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Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Criminologist shares 7 things she's learned talking to drug mules and handlers
Dr Fleetwood, senior lecturer in criminology at City St George's, University of London, and author of Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade on how traffickers pick drug mules and what they tell them A criminologist who has spent a decade studying the fate of drug mules reveals the the grim reality behind the instagram lifestyle. Bella Culley, from Teeside, was arrested on two weeks ago at Tbilisi International Airport, in Georgia, accused of smuggling 14kg of cannabis in to the ex-Soviet country from Bangkok, Thailand. The 18-year-old has told a court she is pregnant. The next day, 21-year-old Charlotte Lee, from south London, was arrested at the international airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She claims the 46kg of synthetic cannabis called kush was planted in her luggage. Both deny the offences, but as two young British women languish in foreign jails facing a combined 45 years in prison, we spoke to expert Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, senior lecturer in criminology at City St George's, University of London. Her book Drug Mules: Women in the International Cocaine Trade won the British Society of Criminology Book Prize in 2015. Dr Fleetwood believes much of the public debate around drug mules is wrong and shared with us the findings from her research, interviewing drug mules and their handlers in Ecuador. Young women who are arrested grab the headlines but most drug mules are men "Most drugs mules are men but we don't tend to think about it that way. We think about women being the bodies and men being the brains. Drug trafficking is completely dominated by men and they represent 95% of the prison population. But there are more women involved as drugs mules than you would expect. "Women and men often have different ways into the role. Men are more likely to be involved through associates while women get involved through men who know them, it might be a relative or a romantic partner." Most drug mules know who they are working for "We hear people talk about how they were persuaded by someone they just met - stranger danger. But my suspicion is that people who knew what they were doing probably tend to keep their heads down and accept their sentence. Most of the time, when people get involved it is through someone they know, or somebody who knows somebody they know. "One woman I spoke to got into it through a friend. An abusive partner had left her with a huge amount of debt and she was about to lose her house. She spoke to a woman who had gone on a trip and made a lot of money." People who are coerced into it do not make the best mules "The thing people always focus on is those who are forced into getting involved. But some drugs traffickers I have spoken to tell me those are the last people they want to use as mules. They will look nervous and are more likely to get caught." Traffickers look for mules with a reason to travel "When I spoke to people who recruited drug mules, they just looked for someone who had a reason to travel. Backpackers fit the bill but so do retired people. One person I spoke to was so big that he thought people were scared to search him. "They have an idea of what customs are looking from a global south country with no reason to travel, a new passport and brand new shoes, will attract attention. A backpacker with lots of stamps in their passport is much better." Sometimes drug mules are not told what they are carrying as it is 'better for them' "Whenever people get involved in drug dealing, they are exploited. Normally, when you do a job you have an expectation of what will happen. But here none of that applies. Drug mules are misled. They might agree to carry a small item, a small amount of medicine, but they find there is a large figurine they have to carry. "They might agree to carrying cannabis but it is actually heroin. Sometimes they are not told what they are carrying. I have spoken to drug traffickers who say it is better for them that way as they won't be nervous. It is often blind belief. When they pack up the drugs it is done so that customs can't see it." The drugs business is chaotic and things go wrong "It is also a chaotic business. We think of them as criminal masterminds but the reality is very different from that. One backpacker I spoke to found they had packed up the drugs in a briefcase, the last thing she would look natural carrying." Street value figures are misleading and some mules get paid nothing at all " In the UK, street value used to be used as a measure of harm in the courts. It's not any more but police still insist on using it and it is really disingenuous. If they are being set up, they get nothing at all. If you are paying off a debt then again you are not being paid anything. "But if you do get money, it could be £2,000. It could be £8-10,000. But everyone I spoke to was arrested - that's what they were promised. I don't know if they would have got it. It's not a great deal. "In drug trafficking there are lots of people who get paid. The person who set it up, maybe a specialist who packs up the drugs. There might be someone who travels alongside them to make sure they don't disappear. Nobody gets a percentage except the investor, who might be one person or might be a collaboration of people."
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Warning issued for Brits buying chicken and potatoes from major supermarkets
"The party's over — that's gone. We're in a new era now." Brits have been warned about buying supermarket staples from some of the biggest stores in the country. Experts have claimed that the UK has never grown less of its own food, including everyday favourites like chicken and potatoes. According to those in the industry, the lower price of imported produce combined with poorer returns from local farming in recent years means that our self-sufficiency is at risk. Speaking about the huge shift, Tim Lang, professor emeritus of food policy at City St George's, University of London, said: The party's over — that's gone. We're in a new era now." Prof Lang is the man who coined the term 'food miles', which is the distance food has travelled to get to your plate. If a product has fewer food miles from the farm or factory to the supermarket and then to your home, then there is less pollution involved and it is better for the planet. And if we are seeing an increase in food imported from overseas, that is obviously going to mean that there are more food miles on the things you are eating. As reported by Birmingham Live, Prof Lang added: "The public is in a complete fantasy world of just thinking Tesco will always deliver." Last month, a campaign group called Save British Farming protested outside Westminster with banners that said: "Ration books are coming". And while the days of rationing may not be as close as the protestors suggest, traditional British produce appears to be featuring less on the shelves than in previous years. According to The Times, Marks and Spencer have been selling potatoes from as far afield as Israel and Egypt in a bid to fill gaps before the UK crop was ready for their stores. Egypt is also supplying spring onions to Tesco, along with Senegal. While it is claimed some of the supermarket's meal deal sandwiches contain non-UK chicken. Tesco told the Daily Record that they do source produce from other countries at times to ensure availability throughout the year but that they attempt to source from within the UK when in season, and clearly label British produce in stores. Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, claims that more than a third of chicken sold in supermarkets comes from outwith Britain. He reckoned the level of non-UK chicken, which was up at 96 per cent in 2020, was running at "60 to 65 per cent... probably closer to 60 per cent at the moment." Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, was of a similar mind. Blasting major retailers, he said: "The vast majority [of supermarkets] are being absolutely duplicitous. "The moment they think that poultry becomes invisible — in ready meals or sandwiches — they are importing it from Poland, Brazil or Thailand." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Prof Lang added: 'We're not even self-sufficient in potatoes. We're importing them from Egypt, for God's sake, which is drought-stressed. Look at where we get so much of our veg: Murcia, in southeast Spain. It is water-stressed. It is bonkers.' 'Ten years ago, we were growing about 120,000 hectares of potatoes in this country. We're now down to less than 100,000, so we've had nearly a 20 per cent decline,' another potato farmer said. 'The fundamental problem we've got in Britain with agriculture and food production is we don't incentivise farmers to grow food. They're growing for commodities.' A spokesperson for Tesco said: 'We are proud to be Scottish agriculture's biggest customer and we are a leading supporter of the thousands of Scottish farmers we work with year-round to provide our customers with quality, affordable Scottish produce. "As we move into the summer growing season, customers will see start to see more fantastic quality Scottish produce across our stores' The Daily Record has approached M&S for comment.
Medscape
15-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
High A1c Fluctuations Linked to Mortality Risk in Diabetes
Higher A1c variability, assessed over a 4-year period, was associated with a substantially increased risk for subsequent mortality outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), regardless of average A1c levels. METHODOLOGY: The importance of glycaemic control, as reflected by average A1c levels, is well-established in diabetes management guidelines; however, growing evidence suggests that A1c variability may also be important for various microvascular and macrovascular outcomes. Researchers in England carried out a population-based cohort study to examine predictors of high A1c variability and evaluate the relationship between high A1c variability and all-cause mortality in patients with diabetes. They included 20,347 patients with T1D (mean age, 52.9 years; 57.4% men) and 409,821 patients with T2D (mean age, 67.5 years; 55.8% men), all aged 31 years or older, from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database. All participants had at least four A1c measurements taken at least 30 days apart during 2011-2014 and were followed from 2015 to 2017 for subsequent mortality outcomes. The A1c variability score was calculated by measuring the frequency of A1c fluctuations of at least 0.5% (or 5.5 mmol/mol) between successive measurements over time, expressed as a percentage; A1c variability score estimates were categorised into four levels: 0 to < 20, 20 to < 50, 50 to < 80, and 80-100. TAKEAWAY: Variability measures were generally higher in T2D, with 38% of patients with T2D vs 33% of those with T1D having an A1c variability score ≥ 50. Predictors of high A1c variability were younger age, obesity, comorbidities, and residence in deprived areas for both T1D and T2D, whereas non-White ethnicity was a predictor of high variability only in T1D. A higher vs lower A1c variability score (≥ 80 vs < 20) was associated with nearly a threefold increase in mortality risk for patients with T1D and a twofold increased risk for those with T2D (hazard ratio [HR] for T1D, 2.78; 95% CI, 2.15-3.60; HR for T2D, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.83-1.99). The impact of average A1c levels on mortality was less pronounced than that of A1c variability, as evidenced by higher population attributable fractions for variability (A1c variability score ≥ 20) than for average A1c levels in both T1D and T2D. IN PRACTICE: "Regardless of whether variability can be reduced, given its strong effects on mortality risk, it could be incorporated into A1c targets or trigger enhanced monitoring and support," the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Liza Bowen and Iain Carey, School of Health & Medical Sciences, City St George's, University of London, London, England. It was published online on May 6, 2025, in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice . LIMITATIONS: The study included only patients with diabetes who had at least four A1c measurements in primary care between 2011 and 2014. Patients with T1D likely had additional A1c measurements recorded in hospital records that were not included in the primary care dataset. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) - Research for Patient Benefit Programme and supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London at King's College Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust. One author was supported by an NIHR Clinical Lectureship in General Practice. Another author reported consulting for and/or receiving speaker honoraria and grant support from various healthcare and pharmaceutical companies.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
AI can spontaneously develop human-like communication, study finds
Artificial intelligence can spontaneously develop human-like social conventions, a study has found. The research, undertaken in collaboration between City St George's, University of London and the IT University of Copenhagen, suggests that when large language model (LLM) AI agents such as ChatGPT communicate in groups without outside involvement they can begin to adopt linguistic forms and social norms the same way that humans do when they socialise. The study's lead author, Ariel Flint Ashery, a doctoral researcher at City St George's, said the group's work went against the majority of research done into AI, as it treated AI as a social rather than solitary entity. 'Most research so far has treated LLMs in isolation but real-world AI systems will increasingly involve many interacting agents,' said Ashery. 'We wanted to know: can these models coordinate their behaviour by forming conventions, the building blocks of a society? The answer is yes, and what they do together can't be reduced to what they do alone.' Groups of individual LLM agents used in the study ranged from 24 to 100 and, in each experiment, two LLM agents were randomly paired and asked to select a 'name', be it a letter or string of characters, from a pool of options. When both the agents selected the same name they were rewarded, but when they selected different options they were penalised and shown each other's choices. Related: ChatGPT may be polite, but it's not cooperating with you Despite agents not being aware that they were part of a larger group and having their memories limited to only their own recent interactions, a shared naming convention spontaneously emerged across the population without a predefined solution, mimicking the communication norms of human culture. Andrea Baronchelli, a professor of complexity science at City St George's and the senior author of the study, compared the spread of behaviour with the creation of new words and terms in our society. 'The agents are not copying a leader,' he said. 'They are all actively trying to coordinate, and always in pairs. Each interaction is a one-on-one attempt to agree on a label, without any global view. 'It's like the term 'spam'. No one formally defined it, but through repeated coordination efforts, it became the universal label for unwanted email.' Additionally, the team observed collective biases forming naturally that could not be traced back to individual agents. In a final experiment, small groups of AI agents were able to steer the larger group towards a new naming convention. This was pointed to as evidence of critical mass dynamics, where a small but determined minority can trigger a rapid shift in group behaviour once they reach a certain size, as found in human society. Baronchelli said he believed the study 'opens a new horizon for AI safety research. It shows the depth of the implications of this new species of agents that have begun to interact with us and will co-shape our future.' He added: 'Understanding how they operate is key to leading our coexistence with AI, rather than being subject to it. We are entering a world where AI does not just talk – it negotiates, aligns and sometimes disagrees over shared behaviours, just like us.' The peer-reviewed study, Emergent Social Conventions and Collective Bias in LLM Populations, is published in the journal Science Advances.
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Brain stimulation could treat anxiety in people with Parkinson's, scientists say
Scientists say brain stimulation could be used to treat anxiety in people with Parkinson's disease, after they made an 'exciting' discovery about brain waves. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's, and about one in three have troublesome anxiety that affects their daily life. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is already offered as a treatment to help with the physical symptoms of the disease, such as stiffness, slowness and tremor. But now experts are hailing a 'fantastic' breakthrough in their understanding of a specific brain wave, which they say 'opens the door' to DBS being harnessed to relieve symptoms of anxiety. Dr Lucia Ricciardi, a senior lecturer in neurology at City St George's, University of London, and a co-lead author of the research, said: 'Anxiety has been recognised as a major unmet therapeutic need in Parkinson's disease, and our results now offer hope. 'We show that deep brain stimulation has the potential to have wider-reaching benefits for people living with Parkinson's than we previously thought. 'It opens the door for us to explore new and advanced neuromodulation treatments tailored to individual patients' needs to relieve anxiety and a range of other symptoms.' Research teams at City St George's and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) recruited 33 people with severe Parkinson's who were having DBS surgery to tackle their physical symptoms. Neurosurgeons implanted tiny electrodes into their brains and then tracked different types of brain waves in three different settings in the UK and US with different devices. Ricciardi said: 'We discovered for the first time that there's a strong connection between brain activity in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia, and anxiety levels in people with Parkinson's disease. 'When we measured the brain waves, we found that higher levels of a type of brain wave called theta power were linked to more severe anxiety.' The team suspected that there might be some connection between this type of brain activity and anxiety, Ricciardi said. 'But we were surprised to see just how strong this link was. This strong link was found across three groups of patients in different locations with different devices – which shows just how robust these results are, which is an exciting step forward for us. 'This finding is fantastic as it opens new avenues for us to explore, which will help us understand what's happening in the brain to cause anxiety in Parkinson's disease.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Despite the huge number of people with Parkinson's who are affected by anxiety, for decades there has been a big gap in understanding the underlying biological causes, and treatment options have been limited. Ricciardi said: 'Although it's still early days, our goal is to take this research and develop a DBS system that can automatically adjust to help manage anxiety. The idea is that by sending targeted signals to the brain, we can help balance the activity that's related to anxiety. This could help people feel less anxious and improve their mood. 'Essentially, we want to make a treatment that responds to how the patient is feeling in real time, which could lead to better results for those dealing with anxiety.' One of the patients who took part in the study, Jonathan Lovett, said: 'It would be a huge step forward if DBS could help deal with non-motor symptoms such as anxiety.' In his case, anxiety was one of the 'early markers' of the disease, the 73-year-old from Surbiton, south-west London, said, 'so much so that I spent almost two years in analysis trying to figure out why I was continually sad and on edge'. He added: 'Parkinson's is a complex disease, almost impossibly so, and advances in technology that allow sophisticated and intelligent control of the devices set to work on brain behaviour, gathering data, remote monitoring, fine-tuning medication, trends and pinch points could be life-changing.' Dr Simon Little, an associate professor of neurology at UCSF, co-led the study, which was supported by the UK's Medical Research Council and the National Institutes of Health in the US. He said he hoped the discovery would not only help people with Parkinson's but might also provide insight into how to treat anxiety in people who did not have the condition.
