Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Mon, Dec 15, 2025 01:58 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Nicole Lee

Associate Professor at the National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University

Nicole Lee is Adjunct Associate Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) Curtin University and Director of 360Edge (www.360edge.com.au) a specialist evaluation and training consultancy for the alcohol and other drugs and mental health sectors.

She is a practicing psychologist, and has worked in the alcohol and drug and mental health fields for 25 years as clinician, trainer, researcher and manager.

Her main areas of expertise are in methamphetamine policy and practice, alcohol and other drug dependence, and co-occurring mental health and substance use. She has significant experience in evidence based practice and policy development.

Nicole is Past National President of the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT), and Deputy Editor of the Drug and Alcohol Review journal. She has previously served on the boards of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs (APSAD) and the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA).

Drugs don't affect job seeking, so let's offer users help rather than take away their payments

Sep 10, 2019 20:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

The Morrison government is having another shot at getting its proposal to drug test people on welfare through the Senate. Welfare, health and drug treatment experts have consistently opposed the proposal since it was...

Testing festival goers' pills isn't the only way to reduce overdoses. Here's what else works

Jul 08, 2019 23:40 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

The NSW inquest into recent drug deaths at music festivals is due to start this week. So focus is turning to how to make music festivals safer by reducing drug-related incidents. We know that prohibition doesnt work to...

Did you look forward to last night's bottle of wine a bit too much? Ladies, you're not alone

Feb 25, 2019 04:47 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

This month, close to 40,000 people, mostly women, have given up alcohol for FebFast and many others will be participating in Dry July. These events began as fundraisers for various social causes. But the main reasons...

How does ecstasy kill?

Jan 23, 2019 12:56 pm UTC| Health

MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), commonly referred to as ecstasy, was manufactured as a potential pharmaceutical early last century. It had some limited use in the 1970s as a therapeutic aid in trauma treatment and in...

Prisoners need drug and alcohol treatments but AA programs aren't the answer

Sep 09, 2018 20:44 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Prisons and drug use are closely linked. Two-thirds of Australian prisoners report using illicit drugs in the 12 months before they entered prison, compared with 12% of the general population in the previous 12 months....

What makes it so hard to quit drugs?

Dec 12, 2016 11:05 am UTC| Health

Most people who use alcohol and other drugs do so infrequently and never become dependent (or addicted as its sometimes called). On average about 10% of people who use alcohol or other drugs are dependent. The rate is...

1 2

Economy

China’s Small Bank Consolidation Struggles as Profits Fall and Risks Persist

Chinas aggressive push to consolidate its vast network of small banks is facing mounting challenges, as many newly merged lenders report falling profits and weakening capital buffers, according to a Reuters review of...

South Korea Extends Bond Market Stabilization Measures Amid Rising Financial Risks

South Korea has decided to extend its bond market stabilization programs through 2026, signaling a proactive effort to safeguard financial stability amid growing uncertainty in both domestic and global markets. The...

U.S. Stock Futures Mixed as Tech and AI Stocks Face Pressure Ahead of CPI Data

U.S. stock index futures traded mixed on Sunday evening as investors remained cautious toward technology and artificial intelligence stocks following disappointing guidance from major tech players. Concerns around the...

Korea Zinc Plans $6.78 Billion U.S. Smelter Investment With Government Partnership

Korea Zincs board is set to convene on Monday to vote on a major overseas investment plan that could significantly strengthen the supply chain for critical minerals in the United States. According to a source familiar with...

Japan Business Sentiment Hits Four-Year High, Boosting Expectations of BOJ Rate Hike

Business sentiment among major Japanese manufacturers climbed to a four-year high in the three months to December, signaling resilience in Japans economy despite pressure from higher U.S. tariffs. According to the Bank of...

Politics

Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown

Hong Kongs last major opposition party, the Democratic Party, has voted to disband, marking a significant moment in the citys political history and underscoring the impact of Chinas national security crackdown on liberal...

Ukraine’s NATO Concession Unlikely to Shift Peace Talks, Experts Say

Ukraines recent offer to abandon its long-standing ambition to join NATO is unlikely to have a major impact on ongoing peace talks with Russia, according to several foreign policy and security experts. During discussions...

Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence

Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Sunday in major cities to protest a controversial legislative effort aimed at reducing the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters for plotting...

Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has indicated a major shift in Ukraines long-standing foreign policy by offering to drop the countrys aspirations to join NATO, as part of renewed efforts to end the war with Russia....

Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal

Two of Belaruss most prominent opposition figures, Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka, have spoken publicly after being released from prison following a deal brokered by the United States, saying they have no regrets...

Science

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage

U.S. President Donald Trump and German pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA have announced a groundbreaking deal aimed at lowering the cost of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments while boosting access to fertility care in...

Technology

Nvidia Weighs Expanding H200 AI Chip Production as China Demand Surges

Nvidia is evaluating whether to expand production capacity for its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips after demand from Chinese customers significantly exceeded current supply, according to multiple sources...

SpaceX Begins IPO Preparations as Wall Street Banks Line Up for Advisory Roles

SpaceX has reportedly begun the early stages of preparing for a potential initial public offering (IPO), marking a significant milestone for the private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. According to a report from...

SpaceX Insider Share Sale Values Company Near $800 Billion Amid IPO Speculation

SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk, has reportedly authorized an insider share sale that places its valuation at approximately $800 billion, according to a Bloomberg News report published Friday. The move...

Mizuho Raises Broadcom Price Target to $450 on Surging AI Chip Demand

Mizuho Securities has raised its price target on Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), highlighting accelerating momentum in the companys artificial intelligence business and a rapidly expanding long-term backlog. The brokerage...

Trello Outage Disrupts Users as Access Issues Hit Atlassian’s Work Management Platform

Atlassian Corps popular work management software Trello experienced a service disruption on Friday, leaving a number of users unable to access the platform. The outage was flagged by internet monitoring service...