A student died after downing half a litre of vodka in 20 minutes during a university drinking game, an inquest heard yesterday.

Jason Venezia, 19, couldn’t stand or speak after trying to win a £40 ($64, €50) bet that he could neck a full bottle of the spirit.

Pals carried the Warwick psychology student to his room after the May binge, but he died of alcohol poisoning.

After Coventry coroner Sean McGovern recorded a verdict of misadventure, parents Joan and Ennio, of Solihull, West Mids, called for the drinking age to rise to 21.

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A Hollywood-style ‘Know The Signs‘ Heineken trailer.

A drink which aims to deliver the same fix as cigarettes is being launched in Britain to help smokers beat the cigarette ban in pubs.

The drink, called Liquid Smoking, has already proved a hit in the Netherlands where it has been on sale for a year.

Dutch suppliers United Drinks and Beauty Corporation, hopes the drink will be on sale here before Christmas as they aim to target the opposite end of the energy drinks market.

The manufacturers say it does not contain the drug nicotine, but rather a mix of roots from South African plants which is said to give “a slight energising effect, followed by a euphoric sense of calming and relaxation.”

It has less than 21 calories per 275ml can and would cost £1.50 in the shops.

Although there will be no lower age limit to buy it, the makers believe it should not be drunk by anyone under 15.

United Drinks Chief Executive Martin Hartman said: “The product we have developed has got similar properties to nicotine, so we are trying to help people out who are affected by the ban on nicotine People might use this instead of a cigarette or tobacco to help the cravings.

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A Russian woman and a Lebanese man were put on trial in Dubai for … drinking orange juice!

In accordance with the Federal Penal Code of the United Arab Emirates, a public intake of food and beverages during daytime hours of the month of Ramadan is forbidden by Article 313. The article stipulates the punishment in the form of either a monetary penalty – up to 2,000 dirhems ($555) – or even a term of up to one month in prison.

The young people told the court that they were not Muslims and were thus unaware of the fact that their actions could be punishable.

The court took the mitigating circumstances into consideration, but found the defendants guilty, since ignorance did not exclude responsibility. The court ruled that the young people must pay the fine of 1,000 dirhems ($278) each.

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This guy drinks a big bottle of water in just4:88. Those are not minutes, they are seconds!