Brazil Cracks Down on Booze

The president of Brazil is pushing for stricter alcohol regulations following the release of two studies showing more Brazilians are abusing alcohol and at an earlier age, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The government has already temporarily banned the sale of alcohol on federal highways, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants Congress to limit daytime alcohol advertising on TV and radio.

Government officials claimed the temporary highway ban resulted in fewer road deaths during the recent holiday weekend, but industry groups and store chains are voicing their opposition. “We don’t need new laws,” said an official from an association of beer producers. “We need to educate people and punish them when they flout the laws we have.” (More Brazil stories.)