World
Does Dry January actually work?
Every January, most of us pledge to work on ourselves. Some try to abstain from alcohol for the month. But does Dry January make us healthier?
Your social media is probably flooded with self-improvement posts right now.
Maybe even a couple of announcements from loved ones saying they’re staying sober for the whole month of January.
Around the world, the tradition is growing in popularity.
In the UK, where the campaign started in 2013, more than 8.5 million people said they planned to stay off the booze for a month this year, according to a poll run by Alcohol Change UK. In 2013, only 4,000 signed up for the challenge.
But how much difference can a teetotal month make to our health?
The dangers of alcohol consumption are well established, with alcohol abuse among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, according to The Lancet.
Almost one in five Europeans reported having heavy drinking episodes – more than six units of alcohol in one sitting – at least once a month in 2019.
Long-term excessive alcohol consumption increases your risk of:
- Cirrhosis of the liver
- Cancer, particularly breast cancer and esophageal cancer
- Heart failure
- High blood pressure
There is no safe level of drinking, say the World Health Organisation. Avoiding alcohol is the only way to avoid its damaging effects.
Observing Dry January has been shown to impart significant health benefits, according to multiple studies.
Two of them were carried out by Dr Rajiv Jalan, professor of hepatology at University College London (UCL). Although not a randomised study, Jalan said the results were striking.
“The most important one that we saw in patients was the feeling of energy, as well as increased concentration and sleep. Most of them lost weight, nearly 2 to 3 kilograms over one month,” he told Euronews referring to a study he conducted on a small group of staff from the New Scientist magazine in 2013.
In 2018, Dr Jalan completed new research on a larger group of hospital workers who decided to partake in the challenge compared to other individuals who did not.
“We followed people up after three to six months to ask what impact Dry January had on them. And in general terms, they felt so good in this month that they were more scared to drink during the week. In the following six months, their alcohol consumption stayed low,” he explained.
The only downside Jalan found was that people said: “They felt they were boring company at parties.”
A negative boomerang effect?
However, a2021 study found that Dry January could trigger a negative boomerang effect like a restrictive diet.
The British Liver Trust suggests staying off the booze two or three days every week, allowing the liver to recover regularly, rather than abstaining for one month and then going back to old habits.
But Joe Marley, Director of Communications at Alcohol Change UK, says studies have shown otherwise.
ADVERTISEMENT“It’s a little bit of a myth that people kind of boomerang when they take part in Dry January. Seven in ten people are drinking more mindfully, in a healthier way, even six months down the line. So there’s not really any evidence for that cliff edge at the end of January that people kind of fall back into old habits,” he told Euronews.
Is there anyone who shouldn’t partake in Dry January?
According to all the experts we talked to, the campaign is meant for social drinkers, not for people seeking recovery from alcohol abuse.
“If you are physically dependent on alcohol to the point where you would experience dangerous withdrawal symptoms, then Dry January isn’t right for you. It could be life-threatening. If you think that you’re in that scenario, it’s still possible to take control of your drinking, but you need to have a conversation with your GP,” warned Marley.
The Israeli government has announced that Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila are already in the country, where they will be interrogated imminently. Israel’s foreign ministry made the announcement on social media, without specifying either their point of arrival or the location of the questioning.
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Israel accuses both men of maintaining ties with Hamas through the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, an organisation the United States has designated as a front for the Palestinian Islamist movement. It specifically names Abu Keshek as one of the “leaders” of that structure, while describing Ávila as working for the group in activities it considers illegal.
Both will receive consular visits from their respective countries. In the case of the Spaniard, it will be the Spanish consul in Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, Brazilian activist Ávila will be assisted by diplomats from his own country.
Albares: (Keshek) should be in Crete with the others
The Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, was unequivocal in an interview with ‘Catalunya Ràdio’: it was, he said, “an illegal detention carried out in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities.”
For Spain’s top diplomat, Abu Keshek should never have set foot on Israeli soil; he should have been put ashore on the Greek island of Crete together with the rest of the activists.
On Thursday, the foreign ministry urgently summoned the head of the Israeli embassy in Madrid to convey the government’s condemnation.
Spain has also signed up to a joint declaration with ten other countries, including Turkey, Brazil, Colombia and South Africa, stating that the Israeli attacks on the ships and the detention of the activists constitute “flagrant violations of international law.”
Asked whether Abu Keshek may have been tortured, Albares acknowledged that he could not confirm it because there has not yet been direct contact with him. What he did confirm is that several activists needed medical attention in Crete and that the Spanish consul dispatched there had to accompany them.
The flotilla alleges systematic torture
The Global Sumud Flotilla goes further in its accusations.
In a statement released in the early hours of Saturday, the organisation claims that both Abu Keshek and Ávila were tortured by the Israeli army after being separated from the other 174 activists who were also taken to the Israeli naval vessel Nahshon.
“Eyewitnesses have testified to the screams of Abu Keshek echoing throughout the ship as he was systematically tortured after being separated from the others,” the statement says.
The organisation describes what happened as a “serious escalation” and an “additional war crime”. As many as 35 activists, according to the organisers, had to receive medical treatment as a result of the violence during the Israeli operation.
Family left in the dark and afraid
Sally Issa, the activist’s wife told channel TVE that they had been without information for hours. “We have been given no information about the transfer,” she said. “Israel cannot seize people in international waters. It is an illegal act, and we call on the Spanish government to do everything it can to secure his release.”
What worries her most, she said, is her husband’s physical condition. “We have testimony from activists who were there who said that there has been systematic violence against Saif, and we are gravely concerned for his health,” she explained, adding that beyond lawyers, his family also needs guarantees of medical care.
The rest of the flotilla’s activists, apart from Abu Keshek and Ávila, disembarked in Crete on Friday, where some were treated in medical centres, and the rest began to be repatriated to their respective countries.
World
Plane circles Fenway Park for an hour towing banner imploring Red Sox ownership to sell the team
BOSTON (AP) — A small plane towing a banner imploring Red Sox ownership to sell the team flew over Fenway Park on Friday while Boston and the Houston Astros took batting practice.
The plane towed a banner with big red letters reading: “FIRE CRAIG! SELL THE TEAM!”
The banner was aimed at Craig Breslow, Boston’s chief baseball officer, and Red Sox principal owner John Henry.
Boston enters Friday game against the Astros in last place in the AL East, with a 12-19 record.
Breslow fired manager Alex Cora on April 25 after a 17-1 road victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
The small plane circled the ballpark for over an hour. Fans outside the park were seen looking up and trying to read the banner.
With the Red Sox off to such a poor start this season, chants of “Sell the team!” have been heard at Fenway. Last week, those chants grew louder after the Red Sox were swept at home by their longtime rivals, the New York Yankees.
The 50-year-old Cora was the manager of Boston’s last World Series team in 2018, which won a club-record 108 regular-season games. And, Cora was a member of the team’s 2007 World Series-winning club. Cora was 620-541 as Red Sox manager, and the first manager to be fired this season.
Henry also owns the Liverpool soccer team. Last week, fans protested against rising ticket prices.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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A driver in training sent a bus careening into the River Seine near Paris Thursday after hitting a parked car and veering off the road, triggering a massive rescue operation, according to BBC and Reuters.
All four people on board were pulled to safety as more than 90 firefighters, divers and emergency crews — along with boats and a helicopter — responded, officials said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and drug and alcohol tests came back negative.
EMERGENCY CREWS RESPOND TO TOUR BUS ROLLOVER WITH DOZENS OF PATIENTS IN NEW YORK
French emergency services and firefighters responded after a bus with passengers fell into the River Seine in Juvisy-sur-Orge, near Paris, France, April 30, 2026. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters)
The incident happened in France’s Juvisy-sur-Orge, about 12 miles south of Paris, as the driver was nearing the end of her practical training, transport officials told the BBC.
Authorities said the bus missed a turn near the riverbank, instead continuing straight and dragging a parked car into the water before plunging into the Seine, Reuters reported.
Dramatic images show the bus partially submerged as rescue crews surrounded it with some individuals on top of the vehicle while others worked in the water below.
WILD VIDEO SHOWS SPEEDING CAR GOING AIRBORNE, EJECTS DRIVER INTO BACKYARD POOL
Workers recover a bus that plunged into the River Seine in Juvisy-sur-Orge Thursday, near Paris, France. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters)
Witnesses described a chaotic response, with one saying it felt like “every firefighter in the department” had arrived as bystanders initially threw life rings into the river before first responders took over.
TERRIFYING VIDEO SHOWS OUT-OF-CONTROL MTA BUS PLOWING INTO CARS IN THE BRONX, INJURING 8
French emergency services and firefighters respond after a bus with passengers fell into the River Seine in Juvisy-sur-Orge, near Paris, France. (Abdul Saboor/Reuters)
Officials later launched an internal investigation into what caused the crash.
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Video released later showed crews using cranes to pull the submerged bus from the river as helicopters circled overhead.
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