Our correspondents answer your questions on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Mississippi's state auditor says numerous social science and humanities degree programs are “indoctrination factories.”

Geert Wilders was the surprise victor in Wednesday’s Dutch elections, after a late surge that catapulted his anti-EU

YouTuber IShowSpeed has millions of online followers, but one diehard fan's gesture left him pleasantly surprised

Andrew Tate's comments have triggered a wave of backlash and concern for the stigmatization and misunderstanding of transgender individuals

BARCELONA (Reuters) -A forest fire in the Spanish island of La Palma has forced the evacuation of at least 500

'In my apartment, I had a roach that we couldn't kill. He kept getting bigger and bigger,' Snoop Dogg said referring to his pet cockroach 'The Gooch'

Tina Turner, who got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, made history as the first African-American artist and first woman to feature on Rolling Stone cover

As if 2023 wasn’t hard enough, Americans are now drinking as much alcohol as they did during the Civil War days. A new report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has found that the average American drinks about the same amount of alcohol as people did in 1860. In 2021, Americans consumed 2.51 gallons of ethanol – the alcohol found in wine, beer, and spirits – compared to 2.53 gallons at the brink of the Civil War. That amount, which doesn’t include water or other ingredients found in alcoholic beverages, marks a 60 per cent increase in liquor consumption compared to the mid-1990s. Americans have also changed their taste for alcohol. The amount of beer consumed has dropped nearly 20 per cent since 1995, while wine has steadily become America’s drink of choice. Now, 50 per cent more Americans are drinking wine than they did in the mid-1990s. This isn’t the only time the United States has seen staggering levels of alcohol consumption. In 1934, following the repeal of the Prohibition Act, Americans were drinking one gallon of ethanol per person. At the end of World War II in 1945, Americans reached 2.3 gallons. This, compared to 2.8 gallons in 1980, when alcohol consumption was at its highest. The rise in alcohol consumption may also have to do with a key demographic: women. In March, it was revealed that women in the US are out-drinking men for the first time in history. Dr George Koob, director of the NIAAA, recently told the Washington Examiner that binge drinking among college students are to blame. “In 2021, there has been an uptick, particularly among women. Now it turns out on college campuses women are actually binge drinking more than men, for the first time in history,” he told the conservative media outlet. The Covid-19 pandemic also saw a dramatic shift in alcohol consumption, as most states declared liquor stores were considered “essential businesses”. In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, sales of alcohol increased by 2.9 per cent, the biggest annual increase in more than 50 years, according to the NIAAA. Now, with college campuses back in session and local bars open again, Koob attributed the rising trend of women binge drinking to the “alcohol deprivation effect” – in which people “rebound in drinking” after a period of abstaining from alcohol. “A standard drink is 1.5 ounces of vodka, 12 ounces of beer, or five ounces of wine,” he said. “When you go past a standard drink, you really are getting to the point where alcohol ultimately becomes a toxin. You can easily overdose.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that it’s safe for women to drink no more than one standard alcoholic beverage a day, and no more than two for men. However, binge drinking usually corresponds to five or more drinks on a single occasion for men, while four or more drinks on a single occasion for women. Read More Moderate alcohol consumption may lower stress, reduce heart disease risk, study finds Man dies after eating raw oysters from Missouri seafood stand Hip surgery policies based on weight ‘worsen health inequality’, study warns TikToker cooks rack of ribs in hotel bathroom using only items from his room BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro

Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested across France overnight as police have claimed they are “at war” while the family of a teenager shot dead by an officer prepared for his funeral on Saturday. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on Saturday morning that 994 people had been arrested in the fourth consecutive night of nationwide clashes while 79 were injured. In turn, police claimed in a leaked intelligence report that they are “at wore with savage hordes of vermin” intent on attacking them and destroying as much property as possible. Nahel Merzouk, 17, will on Saturday be laid to rest following an Islamic ceremony close to his home in the north-western Paris suburb of Nanterre, where he was shot in the chest as he sat at the wheel of a stationary Mercedes last Tuesday. The officer responsible - identified as Florian M., 38 - remains on remand having been charged with murder. Meanwhile, Nahel M’s mother, identified as just Mounia, told France 5 television: “I don’t blame the police, I blame one person: the one who took the life of my son.” The UK Foreign Office has warned British tourists about the dangers of travelling in France. Read More Who is Nahel? The teen shot dead by police in France Is it safe to travel to Paris right now? ‘This is war’: France burns amid angry protests after teenager shot dead by police in Paris suburb Fear of no end to riots across France after police killing of teen: ‘It’s getting worse and worse’

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness celebrated their 27th anniversary just four months before they announced the split

Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking that a federal judge be disqualified from the First Amendment lawsuit filed by Disney against the Florida governor and his appointees