What the Sunday papers say

The Sunday Telegraph

A new American device that allows non-smokers to test the amount of nocitine they have absorbed is about to be introduced in this country. TobacAlert is already being used by lawyers to prove exposure to secondhand smoke.

Restaurateur Richard Shepherd, owner of Shepherd's in Westminster, London, is threatening to sue Matthew Norman after the food critic described the establishment as "the eighth circle of hell".

John Lovering, the retail entrepreneur who made millions when he bought and sold Homebase, is working on a last-minute £3bn bid for Safeways. Mr Lovering is also non-executive chairman of The Laurel Pub Company.

The Observer​

Forget Soho bars says The Observer, the coolest place in Britain is currently the George and Dragon, an old man's pub in London's East End. The Hackney hostelry is the place to go and filled with folk from London's "A Scene".

The Observer sent a reporter out to see where she could and couldn't get away with smoking a cannabis joint in public. Staff at Café Rouge were fine because "the boss was away". More worryingly, policemen at Charing Cross were not exactly sure of the law: "The exact rules haven't filtered down to us yet," they said.

A wave of new dating games is sweeping the nation's pubs, clubs and bars, including speed dating, dating Bingo, Quiet Parties, and Dinner in the Dark.

Entertainment Rights, the copyright company that is partly owned by Trevor Hemmings, is planning a £40m bid for Chorion.

The Independent On Sunday​

Penny Hughes, who quit as head of Coca-Cola UK nine years ago, is to become the new chairman of Channel 4.

Stinking of gin before lunchtime is never a good thing but Bombay Sapphire, the blue-bottled premium gin label, is marketing a perfume based on the same mixture of spices as its famous spirit.

The leading scientist who advised the Government it was safe to downgrade cannabis to a class C drug yesterday called for ministers to change the law on ecstasy.

Gordon Brown has struck a deal with his counterparts in Holland and Luxembourg to launch a wide-ranging attack on red tape in the European Union.

The Sunday Times​

The company behind the London Dungeon, one of the capital's most popular tourist attractions, is set to change hands in a deal worth up to £100m. Hermes Private Equity is in talks to acquire Merlin Entertainment from main shareholder Apex Partners.

Treasury officials believe growth this year could exceed even the chancellor's ambitious 3-3.5 per cent target. New figures show that Britain grew at an annualised rate of 3.5 per cent for the second half of last year, before the global economic recovery was fully established.

As little as eight per cent of police time in some forces is spent on the beat because of the amount of paperwork that has to be completed, according to Home Office figures.

Firms that employ illegal immigrants would have their profits seized under laws proposed by senior MPs.

The Sunday Express​

Homeowners should brace themselves for another interest rate rise hike after data showed that the economy finished 2003 on a strong note. Economists at the Bank of England are set to raise rates by a quarter of a per cent in February.

The Mail On Sunday​

The City's top watchdog has warned high street retailers that they must alert investors as soon as they become aware of any changes in trading conditions.