'Teenagers 'should be banned from drinking at all if driving''

Teenagers should be banned from drinking any alcohol before driving, to cut the number of accidents and deaths, public health experts have said. The World Health Organisation called for "zero tolerance" for "novice" drivers until they became more experienced. More than 1,000 accidents involve teenage drivers over the drink-drive limit every year, official figures show - Daily Telegraph​

Britain's two largest tenanted pub operators have hit out at suggestions their business models were reckless, saying their companies were no more indebted than the average UK homeowner. In a lively session before a parliamentary inquiry into the industry, Ted Tuppen, chief executive of Enterprise Inns, and Giles Thorley, his counterpart at Punch Taverns, rejected charges that their companies' high debt levels were threatening the future of thousands of publicans across the country - Financial Times​

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the brewery behind Budweiser, is to cut 1,400 jobs in the US - 6% of its American workforce - to help it save $1.5bn (£1bn) a year - The Guardian​

Almost half of young men and women need alcohol to enjoy themselves at the Christmas party, according to a poll conducted for the Government's Know Your Limits campaign. 43% of drinkers aged 18 to 24 and 45% of 25 to 34-year-olds said they required alcohol, compared with just 13% of those over 55 - Daily Express​

Diageo Plc, the world's biggest alcoholic drinks group, said on Monday it was seeing strong growth in British retail sales in the run up to Christmas.Although the overall British alcohol beverage market declined by 1 percent to 33.7 billion pounds ($50 billion) in the year to June 2008, Diageo showed underlying sales growth of 2 percent - Reuters​

Burgundy wine imports to Britain nosedived 23 per cent in September, according to year-on-year figures issued by the Burgundy wine board. The UK is the region's biggest importer by volume, accounting for a quarter of all shipments, and is second in value behind the US - The Daily Telegraph ​

A school has asked kids to learn a "chav" nativity play — where Jesus turns water into lager instead of wine. Bexley Council said the script was used in a drama lesson for kids of 14, but the school would still stage a traditional nativity - The Sun​