Selected news and media stories since the July roundup:
Arrests of passengers suspected of being drunk at UK airports and on flights have risen by 50% in a year, according to a BBC Panorama investigation. Stories from readers were covered in a BBC report: "One passenger was so drunk by the end of the flight, he was unable to leave the aircraft unaided by the time we arrived. The departure time was before 8am."
The rise in problems come despite a voluntary code introduced to “minimise disruptive passenger behaviour”, but cabin crew report it has had little effect according to The Independent. Budget airline giant Ryanair has called for a ban on airport sales before 10am and a two drink limit before boarding. Ryanair’s marketing director, Kenny Jacobs, said: “It’s completely unfair that airports can profit from the unlimited sale of alcohol to passengers and leave the airlines to deal with the safety consequences" according to The Independent. The worst route for drunken air offences is Alicante, Spain according to The Telegraph. Ibiza is second followed by Mallorca, home of Magaluf.
Carling owners Molson Coors were called to tribunal by HM Revenue and Customs over whether it owed another £50 million in taxes. The brewing giant had changed the strength of the top selling lager calling to 3.7% ABV but not the 4% ABV listed on packaging, a move it argued still legal owing to a 0.5% leeway allowed for beer production. The producers admitted the move had been to reduce tax liability but did not want retailers to demand "a slice" of the savings. See The Independent & Metro for more.
Health 
Can drinking increase skin cancer risk? NHS Choices: behind the headlines explores. Researchers pooled the results of previous studies and found a small, but significant, association between alcohol consumption and non-melanoma skin cancers. People drinking within current alcohol recommendations should not be concerned.
'Are YOU drinking too much? Answer these 10 questions to find out', offered the Daily Mail. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says alcohol causes much more harm than illegal drugs: 'It is a tranquilizer, it is addictive, and is the cause of many hospital admissions for physical illnesses and accidents,' experts there warn. Readers are invited to complete the widely used AUDIT questionnaire.
A BBC report suggests hundreds of drink spiking incidents are taking place each year as a Southampton student recounts his experience of being spiked at a nightclub and having to be picked up by an ambulance after wandering on to a dual carriageway.
British mums-to-be have among the highest rates of drinking during pregnancy and risk harming their unborn baby as a result, reports The Independent. The research also found that one in every 13 women who drink during pregnancy will go on to have a child with FASD
Research by UCL showing just 11 minutes of mindfulness can reduce alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers has been reported in Wired. Those that used mindfulness techniques drank 9.3 fewer units of alcohol than the week before the experiment, whilst a control group using other relaxation techniques did not reduce consumption.
Spending on drug and alcohol support services across England has been slashed 16% over the past four years, reports The Independent. Julie Cooper MP, the Shadow Health Minister, told The Independent the cuts were “incredibly short-sighted” and would hit the most vulnerable, as well as driving up the demand on an “already overstretched” NHS.
Pubs 
How Britain fell for Wetherspoon's, explores the Guardian. 'As it nears its 40th birthday, the chain has nearly 1,000 branches, at a time when pubs around the country are closing at a rate of 30 per week – the same time it takes Wetherspoon to sell three million pints.'
A church has bought a a pub after the vicar decided it was the best way to spread the Word, reports The Telegraph. Proceeds from the appropriately name The Mitre in Norwich will go to fund the church's charitable causes including international development and supporting the homeless.
Is the pubs code working? The code, implemented last July, meant pub landlords tied to big pubco's could break away, potentially reducing their rates and allowing them to buy drinks from other suppliers. However the code isn't working well according to this Telegraph piece.
Micropubs are on the rise despite the decline in pub numbers, according to The Sun. New miniature licensed venues focusing on quality ales have opened in unlikely places including converted sheds to closed down shops that used to sell everything from sweaters to bicycles.
A blog on the 'death of the backstreet boozer' says its smaller, more intimate establishments on back streets and estates, where people actually live that are closing. Middle class commentators though 'shrug closures off because it’s not their pubs that are disappearing', say the authors of a new book the 20th Century Pub.
Brewing and retailing
Sales of low and no-alcohol beers are booming with a 21% rise on last year, showing moderation is 'on trend' according to the Grocer. Heineken recently launched a 0.0% ABV version of its popular lager stocked in many major supermarkets alongside other low or zero per cent alcohol offerings.
Craft brewer BrewDog is to give away 20% of its profits each year, with 10% to go to charity and the other 10% to go to staff. In April, BrewDog became worth more than £1bn after selling a stake to a US private equity firm, reports the BBC.
A brawl over £1.50 bottles of prosecco at an Essex branch of Lidl was reported by a local Southend paper. The report said the special offer had sold out within five minutes of opening and police were called to the scene where arrests were made. In other stored Lidl has reported as selling six bottles of its own-brand Allini Prosecco for £20, which works out at £3.33 each.
Comments