'Number of drunks taken to hospital soars by half'

Numbers of people taken to hospital because of alcohol have soared by more than half in the past five years, new figures show. There were 863,257 drink-related admissions in England in 2007-8, up from 569,418 in 2003-4, the Department of Health said. The rise among young women was particularly worrying, as the number of 10 to 16-year-old girls admitted grew by more than a third - Metro​

Short sellers continued to abandon their downside bets as buyers - emboldened by news of Punch Taverns' progress in reducing its debt in the session before - moved into parts of the pubs sector, with Punch surging to 155p, up 31.6 per cent or 37.2p, as the bears moved out. Similar factors were said to be at play around Enterprise Inns, which advanced to 164.25p, up 14.7 per cent or 21p - The Independent​

CCTV has been issued after a man was punched to the ground and had glasses smashed over his head in a Reigate pub. Surrey Police said the 21-year-old victim was left with serious head injuries after the assault in the Priory in Bell Street. Officers have released CCTV images of three men in a renewed appeal after the attack on 17 April - BBC​

Students have vowed to fight plans to up the price of drink in Cambridge college bars.The National Union of Students conference in Blackpool earlier this month called on its members to "start the conversation on minimum pricing in unions".Senior tutors and deans at several Cambridge colleges are believed to be keen to introduce a minimum price for alcohol to discourage binge drinking. Now a member of Cambridge University Students' Union has called for the idea to be dismissed - Cambridge News​