'Budget 2008: Alistair Darling taxes safe drinkers'

Budget plans to increase the price of alcohol have been crIticised, with Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, being accused of taxing responsible drinkers to patch up the government's fragile finances- The Telegraph​

Alistair Darling's decision to raise taxes on drinkers and drivers is backed by a clear majority of voters in an exclusive new Times poll - The Times​

Parents should take the greatest share of responsibility for steering teenagers away from binge drinking, according to an editorial in the Lancet. It said underage drinking had risen substantially during the past 10 years, and nearly one-third of teenagers were now binge drinkers- The Guardian​

The beer, wine and spirits industries lost no time in rushing to condemn the chancellor's imposition of "inflation plus" rises in excise duty on their products- The Financial Times ​

Nestlé is making money from the soaring cost of commodities, with the Swiss multinational forcing consumers to absorb the higher price of its food products containing milk, cocoa, coffee and cereals - The Times​

Yobs are selling alcohol to children who can't get it from shops after a clampdown on underage sales. The youngsters are paying double the retail price to buy lager, whisky and wine from a white van and a car which tours Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe, near Barnsley - Daily Mirror​

The curry industry "will die" if action is not taken to address tough new immigration laws, restaurant bosses warned yesterday - The Scotsman​

Glenrath Farms, the Borders-based poultry company, is set to become Europe's largest producer of free-range eggs in the wake of a decision by the Scottish Government to allow it to proceed with an investment of around £8 million which will see nine massive buildings erected on a greenfield site near Peebles - The Scotsman​

A modest war hero's secret bravery has finally been revealed after 60 years - over pints at the pub with a pal. Tommy Broom, 94, had never spoken of his escapes from the Nazis and bombing missions. But the the former Second World War RAF squadron leader told all over a twice-weekly beer and his stories have now been turned into a book - The Sun​