What the Sunday papers said
A new opinion poll being released by the Department of Health this week will show that 99 per cent of businesses say they are ready for smoking the ban, writes the Independent On Sunday. Officials claim that 88 per cent are said to have no confusion or worry over it, but they admit that just 68 per cent know that it is just weeks away from actually happening. This figure is even lower among the general public, with 45 per cent of the overall population unaware that the ban comes into force on 1 July. A new TV ad, warning people that they risk being fined if they refuse to comply, will be shown in the two weeks before the ban begins. - Independent On Sunday
The chief exec of brewer Young's, Steve Goodyear, likes to tell people that he has no plan to sell out, says The Observer. The paper says few analysts believe him and predict that Young's will fall to a predator before too long; one of the chief attractions is Young's £400m pub estate, rumoured to be a target for Robert Tchenguiz, property tycoon and boss of pub company Laurel. Expect a move soon, it concludes. - Observer
A new health scare has erupted over soft drinks amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage, reports the Independent On Sunday. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative - E211, known as sodium benzoate - found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA. The problem, more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse, can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. - Independent On Sunday
The Sunday Sun in Middlesbrough says top cops and other leading law enforcement figures are backing the paper's Last Orders On Glass campaign. It says the authorities agree that city centre pubs and clubs should switch to polycarbonate containers to reduce the number of incidents in which glasses are used as weapons. - Sunday Sun
And finally…
The Observer's Rebecca Seal undertook a test to see which bottled beers would best go with either curry or fish dishes. Top of her list came Brooklyn lager, which she described as "dry, hoppy and pretty complex" and gave four out of five. Bottom, with 'nil points', came Budweiser Budvar, which Seal described as tasting "like an unemptied drip tray". - Observer
