Businesses in Wales should receive some relief from rates next year after the assembly government announced a decrease in the amount some will pay. Small and medium enterprises had feared they were facing a hike in bills after a recent revaluation of premises which suggested rateable values would rise. Now the Welsh assembly government has announced it is lowering the level at which bills are calculated - BBC News
Boozing has led to a 60% rise in the number of men dying of liver cancer. Last year, 213 men in Scotland were killed by the disease. Jack Law, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "Alcohol is a significant factor in rising rates of liver cancer and these figures show the need for urgent action to reverse the trend." - The Daily Record
Police in Newquay have announced new measures to tackle drunk and disorderly behaviour at the popular tourist spot. The summer of 2009 saw the deaths of two teenage boys who fell off cliffs in the town after drinking with friends. The force said it would confiscate alcohol from under-18s and put more officers on the beat, in trains and at campsites. The action plan also includes a national advertising campaign - BBC News
He may not be nursing a throbbing head and churning stomach today, but Mattie McGrath is probably experiencing that guilty, morning-after feeling just the same. In the cold light of day, the Tipperary South representative of Fianna Fáil could be regretting his decision to enter the drink-drive debate by pointing out that a little tipple might help calm drivers of a nervous disposition. "If drink is such a sedative it can make people who are jumpy on the road, or nervous, be more relaxed," the backbencher said. His words came as Ireland debated whether or not to reduce the legal blood-alcohol content limit for motorists to 50mg per 100ml, from 80mg, in the hope of cutting the incidence of road accidents - The Guardian