In a dark turn of events, reports suggest that the Russian army has resorted to extreme measures to discipline its own troops during the conflict in Ukraine. Allegedly, soldiers who refuse to fight or are found guilty of heavy drinking are being subjected to a brutal form of punishment – confinement in makeshift dungeons known as ‘Zindan’ cells. These Zindans, reminiscent of Imperial... 

Just yesterday we published a story where we condemned Russian society for its ills, one of them being heavy drinking. Today what a surprise, we see Putin acknowledging this problem and seeking ways to fix it. Instead of enacting restrictive laws, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin stated on Wednesday that the government should promote healthy alternatives to excessive alcohol consumption. “You... 

Drinking up to two bottles of wine per day, or the equivalent in other alcoholic drinks, could be the secret to remaining happy, healthy, slim and mobile into old age, according to new research out of Germany. A German hospital surveyed 628 adults about their mood and quality of life, before comparing this information with the amount of alcohol they drank. All the people questioned were aged 60 and... 

A prominent medical journal has argued that children as young as 12 should be treated as ‘equal parties’ in decisions relating to transitioning. This is a blatant case of political gender ideology trumping ethics. It’s against the law for children to purchase alcohol or cigarettes in almost every country on Earth. And for good reason. We know these substances can be harmful and we protect them... 

Russia might still have a reputation as a nation of hard drinkers, but a report by the World Health Organization showed alcohol consumption has dropped by 43 per cent since 2003. The WHO put the decrease down to a raft of measures brought in under sport-loving President Vladimir Putin, including restrictions on alcohol sales and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. ‘The Russian Federation has... 

Pregnant women are smoking and drinking in private because they are ‘irritated’ by people’s reactions to the habits which are known to harm unborn babies. Judgement from midwives has led women to feel ‘alienated’ and have ‘awkward’ relationships, research has found. Victim-blaming needs to end, researchers claimed, and a stigma is more often based on moral... 

Former inmates have told of the horror after being detained in China’s indoctrination camps for Muslims, where they were physically and mentally tortured. Around 900,000 to one million Muslims are estimated to have been detained in such re-education camps in China’s western province of Xinjiang as Beijing tries to clamp down on potential separatist movements. Omir Bekali and Kayrat Samarkand,... 

While the hunt for the fountain of youth continues, Norway’s newly-crowned oldest man, George Melford Nygaard, has shared his thoughts on the secret to a long and fulfilling life without missing out on the finer things. Following the death of Torbjorn Ovrebo last week, Nygaard officially became Norway’s oldest man at the age of 107. He will celebrate his 108th birthday on January 12. In 2017,... 

The British government has issued guidelines on how much alcohol adults should drink, for the first time in twenty years. The UK’s chief medical officer says women should drink no more than seven glasses of wine a week, whereas men should drink no more than the equivalent to six pints of beer. Alcohol is one of Britain’s biggest health problems, with binge drinking being a prime cause of anti-social... 

The problem of alcoholism is gathering pace by leaps and bounds in the United States. Spokespeople for the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle said that many Americans have developed a greater fondness for alcohol during the recent years. Heavy drinking among Americans increased 17.2 percent between 2005 and 2012. Binge drinking increased 8.9 percent nationally during the same time... 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that the number of different cases of cancer across the globe would soar to 24 million a year by 2035. The urgent priority is to identify and tackle the causes of cancer, which are mainly linked to people’s lifestyle, WHO emphasized. While fourteen million people a year are currently diagnosed with cancer, it is estimated the number will increase... 

Russia is looking to keep alcohol out of the hands of the youth As Russia searches for ways to improve its demographic situation, a group of senators is taking aim against teenage drinking. On a recent Friday night in the subuirbs of Moscow, Igor Andrianov, 17, is sharing a one-liter bottle of beer with a group of friends on a park bench. Although the legal drinking age in Russia is 18, Andrianov says... 

Millions of Muslim believers gather in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) yearly to celebrate the monthlong Ramadan holiday Saudi authorities are warning non-Muslim expatriates against eating, drinking or smoking in public during Ramadan, the monthlong sunrise-to-sunset fast or face expulsion. The Interior Ministry of the oil-rich kingdom is calling on non-Muslims to “show consideration for feelings of Muslims”... 

On the way out? Tourists lap up the sunshine at Naama Bay, Sharm el-Sheikh. Islamist parties want to stop Westerners drinking alcohol and wearing skimpy beachwear Bargain holidays for Westerners looking to get a bit of sunshine and a drink by the pool in the winter could be a thing of the past on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. The Muslim Brotherhood, which won success in the first round of parliamentary... 

At least 13,000 cancers in the UK every year are the result of people’s drinking habits, according to one of the largest studies ever carried out into diet and cancer. The research, carried out across eight European countries including the UK, has found that thousands of cancers could be prevented if men had the equivalent of no more than two drinks a day and women had no more than one. Nearly...