Many of us believe that we are great drinkers and that alcohol does not affect us as much. People who are able to drink without showing any sign of inebriation are known as social drinkers. In short, they are not addicted to alcohol but will not turn down the opportunity to have a good time! While it may seem like it doesn’t affect you, new studies suggest that it is just an illusion, even if you have high tolerance, alcohol affects your cognitive and motor functions more than you think.

The study reveals the below implications and techniques:

• Researchers used a new MRI technique to precisely measure brain electrical activity.
• By comparing brain scans before and after drinking, scientists identified specific areas affected by alcohol and how much brain activity slowed down.
• Participants were chosen to be regular social drinkers without alcohol addiction, ensuring the study focused on the effects of alcohol alone.
• MRI technology provided reliable data on brain activity changes caused by alcohol consumption.

How does the brain react to alcohol?

Think of it as the foundation for your brain's performance. When brain conductivity is high, information flows smoothly, and that helps your brain in rapid processing and response. On the other hand, low conductivity can hinder cognitive function, leading to slower thinking, impaired memory, and difficulties with coordination.

A study conducted at the Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and UNSW Science unveiled a startling connection between alcohol consumption and brain conductivity.

What is the connection between alcohol consumption and brain activity?

While many people brush off the effects of alcohol as temporary changes in behaviour, the reality is much more complex. Beyond the obvious impacts on coordination and judgment, alcohol significantly alters brain function. Alcohol dramatically slowed down brain activity, especially in areas responsible for decision-making, planning, and physical coordination. This decline was so significant that it resembled the brain changes seen in normal ageing. This means even one drink could temporarily accelerate the ageing process of your brain.

Alcohol and Brain activity: What does the study Imply?

The implications of this research are far-reaching. It provides compelling evidence that alcohol consumption has a direct and measurable impact on brain function. The discovery that alcohol can significantly reduce brain conductivity opens new avenues for understanding the neurocognitive effects of alcohol abuse and dependence. While you may not feel like alcohol is affecting you and you have a high tolerance, it most definitely changes and affects your decision-making abilities and impulse control.

Furthermore, the MRI technique employed in the study could be a valuable tool for assessing the impact of other substances on the brain and for developing interventions to mitigate alcohol-related brain damage.

French health officials have confirmed the first positive Ebola case in a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in Congo.

It is the country's first case of the virus during the current outbreak, and the first in Europe. It is also the first case outside Africa in the 2026 outbreak.

The health ministry "confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory", it said.

The patient, identified in mainland France, is being isolated and authorities are conducting contact tracing, the ministry said, adding that the risk to the general European population was low, AFP reported.

Congo Outbreak Reaches Record First-Month Total

Also read: 'Omega Block' Causing Europe Heatwave; France Worst Hit

The confirmed cases in the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached the highest total ever recorded during the first month of an outbreak in Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As of June 22, confirmed Ebola cases in Congo had risen to 1,094 and deaths to 277, according to the DRC Ministry of Health. The WHO raised concerns about the rapid spread of the deadly virus and the challenges facing containment efforts.

“This is the largest number of confirmed cases in the first month of an Ebola disease outbreak in Africa,” said Dr Abdirahman Mahamud, Director, Health Emergency Alert and Response Operations at WHO, during a press briefing in Geneva.

"What is important is we need to scale up and this outbreak is moving faster than us," he told reporters after returning from Bunia last week.

Signs of Progress Amid Challenges

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Mahamud also noted signs of hope, highlighting a quick increase in the number of Ebola beds to over 500 in the past fortnight and signs that community resistance and violent resistance to Ebola responders was beginning to abate.

Taking to social media platform X, Dr Tedros shared that “100 patients have recovered so far, which shows that for many, the virus can be stopped with timely health care”.

He also lauded efforts being made to “increase the number of Ebola Treatment Centres and lab and surveillance capacities, to train more health workers on clinical care and infection prevention and control, and to improve the understanding and involvement of communities”.

However, he highlighted the need to do more.

"More treatment centers, more trained health and care workers, more testing, more teams from within communities supporting communities. We need sustained and safe access to reach all affected people”.

US Supports Experimental Treatment Trials

Meanwhile, the US has provided doses of an experimental antibody drug from Mapp Biopharmaceutical for use in clinical trials to fight the widening Ebola outbreak in Congo, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said, a shift from its position of making the drug available only to Americans, Reuters reported.

While the spokesperson declined to comment on the number of doses, it said that the drug is being made available for compassionate use in Congo as well as to advance a clinical trial in the outbreak region.

There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

This marks the first time the US government has indicated it plans to directly support clinical trials of the antibody treatment known as MBP134 from San Diego-based Mapp by providing stockpiled doses.

The Mapp drug is expected to be among the first treatments to be tested in the outbreak.

Trials of the Mapp drug and two Gilead Sciences antivirals are due to begin in the coming weeks, according to the WHO and scientists involved in the testing, the report said.

Europe is reeling under an intense heatwave, causing schools to shut, triggering red alerts across France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, and killing dozens of people.

The heatwave has also forced the early closure of major Paris tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum.

According to meteorologists, the soaring temperatures are being driven by a weather pattern known as an "omega block".

What Is An Omega Block?

Also read: ‘Heat Dome’ Triggering Record-Breaking May Temperatures In France, UK, Spain

An omega block is a large-scale atmospheric pattern named after the Greek letter Omega (Ω) because of its distinctive shape.

The pattern develops when a strong area of high pressure becomes locked between two low-pressure systems. Normally, the jet stream — a fast-moving current of air high in the atmosphere — pushes weather systems across Europe from west to east.

During an omega block, the jet stream bends into a stagnant pattern, causing weather systems to stall.

This blocks cooler Atlantic air from entering the region while drawing hot air northward from North Africa and the Sahara. The persistent high-pressure system acts like a lid, trapping heat near the ground and allowing temperatures to climb steadily over several days.

“This is high pressure over the UK, home-grown, and hot air coming in from the Continent, which is going into its own heatwave,” said Jim Dale, meteorologist at British Weather Services and co-author of Surviving Extreme Weather, The Telegraph reported.

Meanwhile, the UK Met Office has warned that parts of England and Wales could threaten Britain's June temperature record of 35.6°C, set in Southampton in 1976, as the plume of hot air moves north and west.

Read More: WHO Sounds Alarm on Europe's Extreme Heat: Here's How Hot It Could Get Across Countries

Why France Is The Worst Hit

Parts of France, Spain and other regions of Western Europe have recorded temperatures above 40°C.

As per the forecast, the heat dome is centered over France, explaining why the country has been hit harder than its neighbors.

France endured its hottest night ever recorded from Monday to Tuesday, according to Météo-France.

“The heart of the hottest part of this system is screwed down over France, even if it spills over a little into neighboring countries,” Christophe Mertz, a meteorologist at MétéoNews, told French Daily La Montagne,

“The phenomenon is maximal over our country”.

How Long Can An Omega Block Last?

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As per the experts, Omega blocks typically persist for three to 10 days, but in some cases, they can remain in place for several weeks.

Because the pattern moves very slowly, affected regions can experience prolonged periods of extreme heat, drought, or, depending on the season, cold spells.

Omega Block: The Role Of Climate Change

Experts say climate change is intensifying the heat associated with omega blocks.

Europe is now experiencing heatwaves that are 2 to 4 degrees hotter than they would have been without human-caused warming, according to Clair Barnes, a research associate in extreme weather and climate at Imperial College London, Reuters reported.

The United Nations has also warned that such episodes are no longer freak events but a sign of man-made climate change.

Antonio Guterres, the UN’s secretary-general, on June 23 urged the world to act with “far greater urgency” to limit global warming.

“On the surface, these crises may seem separate. But they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels,” he told London Climate Action Week.

This early summer’s June omega block is the second major heatwave to strike Europe in two months. As per scientists, a warming world will drive such events earlier in spring, which will linger later into autumn, and become severe each time they come.

Sri Lanka has been battling dengue cases since the beginning of the year. According to the National Dengue Control Unit, the island nation reported a total of 47,530 cases and 29 dengue-related deaths as of June 22.

Health officials said cases jumped to 13,689 in June alone, up from 8,590 cases in May 2026. The deaths include five children.

Colombo district accounts for 21 per cent of the country's cases (9,983), while Gampaha district has reported 8,809 cases (18.53 per cent).

Dengue: What's Behind The Surge?

Sri Lanka has experienced large outbreaks in recent years, including in 2017, 2019 and 2023. In 2025, the country recorded a total of 51,000 cases. The 2026 outbreak is reportedly driven by the monsoons and the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, which ravaged the island nation in December last year.

“We noticed this increase after the cyclone,” Dr. Prashila Samaraweera, consultant community physician at the National Dengue Control Unit, told Reuters.

“A lot of debris was in our environment, so we noticed a lot of mosquito breeding places, and our entomological indices were high from that time,” she added.

Also read: Dengue Serotypes Shifting In Young Adults: How India's Indigenous Vaccine Could Help Prevent Severe Disease

Measures to Contain Dengue

Schools, homes, construction sites and public buildings are being cleaned up during a special programme launched by Sri Lanka's health authorities and other public officials.

According to media reports, Sri Lanka is deploying the military to contain the spread of mosquito-borne dengue fever, as health authorities warned that hospitals are being overwhelmed with more than 1,000 admissions a day.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's office said army, navy and air force officers would join a special unit to identify and destroy mosquito breeding sites.

What Is Dengue?

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes and is common in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Mild dengue causes high fever and flu-like symptoms. However, in some cases, it can progress to severe dengue, also known as dengue hemorrhagic fever, which may lead to serious bleeding, shock and death.

Dengue is considered the most prevalent viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. More than 3.9 billion people across over 132 countries are at risk, with an estimated 96 million symptomatic cases and around 40,000 deaths annually worldwide.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Symptoms usually appear 4–10 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito and may vary in severity. Common symptoms include:

• High fever
• Severe headache
• Pain behind the eyes
• Joint and muscle pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Skin rashes appearing a few days after fever onset

How to Prevent Dengue

Preventing dengue mainly involves reducing mosquito exposure and eliminating mosquito breeding sites. Effective preventive measures include:

• Using insect repellents containing DEET
• Wearing long-sleeved clothing, especially during dawn and dusk
• Installing screens on windows and doors
• Using mosquito nets while sleeping in endemic areas
• Eliminating stagnant water in flower pots, gutters and containers
• Using mosquito traps or insecticide-treated materials in mosquito-prone areas.