'Row over moves to devolve alcohol licensing powers'

The Wales Office has accused the assembly government's health minister of breaking the devolution agreement by calling for powers over alcohol licensing. Edwina Hart has asked fellow cabinet members to help her "take control and take action" over alcohol policies. But Wales Office minister David Jones said alcohol licensing will never be devolved - BBC​

AN NHS crisis phone line faces an overhaul after a suicidal caller was told to "have a couple of cans". The desperate patient phoned to say their noisy neighbour was pushing them over the edge. The adviser urged the caller to have a beer and get some earplugs, while another suicidal patient was asked to call back after the weekend - Daily Star​

Taxes to pay for contentious climate change policies are set to treble over the next decade, soaring to more than £16billion a year.The hike is the equivalent of 4p on the current rate of income tax, a report from think tank Policy Exchange claimed.By 2020 the tax take from green levies will be roughly equivalent to total public spending in England on both the police and fire services, the figures show - Daily Mail​

Drug use should be legalised to cut crime and improve health, a top doctor has said. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, the outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians, suggested that relaxing the law on substances such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis would not increase the number of addicts. This could save vast amounts of taxpayers' money, he suggests - Daily Mail​

Inflation is expected to remain significantly higher than the government's target when the latest data are published today, prompting Bank of England governor Mervyn King to write yet another letter to the chancellor. The rising cost of living will also hit commuters, because July's inflation figure is used to calculate annual fare increases for many rail users. Economists estimate that the consumer price index (CPI) rose on an annual basis by 3.1% in July, a drop on June's 3.2% but some distance from the Bank's target of 2% - The Guardian​