Hyderabad: A total of 20,904 kg contraband drugs worth Rs 48.53 crore were destroyed in 2024 by the prohibition and excise department. As per the annual excise crime report- 2024 released by the prohibition and excise department on Saturday, December 28, the number of persons arrested for narcotics, drugs, and psychotropic substances (NDPS) offences significantly increased to 1,991 persons in 2024 as against 1,218 in 2023. In 2024, the number of NDPS cases filed rose to 1,118 as compared to 874 cases in 2023. Vehicle seizures reported a sharp increase from 298 in 2023 to 505 in 2024. However, the convictions in NDPS cases have dropped from 14 in 2023 to 6 in 2024, a 57.14 per cent dip. An enhanced seizure diversity has been seen this year, including poppy straw, alprazolam, and emerging synthetic and designer drugs. In 2024, a total of 6,331 kg of dry ganja, 736 ganja plants, and 37 kg of alprazolam and diazepam were seized, valued at Rs 12.22 crore. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) limits, erstwhile Khammam and Medak districts were identified as high-focus areas. A total of 11,329 litres of non-duty paid liquor worth Rs 1.35 crore was seized in 2024, with 854 cases filed, 464 persons arrested and 80 vehicles seized. This was a sharp drop from 30,508 litres seized in 2023, when 1,874 cases were filed, 1,004 persons arrested and 154 vehicles seized in 2023. Although there was a slight decrease in cases from 22,274 in 2023 to 21,916 in 2024, the number of arrests increased to 13,336 in 2024 compared to 12,703 in 2023. Authorities also seized 1,08,200 litres of illicit liquor and 5,77,969 kg of black jaggery during the year.Prosecutors allege that South Korea's suspended president told the military to use guns while attempting to remove lawmakers from parliament while they were voting down his martial law decree. On 3 December, Yoon Suk Yeol authorised soldiers to "break down the doors and drag them [politicians] out, even if it means firing the guns", according to an indictment as part of impeachment proceedings against him. The orders are said to have been given to a general charged with blockading the National Assembly during Yoon's short-lived declaration of martial law - which was voted down by MPs after 190 were able to enter the building. Yoon's cabinet later rescinded his decree, and MPs have since voted to impeach him. South Korea's impeachment process means Yoon has been suspended from his duties while a constitutional court decides whether to confirm his impeachment. If it does, he will be permanently removed from office. His decision to declare military rule - which he claimed at the time was to counter "anti-state forces" in parliament - has been seen by some as an attempt to break a political stalemate since the opposition won a landslide in April. After his late-night speech announcing the decree, opposition MPs and protesters converged on the National Assembly, but were met by police and military personnel barricading the building. When MPs were able to force entry , prosecutors say Yoon told the chief of the capital defence command, Lee Jin-woo, that military forces could shoot if necessary to enter the National Assembly. "Tell (your troops) to go to the voting chamber, four for each (lawmaker) and carry them out," Yoon is alleged to have told Gen Lee. "What are you doing? Break down the doors and drag them out." After MPs voted to lift martial law, Yoon told General Lee to "keep going" as he could declare martial law multiple times, the indictment says. Prosecutors say the indictment draws evidence from former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who was also indicted on Friday for allegedly telling Gen Lee to follow Yoon's orders multiple times on 3 December. He also allegedly ordered commanders to seize the National Elections Commission building and arrest its employees, using cable ties, eye masks, ropes, baseball bats and hammers which had been prepared by the military. Kim will stay in detention while awaiting his trial, the investigators said in a press release. The martial law decree has plunged South Korea into a weeks-long political turmoil. Opposition politicians immediately called Yoon's declaration illegal and unconstitutional. The leader of his own party - the conservative People's Power Party - also called Yoon's act "the wrong move". The former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun was also indicted on Friday, according to the Special Investigation HQ, installed at the country's prosecution service. The same day, the National Assembly also voted to impeach its acting president, Han Duck-soo. Han was supposed to lead the country out of its political instability, but opposition MPs argued that he was refusing demands to complete Yoon's impeachment process. He has agreed to step aside, which means the country's finance minister, Choi Sang-mok, will become acting president. Thousands of protesters have held rival rallies in South Korea, with some demanding Yoon's arrest. Attending a protest in Seoul on Saturday, Kwon Jung-hee told the BBC Han's impeachment felt like "one small mountain" had been climbed. "But there are still too many mountains to climb, so I can't just stay at home - I've come out with the mindset of protecting the country," she said. The political uncertainty has also caused the economy suffer. The currency has plunged to its lowest level against the dollar since the global financial crisis 16 years ago.Hey Democrats: We Should Work With RFK Jr. on Fixing America's Food System | Opinion
NoneIRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler react to President Biden pardoning his son Hunter ahead of leaving the White House on 'The Story.' Two IRS whistleblowers who testified before Congress last year about the Justice Department's alleged interference in a tax investigation case into Hunter Biden said the president's sweeping pardon of his son wasn't surprising. IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler , a special agent with the IRS' criminal investigation division, spoke exclusively with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum Monday on "The Story" in their first interview since President Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son. "I wasn't surprised at all. This was something that was expected," Shapley said of the pardon. "You can tell by the maneuvering of defense counsel that this was on the horizon. And, you know, the thing that's surprising is that the President of the United States lied to the American people about what he was going to do." Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden departs the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 03, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden is standing trial for felony gun charges. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Biden repeatedly denied he would pardon his son , who pleaded guilty in September to the nine charges against him in a federal tax case, including three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses. The first son was also found guilty in June of three felonies related to the illegal purchase of a firearm. HUNTER BIDEN SAYS HIS MISTAKES WERE ‘EXPLOITED’ FOR POLITICAL SPORT, HE WILL NEVER TAKE PARDON FOR GRANTED Biden on Sunday announced he was pardoning his only surviving son, who he says was "selectively" and "unfairly" prosecuted . The pardon covers a 10-year period for any offenses the younger Biden committed or may have committed from 2014-2024. President Joe Biden (left) and his son Hunter Biden (right). (Fox News) "No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution," Biden said in a statement released by the White House. "In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough." SIX TIMES KARINE JEAN-PIERRE SAID PRESIDENT BIDEN WOULDN'T PARDON HIS SON HUNTER Special agent Ziegler told MacCallum that Biden's claims his son was "singled out" are "completely ludicrous." "I'm a Democrat, and I'm a person that believes in the rule of law. When you look at what he was charged with, criminal tax evasion, and what he pled guilty to, there are thousands of taxpayers who honestly file their taxes, they pay their taxes on time, and I think they should be disappointed by this because they're held up to a standard that's different than the political elite," said Ziegler. Supervisory IRS Special Agent Gary Shapley (L) and IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler are sworn-in as they testify during a House Oversight Committee hearing related to the Justice Department's investigation of Hunter Biden, on Capitol Hill July 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) He added that at the end of the day, he’s disappointed Hunter Biden got a "free pass." Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, wrote on X , formerly Twitter, that he was "disappointed" in Biden’s decision to pardon his son because the commander-in-chief made the decision to put his family "ahead of the country." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation," Polis wrote. "Hunter brought the legal trouble he faced on himself, and one can sympathize with his struggles while also acknowledging that no one is above the law , not a President and not a President’s son." Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Joseph Pinion had 22 points and eight rebounds, Dyondre Dominguez added 19 points and Arkansas State built a double-digit first-half lead to beat No. 16 Memphis 85-72 on Sunday. Pinion was 7 of 13 from the floor and 5 of 11 from outside the arc, giving the Red Wolves their second straight win and their first over a ranked team since 1991. Taryn Todd finished with 17 points for Arkansas State (7-3). PJ Haggerty led Memphis (7-2) with 29 points, and Dain Dainja finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Arkansas State held a double-digit lead for most of the game and led 68-57 with 8 minutes left. That was enough for the Red Wolves to defeat the Tigers, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Memphis. Arkansas State: The Red Wolves certainly got the nationally ranked Tigers' attention in the first half after they shot 7 of 18 from 3-point range and built an 18-point lead. The lead got to single digits a couple of times in the second half, but Arkansas State answered the pressure. Memphis: The Tigers suffered through a miserable first half, shooting under 20% late in the half. They turned up their defensive pressure, which cut into the lead, but Memphis never made a serious threat. Memphis got within 60-53 with 11 minutes left, but Arkansas State went on a 12-6 run that included 3-pointers from Pinion, Todd and Kobe Julien to stretch the Red Wolves' lead to 75-60 with 6:29 left in the game. Arkansas State's last win over a ranked team was when it defeated then-No. 21 New Orleans 76-65 in 1991. Arkansas State hosts UT-Arlington on Thursday, and Memphis travels to Clemson on Saturday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballSeeking a new Quaid-e-AzamMap shows 'hotspot' crime area as police make plea to parents The dispersal zone area, which will run until 5pm tomorrow, November 25 Police have been given extra powers in St Helens town centre this evening following increased reports of anti-social behaviour. A dispersal zone order was put in place at 5pm today, November 24, and will remain active for a period of 24 hours. Patrols have been stepped up in the area, which is bounded by the A58 Linkway West, A58 Linkway East, Parr Street, Shaw Street, Hall Street, Standish Street, College Street, Duke Street, A570 Boundary Road and Kirkland Street. Police officers have the power to direct people out of the area with orders not return for up to 48 hours,... Wesley Holmes
Darnold delivers for Vikings with career-high 347 yards and 5 TDs to beat Falcons, Cousins 42-21SNP’S lame old excuses for our healthcare crisis are sickening