Fiddler gets £1.65m

The Mean Fiddler Music Group has received £1.65m in compensation from Islington Council in London after the compulsory purchase of its Complex music venue. The group, which owns the Jazz Café and the Astoria in London, has been selling off its non-core business over the past three months. It raised £5.45m by selling its radio station and bars. Beefeaters refitted Whitbread's Beefeater chain has a new look, described by the design company as "tradition with a twist". New features include pub-style designs such as fireplaces, but with updated service areas to appear more "professional". First sites have already opened in Crawley, West Sussex, and Chigwell, Essex. Twenty restaurants will be refitted by the end of February 2004, the company said. Interbrew fined Magistrates in Preston have hit Interbrew UK with a £15,000 fine for polluting a local river. The brewer was found guilty of releasing contaminated effluent at its site near the River Rubble, Lancashire. Preston Magistrates' court ruled that a water sample taken by the Environmental Agency breached recommended effluent levels for the area. Interbrew UK said that a faulty pump seal caused the leak. Zinfandel kills germs Zinfandel is the best red wine for fighting bacteria, protecting the gut and beating cancer, according to experts at the University of California. Red wine has been found to contain saponins, a plant chemical with similar healing properties to Asprin. By coincidence, researchers found the best grape is grown almost solely in California. Host blasts Sky A Unique licensee, who spends over £6,000 a year on Sky sports, is angry that Tuesday's Champions League game involving Manchester United was shown on ITV. Tony Jones, of the Carter's Arms, Wilmslow, Cheshire, said his pub was "a Manchester United pub" and feared half his customers would stay at home to watch the clash. "The Sky literature gave the impression it had exclusive rights to all Champions League games," he added. A Sky spokeswoman said customers had been told two Champions League matches would be shown on terrestrial TV on a Tuesday in the competition's group stage. Quality Brains Licensees from five SA Brain & Co pubs have passed both the Beer Quality and Cellar Management/Back Bar assessments under a Beer Quality/Cellar Management initiative being organised by the Cardiff-based company, in conjunction with Cask Marque.