'Twice as many women drinking real ale as last year'
The number of women drinking real ale has doubled in the past year, with almost one in three supping what campaigners regard as Britain's "national drink", according to research out today. A survey of 1,000 adults for the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) showed that half of all drinkers had tried real ale, a 15% increase on the previous 12 months - Guardian
Pub wine glasses holding up to half a pint were blamed last night after a huge rise in women caught drink-driving. The conviction rate has shot up 91 per cent - from 6,108 in 1987 to 11,694 in 2007. Safety experts said pub wine glasses containing just over a third of a bottle had contributed to the problem. Girls were misjudging their booze levels before getting behind the wheel - The Sun
Ministers should resist calls to give temporary workers the instant right to the same bonuses as full-time staff, five leading business groups have urged in a letter to the FT. The government is set to implement the agency workers directive within the next two years and is still considering how exactly to do so. A consultation period on the directive is set to end on Saturday. Unions and business groups are lobbying fiercely over how it should be applied. Under the directive, temps will win the right to full employment terms - including equal pay - after 12 weeks in a workplace - FT
A real-life Basil Fawlty told hotel guests who asked for a refund: "You have more chance of flying to the Moon." Cheesed-off Michelle Winspear and Emma Tweddle complained after spending a weekend at Timothy Reid's ivy-clad Knavesmire Manor to mark their 40th birthdays - The Sun
The taxman is facing a sudden flood of legal claims that could blow a massive new hole in the public finances. In the past month alone, 300 High Court claims have been lodged against Revenue & Customs by companies and local authorities - three times the figure in the same month last year - Daily Mail
Traders are deserting Welsh high streets at an alarming rate with the number of empty stores increasing by up to 10 times in a year, new figures have shown - Western Mail
