Alcohol
You just woke up hungover. Will exercise help you feel better?
It’s the season of holiday parties and hangovers. Here are the benefits of pushing through the pain.
- by Talya Minsberg
Latest
Why you should think twice before reaching for that low-carb beer
A new Australian study suggests the “health halo” around alcoholic drinks marketed as low-carb or low-sugar is misleading.
- by Lauren Ironmonger
How Putin’s long war is destroying the fabric of Russian society
About 15,000 Soviet soldiers died in Afghanistan. The Russian death toll in Ukraine is at least eight times that already - and alcohol-related deaths are spiralling.
- by Melissa Lawford
‘We miss our girls’: Families of suspected methanol poisoning victims return home
The parents of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles travelled from Bangkok to Melbourne on Tuesday, bringing home the bodies of their two teenage daughters.
- by Alex Crowe
‘Don’t worry’: Claims Laos hostel staff brushed off dying backpacker
A grieving backpacker has taken it upon himself to try to uncover the truth about the suspected mass methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng that killed at least six people.
- by Zach Hope
Six tourists died in this village. No one here seems in a hurry to find out why
Zach Hope reports from Vang Vieng, where cheap alcohol is plentiful but answers about what killed six people, including two Australians, are harder to find.
- by Zach Hope
Opinion
Australians abroad
In Vang Vieng, tragically, tourist deaths are nothing new
Laotian authorities have been working to rid the town of its deadly reputation. Clearly, they haven’t worked hard enough.
- by Jimmy Thomson
Grieving father’s plea after fatal drink poisonings
Bianca Jones’ father made an emotional appeal to the Laos government after his daughter died of suspected methanol poisoning last week.
- by Gillian Lantouris, Zach Hope and Erin Pearson
Editorial
Crime
Isla’s memory must be honoured with action
It is now commonplace to talk about violence against women as a “national crisis”. But has our response been commensurate with this sort of language?
- The Age's View
Pearl Jam frontman pauses Sydney show to pay tribute to Laos drink-spiking victims
Eddie Vedder took a moment during the band’s Sydney concert to send his thoughts to the families of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles.
- by Jessica McSweeney
Updated
Australians abroad
‘A terrible and cruel loss’: Melbourne woman dies after suspected methanol poisoning in Laos
Bianca Jones’ family were at her bedside when she died, while her best friend, Holly Bowles, is still fighting for her life in a Thai hospital.
- by Lachlan Abbott and Gemma Grant