The Scottish government's plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol have suffered a setback with a move by the European Court to block similar initiatives in other EU countries. The Advocate General of the European Court has issued an opinion that rejects the idea of setting a minimum price in order to protect public health health. The court is expected rule within the next three months that a minimum pricing law in three European countries contravenes EU law - The Times
Britain's biggest pub companies breathed a sigh of relief after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) ruled the obligation for tenants to buy beer from their landlords does not pose any threat to consumer choice. Shares in Enterprise Inns and Punch Taverns, the biggest tenanted pub operators in the country, both surged on the news, after concern the investigation could lead to the so-called beer tie being scrapped - Daily Telegraph
The decision from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to give a clean bill of health to the beer tie has inevitably provoked wildly opposing opinions... but in May, the Business and Enterprise Committee called for the tie to be referred straight to the Competition Commission as it feared the OFT was not the right body to look at it. Lord Mandelson could now choose to accept the committee's conclusion, although such a decision would surely be perverse, given the OFT report, writes Dominic Walsh - The Times
There were doubles all round in the boardrooms of some of Britain's big pub groups yesterday after competition regulators gave the industry a clean bill of health. In an unexpected move, the Office of Fair Trading ruled the controversial 'beer-tie' did not hurt customers, and chucked out a complaint made from the real ale drinkers' group, Campaign for Real Ale - Daily Mail
Air rage incidents involving drunk, violent and disruptive passengers have soared five-fold in just six years, damning official figures have revealed. The total number of air rage incidents rose in the last 12 months alone by nearly a third (31 per cent) to 3,529. Of these, 44 cases were considered 'serious' and sufficiently dangerous to put the safety of the aircraft, crew or passengers at risk - a rise of 42 per cent on last year - Daily Mail
A calendar featuring pictures of different parts of the country that has fallen victim to the recession has become a surprise bestseller. The calendar shows 12 shots of the UK in economic decline including pictures of boarded-up businesses, perished pubs, collapsed cafes and torn-down toilets - Daily Telegraph
While under-age drinking is rightly frowned upon, there is no law that says a teenager cannot satisfy his sweet tooth. But when 15-year-old Jaz Bhogal left a discount store after buying a packet of wine gums, he was horrified to find a member of staff chasing him down the street. Jaz was then ordered back to the premises where the 99p Haribo sweets were confiscated and he was given a full refund. When he demanded an explanation, a member of staff at the 99p Stores outlet in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, explained that he needed to be 18 or over to buy anything containing alcohol - Daily Mail