Gas station explodes in Rome, injuring at least 9 first responders
The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m., sending up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire visible from several areas of the city.
Elisabetta Accardo, a spokesperson for the Roman police, said that eight police officers were injured after arriving for rescue operations.
'There were a few chain explosions after the first one,' Accardo told Italian state broadcaster RAI. 'All the policemen injured suffered burns, but they are not in danger of life.'
Fire department spokesperson Luca Cari said one firefighter was also injured in the explosion, but 'not seriously.' Ten teams were at work on the site, he added.
Police said they were checking the whole surrounding area for people who were injured or trapped in nearby buildings.
There was no immediate indication of the cause of the explosion.
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The Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Sun
Common anti-sickness drug chillingly dubbed ‘devil's breath' is turning people ‘into Zombies', experts warn
A COMMON motion sickness drug has a chilling dual identity, as it's deployed in the criminal underworld to turn people into pliant "zombies". Dubbed "devil's breath", the substance can erase people's memories and strip them of their free will, leaving them unable to resist demands. 3 3 In medicine, the drug is known as scopolamine. It's used to prevent motion sickness and nausea and is available in tablet form in pharmacies, sold over-the-counter. But the same plants used to produce anti-sickness pills yield a compound that's been put to dangerous use in parts of South America and Europe. Now, there are concerns scopolamine is being used to fuel criminal activity in the UK. Reports of devil's breath mostly come Colombia and other parts of South America, burundanga - as it's known - has been implicated in countless robberies and sexual assaults. As for Europe, three people were arrested in Paris in 2015 for allegedly using the drug to turn people into compliant 'zombies' and rob them. The UK's first known murder linked to scopolamine was reported in 2019, when Irish dancer Adrian Murphy was poisoned by a couple attempting to steal from him. And just last month, Deborah Oscar, 30, claimed she was spiked with the terrifying drug on a London tube. She was on the Elizabeth Line leaving from Abbey Wood when a woman wafted a newspaper in her face - leaving her feeling "high" and "sleepy - before sitting next to her in an empty carriage. Remembering a TikTok she'd seen about devil's breath, Deborah was able to stumble off the tube to safety. Zaheen Ahmed, Director of Addiction Therapy at The UKAT Group, told The Sun at the time: "It wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that devil's breath could have made its way into the UK. "Unfortunately, when there's high demand for drugs, especially 'new' drugs, supply will find a way. "Although primarily found in Colombia, we know that it's already made its way into Europe, and so unfortunately, there is every chance that it is already here." Drug 'weaponised' As a drug, scopolamine blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which plays a vital role in memory, learning, and coordination, according to Dipa Kamdar, a senior lecturer in pharmacy practice at Kingston University. She wrote in The Conversation: "Blocking [the neurotransmitter] helps reduce nausea by interrupting signals from the balance system to the brain. "But it also comes with side effects, especially when used in high doses or outside a clinical setting. "Scopolamine disrupts the cholinergic system, which is central to memory formation and retrieval. "As a result, it can cause temporary but severe memory loss: a key reason it's been weaponised in crimes. Once ingested, the drug works quickly and exits the body within about 12 hours, making it hard to detect in routine drug screenings. For some people, even a dose under 10mg can be fatal Dipa Kamdarpharmacist " Some studies also suggest it increases oxidative stress in the brain, compounding its effects on cognition." Outside of legitimate medical uses - to prevent motion sickness, nausea, vomiting and muscle spasms, as well as off-label prescriptions for depression or smoking cessation - scopolamine is "increasingly associated with danger", Dipa warned. In Colombia and other parts of South America, the substance has been used robberies and sexual assaults. "Victims describe feeling dreamlike, compliant, and unable to resist or recall events," according to Dipa. 3 "That's what makes it so sinister – it robs people of both agency and memory. "The drug is often administered surreptitiously. In its powdered form, it's odourless and tasteless, making it easy to slip into drinks or blow into someone's face, as some victims have reported. "Once ingested, the drug works quickly and exits the body within about 12 hours, making it hard to detect in routine drug screenings. "For some people, even a dose under 10mg can be fatal." Devil's breath: Explained Scopolamine is derived from the seeds of the Borrachero tree, primarily found in South America. In small doses, it has some legitimate medical applications, such as treating nausea and motion sickness. It is thought that the indigenous peoples of South America once took it for its hallucinogenic properties, and it was wielded by shamans for various rites and ceremonies. In modern times, however, it has gained notoriety for far more sinister reasons. While the powdered form is tasteless and odourless, scopolamine is a potent drug that can disorient and incapacitate users and lead to frightening hallucinations. This can make it a discreet tool for malevolent purposes, particularly as it can erase memory, make users highly impressionable and even paralyse them physically. Some people may also take the drug on purpose for a "dream-like state" it can induce, mistakenly thinking it will be like mainstream hallucinogens like LSD. But devil's breath hallucinations tend to be far more disturbing and disjointed, often manifesting as nightmarish visions or confusing scenarios that blur the lines of reality. It may also be taken by mistake due to its close resemblance to cocaine. The correct dosage of the drug is notoriously hard to pin down, and even a slight miscalculation can lead to an overdose. This can lead to respiratory failure, acute psychosis and even death. Symptoms may include dry mouth, difficulty speaking, lethargy, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat and disorientation. Source: The UKAT Group A 2017 report details the case of a 47-year-old Canadian man holidaying in Bogota, Colombia, who claimed to have been robbed at a bus terminal. He experienced memory loss for approximately 12 hours and emerged from his stupor to realise he was missing $250 in cash and his mobile phone. "He had no signs of physical or sexual assault; however, he felt disoriented and confused, was unable to concentrate, and suffered from marked xerostomia [dry mouth]," the report authors noted. Believing he may have been exposed to scopolamine, he visited a doctor when he was back in Canada. Toxicology and drug screenings came back negative. "We recognised that our patient described the anticholinergic toxidrome [blockage of acetylcholine receptors] expected in scopolamine intoxication," medics said. Dipa described the symptoms of scopolamine poisoning as rapid heartbeat and palpitations, dry mouth and flushed skin, blurred vision, confusion and disorientation, hallucinations and drowsiness. "If you experience any of these, especially after an unexpected drink or interaction, seek medical attention immediately," she warned.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Brothers used 'high level of violence' in assault on police at Manchester Airport, trial hears
Two brothers used a "high level of violence" when they assaulted police at Manchester Airport, a court has heard. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, allegedly attacked officers after they were called to respond to an earlier incident on 23 July last year. The prosecution opened its case by describing how Amaaz headbutted and punched a member of the public in Starbucks in terminal 2. Police tracked them down to the car park area where three officers, PC Zachary Marsden, PC Ellie Cook and PC Lydia Ward, approached the brothers. "The officers attempted to move Mohammed Fahir Amaaz away from a payment machine in order to arrest him, but he resisted, and his brother Muhammad Amaad intervened," Paul Greaney KC told Liverpool Crown Court. "Both defendants assaulted PC Marsden. "In the moments that followed, the first defendant also assaulted PC Cook and then PC Ward too, breaking her nose. The defendants used a high level of violence." The barrister said the brothers, from Rochdale in Greater Manchester, were at the airport to pick up their mother who was arriving from Qatar. He told the court some kind of disagreement had occurred between her and another man on the flight named Abdulkareem Ismaeil, who was with his wife and three children. The brothers were later walking through the terminal when she saw Mr Ismaeil in Starbucks and pointed him out. "At just after 8.20pm, the defendants entered Starbucks and confronted Abdulkareem Ismaeil," Mr Greaney told the court. "During that confrontation, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz delivered a headbutt to the face of Abdulkareem Ismaeil and punched him, then attempted to deliver other blows, all in front of a number of children." CCTV was played in court showing Mr Ismaeil backed up against the counter and apparently arguing with Amaaz before the attack. "The two defendants assert, as we understand it, that at all stages they were acting in lawful self-defence or in defence of the other," said prosecutor Mr Greaney. "Our prediction is that you will readily conclude that the defendants were not acting in lawful self-defence and that their conduct was unlawful." The court heard Mr Ismaeil had declined to give a statement to police and won't appear at the trial. Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden and PC Ward, causing actual bodily harm. He is also accused of the assault of PC Cook and Mr Ismaeil. His brother, Amaad, is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden, causing actual bodily harm. Both men deny the allegations.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Drone footage captures powerful outpouring of Jota tributes at Anfield
Drone footage captured the huge scale of powerful tributes to Diogo Jota from Liverpool fans at Anfield after the footballer was killed in a car crash in Spain on Thursday, 3 July. The 28-year-old forward had been travelling in a Lamborghini with his brother Andre Silva when the car veered off the road and burst into flames following what police suspect was a tyre blowout while overtaking. The incident happened just 11 days after Jota, a father of three, married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, in Porto, Portugal. Flowers and Liverpool shirts were laid outside the stadium in tribute.
