Russian duties on cigarettes are among the lowest in Europe, nevertheless it did not stop the Russian Finance Minister to urge the public to smoke and drink more.

Russians drink about 18 litres of pure alcohol a year[1] (which is equivalent of 38 litres of vodka), a habit that kills half a million people a year and is a major factor in population decline. An estimated 51% of production is on the black market, with factories running illegal night shifts and huge supplies of moonshine called samogon distilled in villages, where it acts as a second currency.

Today, August 17, the Danish company Carlsberg published their result of the first half of 2010, which shows a dramatic increase from 2.8 billion Danish krone in first half of 2009 to 4,5 billion Danish krone in first half of 2010.

Brazil 2014 is set to be the first alcohol-free World Cup after organisers confirmed that none of the 12 stadia hosting matches will be allowed to sell drinks under anti-hooligan laws.

Home Office (UK) published a consultation paper on tackling the alarming increase in alcohol influenced crime. Home Office has recently taken responsibility for licensing and enforcement from Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are teaming up to promote healthy lifestyle choices, including physical activity, sports for all, Tobacco Free Olympic Games, and the prevention of childhood obesity.

20 July 2010. Europeans are calling on Member States to boost their efforts to improve road safety, according to a survey published by the European Commission today. Nine out of ten Europeans (94%) considered driving under the influence of alcohol to be the most significant road safety problem,

The purpose of this paper is to give meaning and insight into some of the key drug and alcohol issues that affect children from the perspectives of the children themselves.

7 July 2010. The Irish parliament has passed The Road Traffic Bill 2009, which reduces the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) for drivers from the current limit of 80mg to 50mg, and to 20mg for novice and professional drivers. It also introduces mandatory testing of all drivers involved in collisions in Ireland where injury occurs.

In an article in the Daily Telegraph (May 21), Tesco’s chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, endorsed the UK Government's commitment to act on below-cost selling of alcohol and said he would support future discussions on minimum pricing.