroo can convert a strong start to the season now two-day fixtures have arrived as the top-six sides lock horns in a key round. Login or signup to continue reading CBs have barely put a foot wrong so far in 2024-2025, losing only once and sitting third on Newcastle District Cricket Association's first-grade ladder. And with the 50-over phase of the draw behind them, skipper Sneddon wants to continue the club's push towards a semi-final return after near misses (fifth in 2023-2024 and sixth in 2022-2023) the last two campaigns. "The last two years we've done a lot better in two-day cricket than one-day cricket, so hopefully that translates this year and puts us in a really good spot for top four," he told the Newcastle Herald . Sneddon has identified maturity, adaptability and responsibility as some of the key improvements made by Cardiff-Boolaroo this summer. "From our perspective we've been really good and especially as a young side we've shown big improvements from last year," he said. "We're more mature - turning starts into runs, being able to bowl to plans and starve a team rather than searching for wickets, building pressure. "We're starting to learn and adapt to play different conditions. Our home pitch is a little bit different to other grounds and being smart enough to change plans, lengths, lines to suit different conditions. "And last year it felt like nobody wanted to step up and be the one to take responsibility and get the job done, whereas this year there's 11 players chomping at the bit to take some responsibility and win us a game of cricket." Austin Berry has been away at the Under-17 State Challenge this week and replaces Cardiff-Boolaroo's opening bowler Dan Williams, representing Newcastle at the NSW Country Championships. Sneddon describes Saturday's clash with Merewether (6th) at Pasterfield Sports Complex as crucial in the context of the competition. "We realise how big a game it is, against Merewether it's really worth 12 points for us," he said. "They're another team who will be there and thereabouts for the top four come the end of the season, so we distance ourselves from them if we get a win on the weekend." Stockton (1st) and Wallsend (2nd), fresh from facing off in the Tom Locker Cup final on Sunday , have a top-of-the-table encounter at Lynn Oval while defending premiers Charlestown (5th) and City (4th) meet at Kahibah Oval in a replay of last season's two-day decider. Just seven points separate these half-a-dozen teams on the overall standings midway through round six. Wests v Hamwicks at Harker Oval and University v Toronto at Bernie Curran Oval also didn't get underway last weekend, leaving 90 overs available but still under two-day playing conditions. Waratah-Mayfield (8th) could be the big movers, with a first-innings result already in the bag and eyeing an outright against Belmont. They resume at 0-140 in dig number two and with a lead of 204 runs, initially rolling the visitors for 39 at Waratah Oval after making 103. My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury. My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and No. 14 Duke defeated No. 10 Kansas State, 73-62 on Monday, in the semifinals of the Ball Dawgs Classic. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and No. 14 Duke defeated No. 10 Kansas State, 73-62 on Monday, in the semifinals of the Ball Dawgs Classic. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and No. 14 Duke defeated No. 10 Kansas State, 73-62 on Monday, in the semifinals of the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Blue Devils (6-1) overcame an early 11-point deficit behind Jackon’s shooting hand to advance to Wednesday’s championship game against the winner of the game between No. 9 Oklahoma and DePaul. Jackson, who has scored in double figures in all six of Duke’s games, shot 12 of 19 (63.1%) from the floor, including 6 of 9 (66.7%) from 3-point range. Reigan Richardson added 16 points for the Blue Devils. Kansas State (5-1) was led by Ayoka Lee, who had 16 points. Serena Sundell scored 15 and Kennedy Taylor came off the bench to add 11 for the Wildcats. Takeaways Kansas State: With her 16-point performance, Lee needs 48 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05) for the Kansas State career scoring record. Wecker scored 2,333 points. Lee, the 2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is averaging 15.3 points. Duke: Jackson hit her season average of 13.3 points by the 3:54 mark of the second quarter when her pull-up jumper gave her 14. The junior guard was 8 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and had 20 points by halftime. Key moment With the Blue Devils trailing by six midway through the second quarter, Jackson triggered a 15-0 run with 13 of the team’s points to help Duke take a lead they’d never relinquish. Up next Duke will face the winner of No. 9 Oklahoma-DePaul on Wednesday in the championship game, while Kansas State will face the loser in the consolation game. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball Advertisement

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