French Riot Police Threaten to Strike over Alcohol Ban
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's riot police have complained about being "treated like children" following a new ban on drinking alcohol while on duty.
The CRS (Republican Security Companies), which made its name quelling student demonstrators during nationwide disturbances in 1968, has always enjoyed a glass of beer or wine with its meals.
However, following photos of riot police drinking bottles of beer during Paris street protest, police chiefs have decided to put an end to the tradition.
They were wearing body armour and carrying weapons as they sipped from beer and wine bottles. Some were also smoking.
Didier Mangione, national secretary of the police union, said bosses were "trying to turn us into priests, but without the altar wine".
"Nobody should object to a small drink on jobs," he said. "CRS officers do not have any more or less alcohol problems than anybody else in society. They should be allowed to drink in moderation." » | Peter Allen in Paris | Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Another Step Closer to Sharia Law: TV Alcohol Advertising Ban Proposed
THE INDEPENDENT: A bid to impose a total ban on alcohol advertising on television has been launched in Parliament.
The legislation, proposed by GP and Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, would also prevent alcohol brands being used to sponsor sporting and cultural events.
Under her plan to limit children's exposure to alcohol marketing, tightly controlled advertising would only be permitted in certain circumstances with a blanket ban on all other promotion.
Dr Wollaston (Totnes) has cross-party backing for her move, but critics labelled it an extension of the "nanny state". » | David Hughes, PA | Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Drink Strength Cut in Alcohol "Pact" to Tackle Bingeing Epidemic
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The alcoholic strength of one of Britain’s bestselling drinks is to be cut by up to a quarter as part of a Government “pact” with supermarkets and the drink industry.
The deal, to tackle the growing binge-drinking culture, will also see one of the Big Four supermarkets restricting the display of beers and wines for the first time and the number of units of alcohol stamped on millions of pint glasses in pubs.
It will form a key part of a wide-ranging “responsibility deal” between the alcohol and food industries, retailers and the Government.
It is thought that when the deal is announced this week by Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, it will be the biggest voluntary agreement of its kind between the Government and business.
Food firms including McDonald’s, Subway, PepsiCo and Pizza Hut will also reveal a health pledge which will cover a reduction in salt and sugar content, health advice and information and better calorie labelling. >>> Kamal Ahmed, Business Editor | Saturday, March 12, 2011
My comment:
Lansley is an interfering, meddlesome sort of a guy, isn't he? He likes to stick his nose into all manner of things. First it was smoking, now it's drinking. What next? Perhaps they should make it compulsory for us all to convert to Islam. That way they'll have done with all these health problems. At a stroke! Maybe that's what these useless politicians are aiming for.
As for binge-drinking, I agree it is a dreadful problem. But these silly little measures won't do an iota of good in the fight against it, for the problem has its roots elsewhere.
If they are truly serious about tackling binge-drinking, then they need to start encouraging mothers to stay at home to look after their children; they need to start encouraging mothers to raise their children properly. So please pass the necessary laws to make this possible. Further, they need to discourage divorce: make a divorce much harder to obtain. And very importantly, the government needs to pass laws which promote family values, because these binge-drinkers, I'd bet a dollar to a dime, have no-one to sanction their bad behaviour. In an old-fashioned, traditional family, they would. The mother would be overseeing them, as would the father, and the grandparents.
Turkey's Alcohol Restrictions Against European Practice, Euro MP Says
HÜRRIYET DAILY NEWS: The new restrictions introduced by the AKP government regarding alcohol laws are inconsistent with Europe's free market principles, according to a EU MP. 'If they change, then it would be a clear step away from European values, says,' EU Labor party member Richard Howitt
New restrictions on Turkey’s alcohol laws strongly backed by the government drew adverse criticism from a member of the European Parliament who said they were inconsistent with Europe’s free market principles.
The new regulations introduced by the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government, would prohibit alcohol from appearing in commercials and advertisements and bring strict new restrictions on alcohol licenses.
“It is a legal drug across the European Union, freely sold and consumed in European markets and therefore if restrictions are brought in Turkey they are inconsistent with our freedom in the EU,” Richard Howitt, Labor member of the European Parliament, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review in an interview.
“The objective fact is a restriction on the market for alcohol is inconsistent with Europe’s free market principles and if it changes then it would be a clear step away from European values,” he said. >>> Fulya Özerkan, Ankara, Hürriyet Daily News | Friday, January 28, 2011
BBC: New rules on the sale of alcohol in Turkey have raised fears its food and entertainment industries may be harmed.
The curbs ban alcohol from sports advertising and events for young people, and sales are limited to licensed shops and restaurants.
Critics say it will become harder for catering companies to organise wedding parties and similar gatherings.
A ruling party official said the rules were put in place to protect young adults from alcoholism.
An opposition spokesman said that an "oppressive mentality" was seeking to control Turkey, suggesting that the ruling AKP party was targeting secular lifestyles.
But Mehmet Kucuk, whose Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Board implemented the changes, insisted there was "no ideological dimension to the issue".
One small wine-maker told the BBC that, under the new regulations, he could no longer promote his wines via the internet, could not recommend wines to go with certain food, nor hold wine-tasting events. >>> | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Five a Day 'Will Not Stop Cancer'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Eating fresh fruit and vegetables will not protect you from cancer as they have little effect compared with alcohol and obesity, a study finds.
Official guidelines recommend at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day in order to be healthy but new research has found that this may not have a substantial effect on cancer.
The science suggests that people should be told that cancer risk is much more related to how much you eat and drink rather than what you eat.
The review, published in the British Journal of Cancer, looks at a decade of evidence on the links between fruit and vegetables and the development of cancer, but it concludes that the evidence is still not convincing.
The only diet-related factors that definitely affect cancer risk are obesity and alcohol, they discovered.
Tobacco is still the single biggest cause of cancer.
While smoking increases the risk of cancer by as much as 50 fold, even large consumptions of fruit and veg will only reduce the risk by a maximum of 10 per cent. Read on and comment >>> Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent | Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Drunk Skiers On The Piste 'To Be Breathalysed’
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Polish skiers who take to the pistes while drunk could be breathalysed and end up with a criminal record under proposed health and safety legislation. >>> Matthew Day, Warsaw | Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
'People Should Smoke And Drink More’, Says Russian Finance Minister
THE TELEGRAPH: Russia’s finance minister has told people to smoke and drink more, explaining that higher consumption would help lift tax revenues for spending on social services.
Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin believes people should drink and smoke more. Photo: The Telegraph
Speaking as the Russian government announces plan to raise duty on alcohol and cigarettes, Alexei Kudrin said that by smoking a pack, “you are giving more to help solve social problems such as boosting demographics, developing other social services and upholding birth rates”.
“People should understand: Those who drink, those who smoke are doing more to help the state,” he told the Interfax news agency.
Alcohol and cigarette consumption are already extremely high in Russia, where 65 per cent of men smoke and the average Russian consumes 18 litres of alcoholic beverages per year, mainly vodka, according to official statistics. >>> | Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Moscow to Ban Late Night Sales of Spirits
THE TELEGRAPH: Moscow is to ban sales of spirits and other strong alcohol at night and in the early hours of the morning in an attempt to wean Russia off one of its biggest health problems, according to reports.
According to a decree signed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, shops in the Russian capital will no longer be able to sell drinks containing more than 15 per cent alcohol between 10:00 pm and 10:00 am.
This will prevent Muscovites from buying strong spirits like vodka and cognac late at night but will not affect sales of beer and wine. It remains to be seen how the ban will be implemented. >>> | Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Reckless by Name, Reckless by Nature!
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A Tory MP was so drunk during a late night debate about the Budget in the Commons that he was unable to vote, it has emerged.
Mark Reckless was one of a number of MPs accused of being “well-refreshed” and “convivial” during the late night sitting which finished at 2.48am on Wednesday.
The 39-year-old new MP for Rochester and Strood had been drinking alongside scores of MPs on the Commons Terrace and was not the only one said to be worse for wear.
John Randall, the deputy chief whip, was accused by Angela Eagle – the shadow Treasury minister – of having indulged in “rather a liquid evening”.
Stephen Pound, the Labour MP, said Miss Eagle could not be heard in the Commons “because of the well-refreshed ejaculations from the benches opposite”.
Mr Reckless, who became an MP at the general election in May, was understood to have had difficulty standing and has scant recollection of the night. Tory MP 'too drunk to vote in Commons debate' >>> Caroline Gammell | Sunday, July 11, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Walter Mixa, German Bishop and Ally of the Pope, Faces New Child Abuse Allegations
THE TELEGRAPH: A secret Vatican file on a disgraced Roman Catholic German bishop alleges he is a "severely alcoholic man" who sexually preyed on young priests.
Documents, compiled after Vatican investigators questioned members of Bishop Mixa's inner circle, have detailed a litany of alleged alcoholism and sexual abuse.
The new allegations have come to light following his demands last week that the Vatican review his case. He has accused Germany's Archbishop Robert Zollitsch and Bavaria's Archbishop Reinhard Marx of not behaving a "brotherly" manner and pressuring him to resign.
In the dossier, witnesses described the bishop as an alcoholic who had to drink wine and spirits throughout the course of his day to feed his addiction to alcohol.
Others accused him of carrying out sex attacks on young priests during his time as a parish priest. Following an sexual incident, Bishop Mixa would then "go to confession the next morning before he celebrated mass".
The bishop was also repeatedly referred to in the dossier as "out of touch with reality". >>> Bruno Waterfield | Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Mideast Comes Up with New Anti-smoking Laws
THE TIMES OF INDIA: The Middle East, long associated with the ubiquitous waterpipe, is intensifying an anti-smoking drive as several Arab countries ban the practice in public places, even if success looks difficult.
From Beirut to Cairo, cigarettes are smoked everywhere, not just in cafes and restaurants, but in banks, ministries and even hospitals.
Egypt, the most populous nation in the Arab world and the heaviest smoker, announced on Thursday its intention to make the Mediterranean city of Alexandria the country's ‘first smoke-free city.’
But the health ministry did not say how it planned to achieve this goal.
An existing law that prohibits smoking in public places is frequently flouted -- notably by civil servants and police.
Nearly 40 per cent of Egyptian men smoke, the vast majority of them throughout the day, according to a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January.
On top of this, at least 70 per cent of those questioned for the survey said they were subjected to passive smoking at home or in the workplace.
Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also looking to kick the habit, having all passed anti-smoking legislation in recent months.
In January, the Emirati president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, ordered a ban "on smoking in public transport and closed public places."
Within the UAE, Dubai took the lead, introducing smoking restrictions as far back as 2007. >>> AFP | Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saudi Arabia: Smoking Cigarettes
BLOG – STUFF SAUDI PEOPLE LIKE: It’s well known that when you start a habit when you’re young; it is really hard to get over it. A lot of Saudis start smoking at a young age, usually their first experiment with cigarettes will be with their peers in schools. From hiding in school’s restrooms to standing behind buildings, smoke comes out from every part of the schools. Most teenagers who smoke carry pack of cigarettes in one pocket and a bottle of cologne in the other. No matter how much you wear cologne or drink half of the bottle, in the end parents always find out that you smoke.
Every year the price of cigarettes go up, but that doesn’t matter. Saudis will put down money and finance a pack of cigarette, in order to get the nicotine in their system. It’s the illusion of the cool image that is associated with cigarette, makes Saudis want to smoke. Watch any Saudi smoke, from the way he holds the cigarette to the way he blows the smoke, as if he is in a Hollywood movie that is playing in a slow motion. Comment >>> saudislike | Monday, August 17, 2009
THE TELEGRAPH: Russian national flag carrier Aeroflot has banned the sale of alcohol on selected long-distance flights in an attempt to end alcohol-fuelled violence and debauchery.
In a move prompted by a series of embarrassing mid-air drunken fights and scandals, Aeroflot revealed it had introduced a blanket ban on the sale of alcohol in economy class on selected routes from February.
It said it had targeted routes infamous for heavy drinking and loutish behaviour and reported a "significant drop" in the number of alcohol-related incidents as a result.
The move, which affects flights to and from Russia's Far East, China, Cuba and Thailand, is likely to anger a certain kind of Russian male passenger who loves to binge drink on such flights. >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Friday, June 04, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Australians 'Don't Give a XXXX' as They Abandon Beer for Wine
THE TELEGRAPH: Beer consumption in Australia has dropped to a 60-year-low as the younger generation abandons the "amber nectar" in favour of wine.
Think of Australia and the immediate associations are beaches, kangaroos and, of course, beer.
The legendary love for lager Down Under has been perpetuated by cultural exports including Barry “Bazza” McKenzie and Paul “Crocodile Dundee” Hogan and reinforced by memorable marketing campaigns including the Castlemaine XXXX adverts featuring the tag-line: “Australians wouldn’t give a XXXX for anything else.”
But according to new statistics, the worship of the “amber nectar” has gone flat, as beer consumption has dipped to its lowest level in 60 years.
The party-loving nation has not gone teetotal, however. Instead, the younger generation has developed a more refined palate, swapping cans of lager for bottles of wine.
Australians drank 11.3 pints of lager per person in 1979, but last year consumption sank to just 7.9 pints, the lowest amount since the 1950s.
In contrast, wine consumption quadrupled between 1960 and 2000, and has maintained a steady increase of about four per cent per year since, according to the Wine and Brandy Corporation. >>> Bonnie Malkin in Sydney | Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, April 05, 2010
A Free Spirit in New York's Hudson Valley
Too Tipsy to Drive? There's an App for That
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Alcoholic Foods Off the Menu in Dubai
THE TELEGRAPH: Food lovers in Dubai are up in arms after reports that dishes such as coq au vin and rum-laced tiramisu could be banned from hotels.
Authorities plan to step up the enforcement of a 2003 law prohibiting restaurants from using alcohol in food preparation, according to local media reports.
Inspectors are said to be hunting for illegal alcohol inside sauces, soups and desserts.
The Dubai Municipality sent out a circular to hotel managers "strictly enforcing the ban on use of alcohol in food items and their sale," an official told The Khaleej Times.
"Though most regulations under the local order have been enforced properly, Article 15, which bans the use of alcohol in food preparations, their display and sale was not implemented effectively," said Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Ali, head of food inspection for the municipality. >>> | Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
French Law Drives Country’s First Television Wine Channel Into Exile
TIMES ONLINE: You might think that French officials would have raised their glasses in celebration of a project to create the first Gallic television channel dedicated to wine.
Instead, they appear intent on driving the station into exile, possibly to Britain, after deciding that it will fall foul of the toughest laws on alcohol promotion outside the Muslim world.
Edonys, a private group which hopes to start broadcasting later this year, has been warned by France’s Higher Audiovisual Council that it will receive authorisation only if it drops plans for programmes featuring wine-tastings and expert discussions. The broadcasting authority deemed these illegal under a law that prohibits “all direct or indirect propaganda in favour of alcoholic drinks” on television.
However, the station is refusing to amend its schedule and executives are now looking for a base outside France. Britain, Luxembourg and Belgium are among the options.
“France is the world reference when it comes to wine and yet we are the only non-Muslim country where you cannot talk about wine on the television,” said Jean-Michel Peyronnet, an eminent wine journalist, who is among the founders of Edonys. “It’s not just surprising, it’s a scandal.” >>> Adam Sage, Paris | Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Supermarkets Criticise Government Plans to Raise Cost of Alcohol
Socialist governments just can’t help themselves, can they? They believe that for every societal ill, there is a tax that will solve the problem. Either that, or they come with an outright ban, as has been done for all smoking in public places, and fox-hunting.
Now they come with this hare-brained idea to put even more tax on alcohol in order to combat the ugly binge-drinking ‘culture’ if culture it can indeed be called!
Binge-drinking has its causes deeply-rooted in the way we bring up our children today. We in the West have forgotten that children need to be raised by full-time mothers, not part-time ones. A part-time mother is as much use as a part-time lover!
If this government is really serious about tackling binge-drinking, it needs to find a way to encourage mothers to return to being there full-time for their children in the formative years. The government also needs to find a way of reversing the trend of the break-up of the family, for without a strong family unit, there is no sanction on dreadful behaviour by our young people.
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain’s biggest supermarkets have criticised Government proposals to introduce a minimum price for alcohol saying it will fail to curb the country’s binge drinking culture.
They are outraged at the plans which they claim will end up targeting the wrong people and penalize middle-class consumers who drink responsibly instead.
A spokesman for Sainsbury’s said: “We believe that minimum pricing will unfairly penalise our shoppers, the vast majority of whom buy alcohol as part of their weekly shop and drink responsibly in their own homes.”
And a spokesman for Tesco agreed, saying: “We accept that the country has a binge drinking problem, but the vast majority of alcohol bought at our stores is by responsible people who enjoy a bargain.”
Yesterday, the Daily Telegraph revealed the Government was planning to fight the next election on proposals to cut alcohol abuse with a staged scheme including tougher warnings on labels and bans on discounting drinks which would culminiate in minimum prices.
But the price-fixing scheme could lead to a doubling in price of the cheapest alcoholic drinks sold in supermarkets.
Tesco said the doubling of prices would not stop alcohol abuse and would just encourage consumers to buy elsewhere.
The British Retail Consortium said cheap alcohol sold by supermarkets was not to blame and described the introduction of minimum prices as “unfair”.
Andrew Opie, food director at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Any change in alcohol policy must be based on evidence and not disadvantage the millions of people who drink responsibly and would be unfairly affected by price hikes.
“Simply putting prices up will not tackle problem drinking. It has cultural causes and they are what must be addressed. The UK already has some of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe. >>> Myra Butterworth, Rosa Prince and Simon Johnson | Thursday, January 14, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
A Drop of Claret Never Hurt My Little Darlings
THE TELEGRAPH: The latest health fatwa is aimed at the wrong target, as usual, says James Delingpole.
Liam Donaldson's strictures are directed at the wrong target. Photograph: The Telegraph
This weekend I shall sit down to Sunday lunch with my children, splash their glasses with a drop of claret, and drink a hearty toast to the departure of the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson. My children are nine and 11, so I know Sir Liam would disapprove – indeed, he told us as much in his latest fatwa. "Children under 15 should not drink alcohol at all," declared his new health guidelines on children's drinking. "Those between 15 and 17 should be supervised by their parents if they are drinking and should limit alcohol intake to one day a week."
The cheek of it! Was there ever a hectoring, busybodying government directive better guaranteed to have the opposite effect of the one intended? That was certainly its impact upon me. Normally at Sunday lunch, my children only have half a finger's worth of wine in their glasses – just to give the water a bit of colour, and make them feel grown-up. But after Sir Liam's nannying strictures, I'm tempted to treat the little darlings to a magnum each.
What's even more galling about strictures like this is that they're directed at the wrong target. We all know where Britain's most serious child-drinking problems lie: on sink estates and among broken homes where rudderless urchins are routinely downing alcopops and cans of super-strong lager before they've reached their teens. >>> James Delingpole | Friday, December 18, 2009
Sir Liam Donaldson: Parents 'Fuelling' Binge Drinking
More Twaddle from an Effete Government Representative
As far as I am concerned, Liam Donaldson is talking bollocks! The worst thing you can do for a child is forbid something. Forbidden fruits always taste the sweetest; and that's a fact! Further, the only people I know that went off the rails came from homes which banned alcohol completely.
The best way is to allow children of a certain age to have very small amounts of alcohol to feel included in any family gatherings. By not offering them any, the mystery of the demon drink will only grow.
Liam Donaldson's judgment is questionable. This is the man who said he was happy when smoking was banned in pubs, for he said now he can take his children to pubs for Sunday lunch without them having to inhale second-hand smoke. Somebody should have told him that children do not belong in pubs. Indeed, when I was growing up one had to be sixteen even to enter such a public watering hole. Pubs were not conceived for children, but for adults. The proper place to take a child for Sunday lunch if one is not cooking at home is a restaurant. Not a pub!
It seems that he has no better judgment on children drinking a little alcohol.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's riot police have complained about being "treated like children" following a new ban on drinking alcohol while on duty.
