- Low-alcohol lager is set to become the drink of choice in 2007 as demand grows for a healthier pint. Sales of both non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers have risen by 4 per cent over the past 12 months, according to research, and are expected to rise further in the new year. Scotsman
- An expert on binge drinking has slated the decision to allow revellers to buy alcohol from bars on Princes Street at Hogmanay. Dr Jan Gill, one of Scotland's leading authorities on the subject, has rubbished claims by organisers of the Royal Bank Street Party that the move is likely to make the event safer. Scotsman
- Men who have sex with drunken women will be at risk of being convicted of rape under new laws to be considered by ministers. The legal shake-up would mean a woman would be considered incapable of giving consent to sex if she had been drinking heavily.
Police would be asked to carry out blood and urine tests on a woman who complained of rape to find out how much alcohol is in her body. They would then used "back calculations" to work out how drunk she was at the time of the alleged attack. A "drink and sex limit" would sweep away the confusion and controversy in the courts surrounding the issue of when a man accused of rape can claim he believed a woman gave her consent to sex. thisisLondon.co.uk
- Almost a quarter of pubs and off-licences illegally sell booze to kids, researchers have revealed. A survey of local authorities found youngsters who were deliberately sent into licensed premises were able to buy alcohol in 23 per cent of cases. The figures, compiled by the Liberal Democrats, showed 2,588 out of 11,452 under-18s got served in tests of 69 areas of England and Wales. The Sun
- A new drug has been tested which could provide a way to stop humans craving alcohol. Developed at the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne, the compound blocks a chemical called orexin being released. Orexin cells, located in the brain, are involved in the high or euphoric feeling experienced when a person drinks alcohol or takes illegal drugs. Tests showed that after rats were given the compound, they stopped drinking alcohol that was made available to them. TUV News
- Police lack the powers necessary to make the government's latest festive drink drive campaign effective, according to a road safety watchdog. GEM motoring assist believes that without evidential roadside breath testing and random stop and test legislation the latest THINK! campaign, aimed at 17 to 29-year-old men, will be frustrated. It also claims the UK now has one of the lowest screening rates in Europe for drink driving offences.
David Williams, chief executive of the road safety watchdog, said: "While we fully support the Department for Transport's THINK! campaign it is difficult to understand the rationale in spending hundreds of thousands of pounds at Christmas to dissuade young men from drinking and driving and then not giving the police the means to combat the problem on our danger-filled roads." And an online poll by the watchdog revealed that 80 per cent of the public who voted believe police should be given the power to breath test randomly. ThisisHertfordshire.co.uk
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