GERMANS OVERWHELMINGLY think of Ireland in terms of green countryside even though only a small proportion of them have ever visited this country, according to a special Irish Times Ipsos MRBI poll conducted in both countries.

There's frustration in the alcohol reform lobby, with one campaigner now saying the process of changing alcohol laws has become a joke. Labour has added to the stack of Alcohol Reform Bill amendments, with a proposal to make it illegal to sell RTDs with more than five per cent alcohol.

AUSTRALIANS would rejoice if medical science could prevent 30 per cent of cancer deaths in this country, yet a solution is already available. Cancer Council of Australia chief executive Ian Olver says a dramatic reduction of cancer deaths is possible, simply with lifestyle changes.

Expand Stark new research has laid bare alcohol's toll on innocent victims, with liquor playing a major part in large numbers of murders, fires, car crashes, random assaults and violence in the home.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome came under the spotlight this week after the Federal Government announced new funding for programs targeting the problem. Moderate to high levels of alcohol during pregnancy has been linked to a risk of unborn children developing a range of abnormalities.

Expand One in three New Zealanders have been harmed by their own alcohol drinking, a survey shows. The research found that people most at risk of alcohol-related harm were young Maori men or people living in low socio-economic areas.