By Tyrell Feaster For Dailymail.Com

Published: 21:24 EDT, 26 September 2023 | Updated: 21:24 EDT, 26 September 2023

Matthew Hudson-Smith smashes European record to reach 400m final at the World Championships just a month after leaving a Diamond League meeting in a wheelchair

• Matthew Hudson-Smith powered into Thursday’s 400m final in Budapest
• The one-lap specialist set a new European record with a time of 44.26sec
• He left last month’s Diamond League meeting in London in a wheelchair 

By Henry Clark For The Daily Mail

Updated: 18:20 EDT, 22 August 2023

Binge drinking, marijuana and hallucinogen use have reached historic highs among adults aged 35 to 50 in the US.

Nearly one-third of people in this age group reported binge drinking — having more than five drinks on one occasion — in 2022, up from 23 percent in 2012, National Institutes of Health research revealed. 

Marijuana use among 35- to 50-year-olds has also reached historic levels, more than doubling from 13 percent in 2012 to 28 percent last year. The dramatic increase could partly be due to the growing legalization of the drug across states in the US.

And the share of adults using hallucinogens, such as LSD, MDMA and shrooms, also doubled over 10 years. While four percent reported use in 2022, less than one percent used these drugs a decade ago.

Rising depression rates are likely factors driving adults to reach for the bottle, as the expectation that alcohol will relieve these feelings may increase an individual’s desire to drink more, other studies have suggested.

Depression rates are thought to have been exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic due to lockdowns, loss of loved ones, and increased isolation and anxiety.

The poll also looked at alcohol and drug use among 19 to 30-year-olds, more of whom used marijuana than older adults. In 2022, 44 percent of these young adults reported using it, up from 28 percent in 2012.

Hallucinogen use in this group was two times what it was among their older counterparts, with eight percent reporting the use of these types of drugs. This is significantly higher than rates a decade ago, which were recorded at three percent.

However, self-reported binge drinking in 19- to 30-year-olds had dropped to 30.5 percent in 2022, a decrease from 35 percent a decade earlier.

Monitoring the Future, an ongoing research initiative that uses annual studies to track the behaviors of US students into adulthood, suggested the varying rises over the years are generational.

Megan Patrick, a research professor at the University of Michigan and principal investigator on the study, said: ‘Drug use trends evolve over decades and across development, from adolescent to adulthood.

‘Behaviors and public perception of drug use can shift rapidly, based on drug availability and other factors.’

For example, among adults aged 35-50, the 50-year-olds had used marijuana the least, with 68 percent reporting using it at some point in their life.

The study said: ‘These respondents graduated from high school in 1990, when marijuana and other drugs were at or near historical lows across the past four decades, suggesting a cohort effect.’ 

The cohort effect is the effect that having been born in a certain time or region has on the development or perceptions of a group of individuals.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found drug- and alcohol-related deaths in people over 65 years old had more than tripled in the last two decades, with 17,000 dying from those causes in 2020 alone.

Deaths among women in this age group were climbing at a higher rate than men.

Rates of alcohol death were rising even before Covid-19 — a period when BOTH men and women were known to turn to booze during the isolation and stress of pandemic lockdowns.

Women might have drunk more because of stress, depression and anxiety, but also because of loneliness, as many are left behind following the death of a male partner, experts said in a study published in JAMA.

Alcohol also affects women differently, the study explained. 

Women’s bodies tend to have less water to dilute alcohol concentrations compared to men, meaning they are more likely to develop health problems from booze.

Hunter Biden‘s business partner Devon Archer revealed that Ukrainian oil company Burisma used vague terms to demand he use his influence as the then-vice president’s son for help.

According to Archer, during a dinner with Burisma executives at the Four Seasons in Dubai in December 2015, Hunter said he would be able to get ‘help from D.C.’ in order to relieve some ‘government pressure’ on the company.

He said that the Burisma executives Mykola Zlochevsky and Vadym Pozharskyi did not directly ask Hunter ‘can the big guy help?’

Rather, they used the ‘amorphous’ term: ‘can we get help in D.C.?’

‘The request — you know, basically the request is like, can D.C. help?’ said Archer.

‘But there were not — you know, I’m not going to — there were not — it wasn’t like — there weren’t specific, you know, can the big guy help? It was — it’s always this amorphous, can we get help in D.C.?’

Archer said he understood that ‘D.C.’ meant Hunter’s influence based on his connection to his then-VP father. 

‘Well, I mean, he was a lobbyist and an expert and obviously he carried, you know, a very powerful name. So I think it was that’s what they were asking for,’ said Archer about Hunter. 

He then continued on to confirm that immediately after Hunter was asked to help during the Four Seasons meeting, he ‘called his dad.’ 

Although Archer was not ‘privy’ to the call, he was told that ‘we called D.C.’ 

Another former associate of the first son, U.S. Navy veteran Tony Bobulinski, publicly claimed in October 2020 that ‘big guy’ was a reference to President Biden.

In addition, an internal FBI document revealed that Burisma CEO Zlochevsky had also referred to Joe as the ‘big guy.’

Archer testified that Burisma was ‘getting pressure’ and as a result, they ‘requested Hunter, you know, help them with some of that pressure.’

He said it was ‘government pressure’ from the ongoing Ukrainian corruption investigation into the company at the time – led by top prosecutor Viktor Shokin.

However, Archer said that Shokin ‘wasn’t specifically on my radar as being an individual that was — that was targeting him.’ 

‘I vaguely — whether it was Shokin, I vague — there was a lot of pressure initially. There was — there was several pressure issues. It was kind of a theme of Burisma.’ 

‘But yes, there was constant pressure. And it was like it was like whack a mole in regards to the pressures that had to resolve,’ Archer continued.

In March 2016, Joe Biden is alleged to have threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid to Ukraine if Shokin was not fired for corruption, which he eventually was.

DailyMail.com obtained the full transcript of Archer’s testimony Thursday following his closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee on Monday.

 Archer, Hunter’s ex-best friend and business associate, sat with him on Burisma’s board beginning in 2014 and was co-founder of Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment advisory firm. They each made around $83,000 per month as Burisma board members.

 Archer also told Congress that Joe Biden‘s ‘intimidating’ influence directly led to his son receiving huge sums of foreign money – and a $142,300 Porsche. 

According to the full transcript of his testimony obtained by DailyMail.com on Thursday, Archer said that the Biden ‘brand’ acted as protection for Ukrainian oil company Burisma because ‘people would be intimidated to mess with them.’ 

Hunter’s presence on Burisma’s board and access to his father – then vice president – led to the company’s ‘longevity’ because they had the ‘capabilities to navigate D.C.,’ Archer said according to the transcript. 

‘I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn’t have the brand attached to it. That’s my, like, only honest opinion,’ Archer continued.

Archer also added that Hunter Biden would refer to his father as ‘my guy,’ which Republicans noted following the closed-door testimony on Monday.

According to the transcript, Hunter was ‘getting paid a lot of money’ by Burisma and ‘wanted to show value’ by getting credit for Joe Biden’s Ukraine trip in 2014.

‘I can’t guide my father in what he’s going to do on this trip, but let’s get credit for it,’ Archer said Hunter was thinking by referring to his dad as ‘my guy.’

Exhibit 2 in the attachments also showed Hunter, on email as ‘Robert,’ writing to Archer in April 2014 saying ‘our guy needs to set himself up as the anti-Victor Pinchuk (coal and steel oligarch – pro Russian Yanukuvich supporter).  

At the time, then-Vice President Joe Biden was leading the U.S. anti-corruption efforts abroad. 

• Hunter’s ex-business partner Devon Archer testified that the  Biden ‘brand’ acted as protection for Ukrainian oil company Burisma 
• He said because ‘people would be intimidated to mess with them’ because the then-VP’s son sat on their board
• ‘I think Burisma would have gone out of business if it didn’t have the brand attached to it,’ said Archer 
• Burisma had the ‘capabilities to navigate D.C.’ based on its connections to Joe Biden through Hunter
• Archer testified that the company ‘requested Hunter’ to ‘help them with some of that pressure’ they faced from investigations
• Hunter put Joe on speakerphone 20 times during business meetings over a 10-year period, which was a ‘signal’ of ‘value’
• Archer said Hunter used his dad as ‘defensive leverage’
• Hunter got a $142K Porsche days after Joe sat down for dinner with his business associates at Cafe Milano in D.C. 
• Another $3.5 million from a Russian billionaire was wired into a Biden-connected account after Joe attended one of Hunter’s business dinners 
• Archer also said that Hunter Biden would refer to his father as ‘my guy‘

Hunter’s best friend and business associate sat with him on Burisma’s board beginning in 2014. They also started Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment advisory firm, together.

He confirmed that Hunter put Joe on speakerphone 20 times during business meetings over a 10-year period, which was a ‘signal’ of ‘value,’ and Hunter used his dad as ‘defensive leverage.’

He also told lawmakers that Joe sat and had dinner in-person on at least two occasions with Hunter and his foreign business partners, who then wired money almost immediately after to Biden-affiliated companies.

In the spring of 2014, Joe joined Hunter and a handful of his business partners for dinner at Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C. Those at the dinner included Kenes Rakishev, Karim Massimov, Yelena Baturina and possibly Eric Schwerin.

Archer confirmed that Joe was present long enough to eat dinner with the group. 

Following the dinner, $3.5 million was wired from Russian billionaire Yelena Baturina into Rosemont Seneca Thornton on February 14.

On April 22, $142,300 was wired into the Rosemont Seneca Bohai account from Kenes Rakishev, a businessman from Kazakhstan, who was also at the Cafe Milano dinner.

The payment was made as a gift to Hunter, who received an ‘expensive car.’

Archer told the committee: ‘I believe it was a Fisker first and then a Porsche.’

Hunter took a picture of himself while driving a Porsche at 172mph on a highway outside Las Vegas in 2018, according to pictures found on his abandoned laptop. It was not immediately clear if the Porsche gifted to Hunter by Rakishev was the same vehicle.

The then-vice president also sat in on another dinner with Hunter and his partners in 2015 at Cafe Milano, Archer confirmed.

Questions had remained about why Archer decided to cooperate with the committee this week after he previously cancelled on the committee at least three times in recent weeks.

Archer, 48, was subpoenaed on June 12 by the House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Hunter’s businesses and whether he and other members of the Biden family improperly traded on their connections.

According to Archer’s opening statement in the transcript, he said ‘it’s been a long decade’ and his entire forties have been ‘mired in fighting the government.’

‘So I want to be cooperative now and maybe we can all be friends. So let’s take it from there,’ he told committee staff and lawmakers.

Archer is facing legal troubles of his own and is expected to go to prison shortly.

He was sentenced to one year and a day in prison in February 2022 for defrauding a Native American tribal entity and various investment advisory clients of tens of millions of dollars, in connection with the issuance of $60 million in bonds.

He is on the hook with his co-conspirators for $43.4 million in restitution over the fraud.

On the eve of his testimony, the Department of Justice sent a letter calling for Archer’s sentencing to be expedited.

Republicans claimed the move by DOJ was an attempt to ‘intimidate’ Archer, who they view as being central to providing information that is critical to their ongoing investigation into whether Joe Biden was involved in his son’s foreign business deals.

DOJ seemingly walked back their request in a fresh Sunday filing, telling District Judge Abrams that they did not wish to see Archer imprisoned before he testified before Congress.

‘To be clear, the Government does not request (and has never requested) that the defendant [Archer] surrender before his Congressional testimony,’ the letter read.

The White House has maintained the president was never ‘in business’ with his son, but the GOP have ramped up their investigation with testimonies from whistleblowers and a slew of other evidence. 

After Archer’s closed-door testimony on Monday to the House Oversight Committee, Republicans said he revealed Joe was directly involved in Hunter’s shady dealings, while Democrats insisted the then-vice president’s involvement was innocent and focused on ‘niceties,’ not business.

Father-and-son duo Graham and Steve Reid reach last 64 of the Daily Mail Foursomes after firing four birdies on home Inverurie course

• The Reids eased past 2019 semi-finalists Marc Palmer and Michael Alexander
• They have kept Inverurie in the hunt for a third straight grand final appearance
• Inverurie has an impressive record in the world’s largest amateur competition

By Cara Sloman For The Daily Mail

Updated: 19:35 EDT, 28 July 2023

Pound rises alongside government borrowing costs again as investors up bets on further hikes in interest rates

• Sterling topped $1.28 against the dollar for the first time since April last year 
• It rounded off the pound’s biggest weekly gain for six months 
• Yield on two-year gilts came within a whisker of 5% for first time since 2008

By Hugo Duncan for the Daily Mail

Updated: 03:44 EDT, 17 June 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

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Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth, baking in temperatures of more than 120°F (49°C) during the summer.

Aside from the heat, Death Valley is also home to numerous horrifying scorpions, tarantulas and venomous sidewinder snakes that silently lurk in the Californian desert.

And you might want to watch your step too, as mineshafts filled with poisonous gas are in more places than you might expect. 

So, how do people survive in a place like this?

MailOnline explores the tops threats of Death Valley National Park and what park rangers advise to get by in the extreme conditions. 

1.  Weather that can kill

‘Travel prepared to survive’ is the guidance of the National Park’s service as they warn of killer local temperatures.

Death Valley is famously known as the hottest place on Earth and the driest place in North America.

It’s not unheard of for people to die here, but the real toll of heat-related illnesses remains unknown.

The valley’s top temperatures peaked at 134°F (57°C) almost 110 years ago at the tiny village of Furnace Creek, before dropping to around 32°F (0°C) at night.

These hot-to-cold temperatures are quite normal in the region, with its sand cooling so rapidly at night that freezing conditions often occur.

‘Don’t become a Death Valley victim,’ rangers advise.

‘Drink at least one gallon (4 litres) of water per day to replace loss from sweat, more if you are active. Be aware of balancing fluid and electrolyte levels. 

‘Stay on paved roads in summer. If your car breaks down, stay with it until help comes. Carry extra drinking water in your car in case of emergency.’ 

Although winter is a little milder in Death Valley, the area continues to be plagued by occasional thunderstorms and huge flash floods.

Even still, rangers urge visitors and locals to always watch out for trouble, as nausea and dizziness can be a sign of heatstroke. 

2. Gnarly animals

The 140-mile desert is home to some pretty creepy creatures, from rattlesnakes to scorpions and even black widow spiders.

That’s why park leaders warn that anyone venturing through this harsh terrain should never place their hands or feet in something they can’t see clearly.

The Wernerius inyoensis scorpion was newly discovered in the Inyo Mountains of the valley in 2009, and is one of the smallest to be discovered in the US.

Although it is venomous, this species probably won’t kill you – unlike numerous others in the park – though its pincers still risk a hospital trip.

Tarantulas and Mojave desert sidewinder snakes also lurk here, with the latter potentially capable of killing a young child or animals up to 30Ibs.

But you may be surprised to know that rodents actually pose a huge risk of death in the area as contact with them or their excrement can spread hantaviruses. 

Fatigue, fever and muscle aches are among the symptoms of this, in addition to chills and abdominal problems. 

While it’s unclear if anyone has contracted this in the valley, researchers have found traces of a hantavirus variant in local cactus mice.

3. Treacherous roads

With scorching temperatures and countless scorpions, you may expect these to be the leading cause of death in the aptly named Death Valley.

But park leaders say that car crashes actually kill the most people here, having reported numerous incidents over the years.

Poor phone signal limits efforts to get help, with the valley completely isolated from neighbouring Las Vegas.

‘More people die in single-car accidents than by any other means,’ they claim.

‘To avoid an accident, follow the speed limits, shift to a lower gear on steep downhill grades, and wear your seatbelt.’

4. Poisonous mineshafts

During the late 1800s, many eagerly flocked to Death Valley in an attempt to mine for gold and silver.

But these efforts were met with failure, thanks to the scarcity of water, fuel and technology that made it impossible to find anything valuable.

To this day, abandoned mines are scattered all across the desert.

One of the most controversial is the 500ft-deep Boraxo Mine, which reportedly caused public outcry over the exploitation of national parks.

While these historic sites may seem interesting to explore, rangers say they should be avoided at all costs.

They’re not only unstable but may contain ‘pockets of bad air’ and even poisonous gas, they claim.

This bad air can consist of insufficient oxygen and potentially carbon-monoxide, with the University of Nevada warning that someone may not feel the effects until they leave a mine.

‘A person may enter such areas breathing the good air above the gases but the motion caused by walking will mix the gases with the good air, producing a possibly lethal mixture for him to breathe on the return trip,’ they explain. 

‘Because little effort is required to go down a ladder, the effects of “bad air” may not be noticed, but when climbing out of a shaft, a person requires more oxygen and breathes more deeply. The result is dizziness, followed by unconsciousness. If the gas doesn’t kill, the fall will.’

5.  Dangerous cannabis farms

If you’ve watched Breaking Bad you may be familiar with Walter White’s cannabis farm planted at the centre of an isolated desert. 

As it turns out, some areas of Death Valley are home to very similar sites, which rangers claim are potential hazards.

If a local stumbles upon one of these, the service advises them to ‘run, walk, crawl or hide’ just to make themselves safe.

Lingering to take photos or grab location coordinates is also a bad idea, with a physical description good enough to alert authorities.

Rangers add: ‘Hikers, backpackers and drivers need to be self reliant and well prepared. Always plan ahead, carry detailed maps, and let someone know your plans.’

TOP SPIN AT THE TEST: Joe Root became the second England player to reach 30 Test centuries after Sir Alastair Cook… and it was the first time Jimmy Anderson wasn’t handed the new ball since 2009

• Joe Root’s 118* took England to 393-8 on day one of the Ashes at Edgbaston 
• Ben Stokes declared late on after fifties for Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow
• Australia ended the day unscathed in response after an excellent day’s cricket

By Lawrence Booth for MailOnline

Published: 14:54 EDT, 16 June 2023 | Updated: 15:02 EDT, 16 June 2023

EXCLUSIVE: West Ham plan to turn the Olympic Park into a huge fan zone if they reach the Europa Conference League final… with thousands set to be disappointed with just 5,000 tickets available in Prague

• West Ham hold a 2-1 lead over AZ Alkmaar going into the second-leg next week
• The Fortuna Arena holding the final has capacity for a fraction over 20,000 
• Allocations for both of the finalists would receive around just 5,000 fans 

By Riath Al-Samarrai for MailOnline

Published: 06:56 EDT, 12 May 2023 | Updated: 07:18 EDT, 12 May 2023

Denver Nuggets become the first team to reach the NBA Conference Finals with blowout 25-POINT win over Phoenix Suns… as Kevin Durant comes up short and Nikola Jokic shines

• Nikola Jokic scored 32 points in another triple-double for impressive Nuggets
• Kevin Durant was traded to Phoenix in the hope he could win them a title 
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Ben Nagle For Dailymail.Com

Published: 00:41 EDT, 12 May 2023 | Updated: 01:21 EDT, 12 May 2023