Malaysia launched its version of 9-11 hotline in an effort to curb domestic violence. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi led the launching of the Talian Nur on Thursday.

The number 15999 is available for victims of domestic violence, child abuse or natural disasters. The one-stop call center was established by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry. It employs 29 contact service agents working on 3 shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from a facility in Kuala Lumpur

Germany is slowly winning the war on curbing illegal drug use. According to Sabine Batzing, Commissioner for Drug Issues, only 2.7 percent of Germans admitted taking prohibited substances, down from 3.9 percent in 2003. Drug-related deaths were also down, with only 1,296 cases reported in 2006, a 2.3 decrease from four years ago.

Batzing observed there has been a steady decline in drug use in the country, citing a drop in the number of once-a-year drug users to 9.6 percent while previous studies showed a 4.3 percent increase in 1990

A new, nonaddictive pain-killing drug has reportedly been developed by pharmacologists working with one the world's leading neuroscientists.

Professor Paul Rolan and Dr. Mark Hutchinson of the University of Adelaide and world pain expert Dr. Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado have made a breakthrough in revealing how opioid drugs such as morphine affects the brain's immune cells known as glia

A study done by the Army has given the conclusion that involvement in the war in Iraq is not without effects on the mental health of 20 pct. of active soldiers, and 42 pct. of National Guard troops and reservists. Another revelation of the study was that most mental complications ensued months after the troops returned home.

Compared to the initial effects upon returning from the war, the mental concerns of soldiers have reportedly increased as well. The problems are usually post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression, said the study, which is slated for publication Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association

One out of three of the most popular songs of 2005 portrayed substance use, according to new research which analyzed 279 of the year's most popular songs listed by Billboard magazine.

Rap music led the way with 77 percent of songs referring to substance use, followed by country at 37 percent and R&B/hip-hop at 20 percent. Rock and pop were on the lower end of the spectrum at 14 percent and 9 percent, respectively, according to a study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine presented at the American Public Health Association's Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C