'Pubs and retailers show signs of promise'

A ripple of upbeat trading statements on Wednesday raised the prospect of a modest restoration in the fortunes of consumer-facing industries, as companies including Next, JD Wetherspoon, Rightmove and Co-operative, all reported better than expected results or raised their earnings forecasts - Financial Times​

A horrified judge yesterday told an unemployed young thug that he was a "walking advertisement" for those who thought alcohol was far too cheap.The judge hit out after being told that the 21-year-old drank 24 cans of high-strength Stella Artois lager and two cans of Strongbow cider a day. In astonishment, Judge Philip Statman QC interrupted the defence barrister to ask how anyone who was unemployed could afford such a large amount of drink - The Daily Express ​

Binge drinking among women has almost doubled since 1998, in a rapid narrowing of an alcohol gender gap that persisted for generations, research today from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows. It found that the proportion of women who binge drink rose from 8% in 1998 to 15% in 2006. Over the same period, binge drinking among men increased only slightly, from 22% to 23% - The Guardian​

The artist and writer Alasdair Gray has restored a mural he painted on a pub wall 40 years ago. The 25ft Falls of Clyde was painted at Kirkfieldbank Tavern - now called the Riverside Bar - near New Lanark. It became lost to the public when it was covered by wallpaper, paint and light fittings more than a decade ago. The mural, which depicts views of the Clyde Gorge, was uncovered when the pub was refurbished in 2006, but was badly damaged in two areas. Andy Boyle, the owner of the Riverside Bar, commissioned the 74-year-old to restore the the 4ft (1.2m) wide, 25ft (7.6m) long work of art - BBC​