Appeals court to hear Mass. law restricting direct shipments of wine to consumers

Court hears appeal on Mass. wine shipment law

Backers of major changes in Ind. alcohol sales fight on despite tough odds in full legislature

INDIANAPOLIS — Backers of allowing Sunday carryout sales of alcohol in Indiana and letting venues besides liquor stores sell takeout cold beer are pledging to fight on, but they likely will face a tough time in the General Assembly.

Nominees to state liquor commission would leave teetotalers in control

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah may have made recent strides to streamline its quirky liquor laws, but one booze-related oddity likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Authorities in Iraq’s holy Shiite city of Najaf ban alcohol in city, province

BAGHDAD — Local Iraqi authorities have outlawed alcohol in the province of Najaf, home to the holiest Shiite city, saying it contradicts the principles of Islam.

Federal judge rejects US Airways’ effort to serve liquor on New Mexico flights

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal judge has ruled New Mexico officials can keep US Airways from serving alcohol on its New Mexico flights after a passenger caused a drunken-driving crash that killed five people.

Arizonans with concealed weapons permits allowed to bring guns in bars starting Wednesday

PHOENIX — Bartender Randy Shields was serving British brews and Arizona ambers as usual at Shady’s bar in east Phoenix when he saw a customer walk in with a hunting knife strapped to his hip.

Beyonce to perform in Malaysia after canceling show last time amid dress code debate

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Beyonce Knowles says she will perform in Malaysia in October, two years after canceling a show in this Muslim-majority country after protesters threatened to disrupt the concert because of her sexy image and clothing.

U of Minnesota tackles stadium drinking with breath tests for rowdy students

MINNEAPOLIS — Students who get kicked out of a University of Minnesota football game for drunken rowdiness won’t be allowed back next time unless they pass an alcohol breath test at the gate — one of the most extreme attempts yet by colleges to curb misbehavior in the stands.

State Department concerned over ArmorGroup delays in reporting allegations of guard misconduct

WASHINGTON — A member of a federal commission investigating wartime spending said Monday that photos showing private security guards in various stages of nudity at drunken parties may be as damaging to U.S. interests in Afghanistan as images of detainee mistreatment at Abu Ghraib were in Iraq.

Russian president orders limits on beer as part of anti-drinking campaign

MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev is ordering new restrictions on the sale of beer and similar beverages in what appears to be his first effort to battle Russia’s rampant alcoholism.

New York Times: Kidnapped Times reporter freed in Afghanistan; Afghans: translator killed

KABUL — Commandos freed a New York Times reporter early Wednesday from Taliban captives who kidnapped him over the weekend in northern Afghanistan, but his interpreter was killed in the raid, the paper and officials said.

British doctors call for blanket ban on alcohol advertising to control country’s drinking

LONDON — British doctors called for a ban on alcohol advertisements Tuesday, saying the move was necessary to challenge Britain’s dangerous drinking culture.

4 US troops killed in Afghanistan; NATO confirms civilians died in airstrike

KABUL — Four U.S. troops died Tuesday in a militant attack in eastern Afghanistan, and NATO forces acknowledged for the first time that civilians were among the dozens killed in an airstrike on two hijacked fuel trucks.

NATO confirms civilians died in German-ordered Afghan airstrike; 4 US troops killed in east

KABUL — NATO forces acknowledged for the first time Tuesday that Afghan civilians were among the dozens killed in a German-ordered airstrike last week, while four U.S. troops died in a militant attack in the country’s east.

Samoa bans alcohol sales, locals pray for calm as drivers switch to other side

APIA, Samoa — Residents prayed for calm as Samoa prepared Monday to become the first country in nearly 40 years to switch driving from one side of the road to the other.

Security assigned to watch guards at Kabul embassy; alcohol banned after sex accusations

KABUL — The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has banned alcohol and assigned American personnel to watch the embassy’s security guards following allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct at their living quarters.

Security assigned to guard guards at Kabul embassy; alcohol banned after sex accusations

KABUL — The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has banned alcohol and assigned American personnel to watch over the embassy’s security guards following allegations of lewd behavior and sexual misconduct at their living quarters.

Malaysia reverses ban, says Muslims can attend Black Eyed Peas concert

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Malaysian government has agreed to let Muslims attend a concert by U.S. hip-hop stars Black Eyed Peas, reversing an earlier ban imposed because the show is sponsored by an alcoholic beverage company, officials said Wednesday.

Australia debates Aboriginal policy after UN expert called it a human rights violation

SYDNEY — A U.N. expert’s harsh criticism of Australia’s Aboriginal policy reopened a national debate Friday on a decades-old issue: how best to help the country’s original settlers and most disadvantaged minority.

UN expert says Australia breached Aborigines’ rights with measures mean to curb child abuse

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia breached international obligations on human and indigenous rights by imposing radical restrictions on Aborigines during a crackdown on child abuse in Outback communities, a United Nations expert said Thursday.

University of Wisconsin bans advertising by beer companies during sports broadcasts

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football fans listening to games on the radio this fall will hear few, if any, beer ads for the first time in years.

Vino no-no: Alabama ban of California wine with naked nymph on label becomes a marketing tool

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s ban on a wine that features a nude nymph on the label became a business opportunity for a California vintner who is preparing a marketing campaign to capitalize on being “Banned in Bama.”

Easy on the vino, bambino! Milan becomes first city in Italy to ban alcohol for teens under 16

ROME — For the first time in Italy’s wine-steeped history, a city government has banned alcohol for those under 16 in an effort to curb drinking problems among youths.

Okla. congressman returning to DC after treatment for alcohol addiction, will seek re-election

OKLAHOMA CITY — U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, who is returning to Washington after a 30-day stay in a treatment center for alcohol addiction, said Monday he plans to work harder than ever and will seek re-election next year.

Utah bartenders throw open their doors as decades-old liquor restrictions are cast aside

SALT LAKE CITY — Jeremy Kristic and several of his friends pounded on the door at Oscar’s bar Wednesday promptly at 11 a.m. They wanted it to open immediately, and they wanted to drink. They had after all other bars to go to — before closing time at 1 a.m.

Utah’s bars open doors to public as decades-old restrictions on liquor sales are cast aside

SALT LAKE CITY — Getting into a bar in Utah is now as simple as showing a bouncer a valid ID.

Utah bids farewell to law requiring membership forms, fees for the right to enter a bar

SALT LAKE CITY — For the last 40 years, dropping into a bar in Utah has been a complicated affair: Patrons have to fill out an application, pay a fee and become a member before they can go in for a drink.

Utah ready to bid farewell to law requiring membership forms, fees for the right to enter bars

SALT LAKE CITY — No fees. No forms. No hassle.

Australia tries to heal ailing Aboriginal communities with ‘tough love’ _ but is it enough?

WADEYE, Australia — Along the dusty red road that leads from the lonely airstrip into town, the signs flash by: “No alcohol,” says one. “Petrol sniffing kills,” admonishes another. “Don’t bring gunja into our town,” warns a third.

Senate panel’s proposals for taxes on alcohol, sweetened drinks to help finance health care

The Senate Finance Committee has said it is considering raising federal taxes on alcohol and creating a new tax on sugar-sweetened drinks to help pay for revamping the nation’s health care system, an overhaul that could cost $1.5 trillion over the next decade.