Latest news with #ShaliniSingh
Hamilton Spectator
19 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Top Hamilton headlines this week: Shalini Singh was ‘always smiling' + Downtown shelter could be on the move
T he weekend is here, but plenty happened in the Hamilton area this week. Don't miss these top stories from Spectator reporters. Canada Day weekend is here and there's plenty to do. It's Your Festival tops the weekend's festivals. Warm weather has returned with highs of 26 C Saturday and 29 C Sunday in the forecast. Showers are possible Saturday. Sunday's forecast is calling for clear skies. More than six months after Shalini Singh's disappearance and suspected murder, her family is holding on to memories and looking for answers. This week, police announced the arrest of Singh's boyfriend, Jeffery Smith, on second-degree murder charges. Depending on your perspective, it was either famous or infamous. Pink Floyd at Ivor Wynne Stadium, June 28, 1975, was the biggest concert ever in Hamilton, and featured the band's signature special effects that included a mock flaming jet crashing into the stage. George Howson, a defenceless 73-year-old with Parkinson's disease, was killed by his stepson. Tim Brown was charged with second-degree murder in the 2021 slaying, but was found not criminally responsible. Family members, long concerned about Tim's behaviour, say the case was rushed and the system failed. They're still fighting for answers. The Salvation Army and a development consortium say they're exploring plans to relocate the social-service agency's longtime downtown men's shelter. Higher-density housing, restaurants and shops are part of the redevelopment of the former FirstOntario Centre, happening across the street. A neurosurgeon associated with a Hamilton pain clinic has been suspended in the latest of a string of issues with his medical licence in Ontario and the United States. Subscribe to our newsletters for the latest local content . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
‘Nicotine addiction hasn't disappeared, it has simply shape-shifted'
Smokeless tobacco is the number one problem in India and there is an urgent need to strengthen laws and regulations to address it effectively,' Dr Shalini Singh, director of the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cancer Prevention (ICMR-NICPR) and the World Health Organisation-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) Global Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco told The Indian Express. On the sidelines of the World Conference of Tobacco Control under way at Dublin, Dr Singh observed that globally, cigarette smoking is on the decline — especially in high-income countries, where public health regulations have tightened and consumer behavior is shifting. 'But nicotine addiction hasn't disappeared; it has simply shape-shifted. The rise of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), synthetic nicotine pouches, and 'flavoured wellness' lozenges represents a quiet but aggressive reinvention of the nicotine business. These products are marketed as cleaner, safer, and even medicinal — often using the language of 'harm reduction'. While India has banned e-cigarettes, these new delivery systems pose a serious public health risk in countries with poor implementation of regulations,' Dr Singh said. India is already home to one of the largest populations of smokeless tobacco (SLT) and bidi users globally. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2016–17, over 199 million Indians use SLT, 72 million smoke bidis, whereas only 37 million smoke cigarettes. Less than 4 per cent of tobacco users use any cessation pharmacotherapy, and over 70 per cent quit without formal help. 'This makes India an especially vulnerable target for the tobacco industry's new nicotine expansion strategy,' Dr Singh said. Harm reduction, when implemented as part of a comprehensive cessation strategy, has clinical value. But the tobacco industry has co-opted the term 'harm reduction' to further its own interests of reduced regulation and to expand its user base. While India banned e-cigarettes in 2019 under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act, experts said the same industry has repackaged nicotine in non-combustible, e-cigarettes adjacent forms — such as synthetic nicotine pouches and gums — often marketed as herbal, Ayurvedic, or wellness products on Indian e-commerce platforms. 'This represents not only a strategic circumvention of the e-cigarette ban but also a continuation of the industry's practice of promoting products that protect profits while presenting a facade of supporting smoking cessation,' Dr Singh added. India permits over-the-counter (OTC) sale of 2 mg nicotine gums and lozenges, based on the assumption that easier accessibility would enhance tobacco cessation efforts. The 2 mg NRT formulation, particularly when used with behavioural counselling, can play a crucial role in reducing dependence on smoking tobacco. Global evidence is clear: NRTs are most effective when used with structured counselling and support, not when taken in isolation. Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including India, have NRTs in OTC markets and require integration with comprehensive cessation services. In India, the effectiveness of OTC NRT is further undermined by systemic challenges: the very low cost of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products like gutkha, khaini, and bidis; the online sales of nicotine products frequently bypass age restrictions;and the economic burden of NRT — where one week's supply often costs more than a month's worth of SLT or bidi. Without counselling support and affordability measures, OTC NRT risks becoming another market commodity rather than a true cessation aid,' Dr Singh pointed out. Long-term use of nicotine — whether through vaping, pouches, or even unsupervised NRT — poses real risks. Yet, these products are increasingly available through online platforms in India, marketed with no warning labels, no age-gating, and no evidence-based cessation claims, Dr Singh cautioned. Urgent policy priorities include banning of flavoured and industry-manufactured non-combustible nicotine products, including gums and pouches not intended for supervised cessation. There is a need to tightly regulate OTC NRT, especially in flavours and formulations attractive to youth; regulate all online sales of nicotine products with mandatory age verification, licensing, and product labelling.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian-origin woman's remains found in Canadian landfill, partner charged with murder
The remains found in a Canadian landfill in May belong to an Indian-origin woman who went missing last year, and her partner has been charged with second-degree murder, police said on Monday. Shalini Singh, 40, was reported missing by her family on December 10 last year. (Sourced) Shalini Singh, 40, was reported missing by her family on December 10, 2024, Hamilton Police said in a statement. A mental health care worker, Singh last spoke with her family on December 4 and was last seen entering her apartment in Hamilton city two days before that. Investigations revealed that Singh was a victim of 'foul play' and police found that she had been removed from her residence through the building's garbage disposal system. After identifying the landfill where the garbage from the building is disposed, police located partial human remains there on May 21. DNA testing at the Centre of Forensic Sciences confirmed last week that the remains recovered by police were Singh's, the statement said. Based on these results and the evidence collected during the investigation, 42-year-old Jeffery Smith of Burlington was arrested last Friday. According to the police statement, Smith, who was Singh's common-law partner at the time of her death, has been charged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains. A common-law partner is someone who has been living with a person for at least 12 consecutive months, according to the official site of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. Smith appeared in court on Saturday. 'The search of the landfill site is ongoing, and it has been estimated that the search of the target area will be completed by June 27,' the police statement said. Police have urged people with any information that could assist with the investigation to contact them.
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Common-law partner of missing woman charged with murder
Toronto Watch Hamilton police say the common-law partner of Shalini Singh has now been charged with second-degree murder after human remains found at a landfill site were linked to the missing woman. CTV's John Musselman reports.
National Post
6 days ago
- National Post
Police find missing woman's remains in Hamilton landfill, charge common-law partner with her murder
A 42-year-old man is facing a murder charge after police confirmed partial human remains found last month in a Hamilton landfill are those of a woman who was last heard from in December. Article content Hamilton police say DNA test results confirmed on Friday the remains found on May 21 are those of Shalini Singh. Article content Det. Sgt. Daryl Reid says Jeffery Smith from Burlington, Ont., was arrested in a parking lot later on Friday, and he was charged with second-degree murder. Article content He says the accused was Singh's common-law partner at the time, and police believe she was killed in her apartment before her body was removed through the building's garbage system. Article content Article content The charges have not been tested in court. Article content Singh was initially reported missing in December alongside Smith, but police said he showed up at a family member's house outside the city the next day and has allegedly refused to co-operate with the investigation. Police have said they obtained surveillance footage from the apartment building where the couple lived and there's no video of Singh leaving after Dec. 4, the day her family last heard from her. Article content Police had been searching the Glanbrook landfill since late February. Article content Reid said the search is ongoing, but the current heat wave may delay those efforts. Article content Singh's family has been informed about the discovery of her remains and is receiving support from the force's victim services unit, police said. Article content
