THAT number. 1,264. The latest drugs death statistics had a dreadful inevitability to them, even before official confirmation of the number of fatalities in Scotland were published this week. That data showed a further 6% increase on last year’s deadly tally, confirming that Scotland now has the highest recorded drug death rate in Europe, racing dramatically ahead not only of England and Wales per capita, but all of our neighbours. In the early 2000s, there were around 360 drug-related deaths in Scotland each year. From 2013 onwards, the trajectory has only been up, and up, and up, at pace, at speed. The number of fatalities has more than doubled in just seven years. While heroin and other opiates remain principally implicated, since 2015 benzodiazepines are also increasingly involved, often in combination with other substances.
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Douglas Rossâs party said it would not participate in any constitutional referendum run by Scottish ministers without agreement from Downing Street INDEPENDENCE supporters “need No voters to come out” to the polls in indyref2, an expert has warned as the Tories confirm they would boycott a ballot run by Holyrood. Douglas Ross’s party said it would not participate in any constitutional referendum run by Scottish ministers without agreement from Downing Street. The Scottish Government aims to hold a second constitutional vote next year. Debate continues amongst Yes supporters and figureheads about the best indyref2 strategy in the face of refusal by Boris Johnson, who says he won’t give the Section 30 order needed to make the process legal.
2020 Those who adopt a hold-out strategy in SEP FRAND licensing should face the prospect of a market red card
While many of the legal and policy currents have moved in patent owners direction this year, there is still work to be done to ensure that companies holding out on taking a licence are brought to the table, writes InterDigital licensing head Eeva Hakoranta.
The global pandemic has shown how critically important mobile connectivity is for our nations, societies, communities, companies and families. This technology, based on innovation contributed to open standards, has kept us connected though our virtual work environments despite the lockdowns and challenges for physical proximity.
British army officers were ‘organising and running their own private war’ in Northern Ireland
Photo surveillance techniques used to gather intelligence on Soviet troop movements in East Germany were used by the army’s notorious Force Research Unit to help its agents monitor targets in Northern Ireland
A Royal Air Force (RAF) intelligence veteran has claimed that British detectives “weren’t interested” in hearing his evidence about the possible collusion of senior British army officers in murders in Northern Ireland.
Geoff Currums, a military surveillance specialist who retired as a squadron leader, spoke out after giving two interviews to police officers from Operation Kenova, which is investigating the activities of “Stakeknife”, the British army’s most senior spy inside the Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Pat Flanagan: If you want a conspiracy in Ireland our past is the place to look
RTE did a powerful documentary about the Belturbet bombing, which claimed the lives of Geraldine O’Reilly, 15, and 16-year-old Paddy Stanley
Belturbet Bomb (Image: Paddy Ronaghan/ RTE)
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