International

Alcohol kills 2.6 million people annually, says WHO

Published

9 months ago

June 25, 2024

Alcohol kills 2.6 million people annually, says WHO

Alcohol kills nearly three million people annually, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, adding that while the death rate had dropped slightly in recent years it remained “unacceptably high”.

The United Nations health agency’s latest report on alcohol and health said alcohol causes nearly one in 20 deaths globally each year, through drunk driving, alcohol-induced violence and abuse, and a multitude of diseases and disorders.

The report said 2.6 million deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption in 2019 — the latest available statistics — accounting for 4.7 per cent of all deaths worldwide that year.

Nearly three-quarters of those deaths were in men, it said.

“Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

He pointed out that there had been “some reduction in alcohol consumption and related harm worldwide since 2010”.

“(But) the health and social burden due to alcohol use remains unacceptably high,” he continued, highlighting that younger people were disproportionately affected.

The highest proportion of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019 — 13 per cent — were among people aged 20 to 39, the WHO said.

READ ALSO:

Drinking is linked to a slew of health conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver and some cancers.

Of all the fatalities it caused in 2019, the report found that an estimated 1.6 million were from noncommunicable diseases.

Of these, 474,000 were from cardiovascular diseases, 401,000 from cancer and a huge 724,000 from injuries, including traffic accidents and self-harm.

Alcohol abuse also makes people more susceptible to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and pneumonia, the report found.

An estimated 209 million people lived with alcohol dependence in 2019 — 3.7 per cent of the global population.

Total per capita consumption worldwide decreased slightly to 5.5 litres of alcohol in 2019 from 5.7 litres nine years earlier, the report found.

However, alcohol consumption overall is unevenly distributed around the globe.

Well, over half of the world’s population over the age of 15 abstains completely.

Europe accounted by far for the highest levels of per capita drinking, at 9.2 litres, followed by the Americas at 7.5 litres.

The lowest consumption was in predominantly Muslim countries in Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia, the report said.

READ ALSO:

Among people who drank alcohol in 2019, the report determined they consumed 27 grammes of pure alcohol per day on average.

That is roughly equivalent to two glasses of wine, two small bottles of beer or two shots of spirits.

“This level and frequency of drinking is associated with increased risks of numerous health conditions and associated mortality and disability,” the WHO warned.

In 2019, a full 38 per cent of current drinkers acknowledged having engaged in heavy episodic drinking, defined as consuming at least 60 grammes of pure alcohol on one or more occasions in the preceding month.

Globally, 23.5 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds were considered current drinkers.

That jumped to more than 45 per cent for people in this age group living in Europe, and to nearly 44 per cent in the Americas.

The WHO said it was essential to improve access to quality treatment for substance use disorders.

In 2019, the proportion of people contacting such treatment services ranged from below one per cent to 35 per cent in countries providing this data.

“Stigma, discrimination and misconceptions about the efficacy of treatment contribute to these critical gaps in treatment provision,” Vladimir Poznyak, head of WHO’s unit for alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviours, told reporters.

Alcohol kills 2.6 million people annually, says WHO

AFP

International

US Secret Service shoots armed man near White House

Published

22 hours ago

March 10, 2025

Trends Admin

US Secret Service shoots armed man near White House

US Secret Service agents shot an armed man near the White House during the night, an agency spokesman said early Sunday, while President Donald Trump was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

The man had been hospitalized and his condition was “unknown,” the spokesman said in a statement that did not specify whether the White House or Trump may have been the intended target.

No injuries to Secret Service agents were reported, according to the statement posted by spokesman Anthony Guglielmi on social media platform X.

READ ALSO:

The agents had been warned by local police of a “suicidal” man travelling to Washington from Indiana and around midnight found his parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets, the statement said — very near the White House.

They then spotted an individual nearby who matched the description they had been given, the statement said.

“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” the statement said.

“The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is unknown,” it said, adding that Washington police were investigating.

US Secret Service shoots armed man near White House

International

Canada opens door to family reunion, to accept 10,000 parents visa applications

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2025

Trends Admin

Canada opens door to family reunion, to accept 10,000 parents visa applications

Canada has announced its plan to accept up to 10,000 complete visa applications for sponsorship under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) in 2025.

This program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residency.

To be eligible, sponsors must be at least 18 years old, meet the required income threshold, and sign an undertaking to support their parents or grandparents financially.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) oversees the program, which provides an opportunity for family reunification.

Super Visa: an alternative for extended family visits

For those who want to reunite with their parents and grandparents for extended stays without permanent residency, the Super Visa remains an option.

The Super Visa allows multiple entries to Canada over a 10-year period, with each visit lasting up to five years. IRCC has recently made the Super Visa more accessible by revising health insurance requirements.

READ ALSO:

Super Visa applicants must apply from outside Canada and meet temporary residence requirements. They also need to provide proof of valid health insurance from an approved provider. If coverage expires before departure, visa holders may need to renew their insurance to maintain eligibility.

Canada Parents Visa: Processing Times and Provincial Variations

As of February 5, 2025, processing times for PGP applications are approximately 24 months for applicants outside Quebec. Due to Quebec’s family class admission targets, processing times for those settling in the province are estimated at 48 months.

Super Visa applicants must have private health coverage, as they are not eligible for provincial or territorial health care plans. Previously, proof of health insurance was only accepted from Canadian providers, but IRCC now permits applicants to purchase policies from international insurance companies.

For those planning shorter stays of six months or less, a visitor visa remains an alternative option.

Canada opens door to family reunion, to accept 10,000 parents visa applications

International

Pilot wanted on child sex charge commits suicide

Published

3 days ago

March 8, 2025

Trends Admin

Jeremy Gudorf

Pilot wanted on child sex charge commits suicide

A JetBlue pilot who was arrested on his own plane and then freed on bail last month over a child s£x charge k!lled himself Friday March 7, as police closed in for a second arrest.

Jeremy Gudorf, 33, shot himself inside his car at a train station in Revere as troopers with Massachusetts State Police approached him Friday morning, according to NBC10 Boston.

He was pronounced de@d at a local hospital.

The encounter took place at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Wonderland station after the state police’s Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, Revere police and US Marshals had been searching for the commercial pilot from Xenia, Ohio.

READ ALSO:

As authorities closed in, Gudorf “revealed a firearm and abruptly shot himself,” MSP spokesperson Tim McGuirk said, according to WCVB.

Gudorf was initially handcuffed at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Feb. 20 after US Customs and Border Protection discovered a warrant for his arrest out of North Carolina on a child s£x charge.

The pilot had been moments away from taking off for Paris when he was hauled off the aircraft.

He is charged in Huntersville, North Carolina, on second-degree s£xual exploitation of a minor. He also had a charge in the Bay State as a fugitive of justice.

A federal judge in Boston set his bail at $10,000 on the condition he turn himself over to law enforcement in the Tar Heel State. It was unclear if he ever did so.