'Motorists should not be allowed to drink any alcohol before they drive, say nurses'

Drivers should not be allowed to drink any alcohol before getting behind the wheel, nurses said yesterday. They called for drinking even a single unit before driving to be made illegal. Rod Thomson, vice chairman of the Royal College of Nursing, said: 'Ideally it should be illegal to drink half a pint of beer - Daily Mail ​

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has been asked to explain details of the SNP's plan to tackle alcohol abuse, after concerns over a lack of information. Holyrood's health committee invited her to attend a session next Wednesday to discuss a range of issues before MSPs can make up their minds - Scotsman ​

A pub in Edinburgh that is famous for rock music has failed in a bid to open until 2am at the weekend. Belhaven Pubs had wanted to open the Black Bull on Leith Street one hour later on both Friday and Saturday night. The move did win some support on the city's licensing board but was eventually rejected on the casting vote of licensing leader Marjorie Thomas - Scotsman​

Canberra is waging a battle against the world's biggest tobacco companies by announcing a series of measures to crack down on smoking, including new laws that will force cigarette companies to adopt plain packaging from 2012. Other countries, including the UK, are also considering plain packaging - which bans logos, colours and brand imagery - but Australia believes it will be the world's first nation to have the changes enshrined in law - FT​