FATAL OPIOID OVERDOSE ODDS SURPASS DEADLY CRASH ODDS
A person is more likely to die of an opioid overdose than a car crash in the U.S., according to data released by the National Safety Council. It’s the first time on record, the agency said.
The report shows that in 2017, the odds of people dying of opioid overdoses was in 1 in 96 compared to 1 in 103 in motor vehicle crashes.
The National Safety Council lists drug poisoning as the leading cause of unintentional deaths in the U.S., with more than 100 people dying from opioid drugs per day. It cites painkillers as driving addiction and overdoses, with a reported 2 million people with painkiller substance use disorders.
The council reported that most of the preventable drug overdose deaths involved opioids, with a 106 percent increase in 2016 from the prior year in preventable overdose deaths involving fentanyl, followed by heroin with a 19 percent increase in 2016 from 2015.
The odds of dying from opioid overdoses and motor vehicle crashes were cited as fifth and sixth on the list of preventable deaths in the U.S. in 2017, according to the data, topped by people dying of heart disease with odds of 1 in 6. Data show that in 2017, the odds of people dying by suicide was 1 in 88.
Suicide bomb attack kills 4, wounds 90.
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN»
At least four people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives laden vehicle in the capital Kabul on Monday, according to a security official.
Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said that about 90 others were wounded when the explosion took place near the Green Village compound, home to several international organizations as well as non-governmental organizations in Kabul’s Police District Nine (PD9).
L.A. teachers go on strike.
Tens of thousands of Los Angeles teachers went on strike Monday for the first time in three decades after contract negotiations failed in the nation’s second-largest school district, but schools stayed open with the help of substitutes and district officials said students were learning.
Polish mayor dies after being stabbed.
POLAND» The WARSAW, popular liberal mayor of Gdansk died Monday after being stabbed at a charity event by an exconvict with a history of violent crime.
Pawel Adamowicz, 53, died from the wounds inflicted by a 27-year-old man who stormed onstage Sunday while the mayor was addressing an audience during the “Lights to Heaven,” the finale of a nationwide fundraiser for sick children.
Report: 2 killed, 40 detained in new gay purge in Chechnya.
MOSCOW» The Russian republic of Chechnya has launched a new crackdown on gays in which at least two people have died and about 40 people have been detained, LGBT activists in Russia charged Monday.
The new allegations come after reports in 2017 of more than 100 gay men arrested and subjected to torture, and some of them killed, in the predominantly Muslim region.
College student found dead, fraternity suspended.
College student Noah Domingo, 18, was found Saturday near the University of California Irvine in a home near campus and his fraternity has been suspended, authorities said. The cause of his death is under investigation.
Senate GOP leader rips Rep. King over white supremacy remark.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday denounced Rep. Steve King over his latest remarks on white supremacy, saying, “There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind.” Meanwhile, House Democrats said they’ll seek formal punishment for King.