Gordon Brown will announce that local councils are to be given new powers to stop pubs and clubs opening for 24-hours a day. The move will be part of a wider package of crime measures that the Prime Minister will unveil in his crucial pre-election party conference speech. He has previously indicated that he is unhappy with parts of the licensing law changes that were brought in while Tony Blair was Prime Minister but has stopped short of overhauling the legislation. Instead, today he will use his keynote speech in Brighton to say that he is to enable local authorities to suspend 24-hour licensing to restrict those pubs and clubs that stay open for 24-hours continuously if they are believed to be responsible for anti-social behaviour in a part of a community - Daily Telegraph
Gordon Brown will attempt today to reassure the voters of Middle England by promising new measures to tackle problem families, antisocial behaviour and drunkenness. He is expected to announce that courts will have to consider imposing drinking banning orders, which are based on ASBOs, on anyone over 16 convicted of crime while under the influence - The Times
Globe Pub Company, the cash-strapped tenanted pub group founded by Robert Tchenguiz, has reported a first-quarter loss of more than £200 million after being forced to write down the value of its estate amid continued poor trading - The Times
Supermarkets expect a boom in low-alcohol wine after research found a demand beyond the traditional market of women with a sweet tooth and drinkers with fond memories of Liebfraumilch in the Seventies... supermarkets believe that there is a new demand for low-alcohol wine from people concerned about health - The Times
A report commissioned by the Scottish Government has found a minimum set price for alcohol would save billions from the cost of dealing with the nation's alcohol problem - Scotsman
The British pint has survived the metric maniacs of Europe. But now it faces a challenge from much further afield. Australian-style beer glasses that hold two-thirds of a pint are to be introduced in pubs - Daily Mail
Doctors in Italy have warned that binge drinking is becoming such a problem it will reach British levels within five years - Daily Mail
A British tourist fell to his death after drunkenly trying to pee from a hotel window in Germany, it emerged today. The 25-year-old was found dead in a Munich courtyard without his trousers after visiting the annual Oktoberfest - Europe's biggest beer festival - The Sun