Prime Minister targets under-age drinkers

The Government is to publish new proposals to tackle drunken street violence, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said. He wants to ensure under-age youngsters and those clearly drunk are not served alcohol in pubs or hotels.He said there are already plans for a review of licensing laws, to investigate the promotion and sale of cut-price drink by shops and off licences and to pursue premises who sell alcohol to under-age youngsters or drunks- Daily Express​

Mitchells & Butlers finally abandoned plans for a property joint venture, closing out related interest and inflation rate hedges at a post-tax cost of £274m and saying it would take an exceptional loss of £119m this year. The pub operator, owner of the All Bar One and Harvester chains, said the plans fell victim to a new downward spiral in the credit markets in recent days that left little chance of being able to deliver a deal that would benefit shareholders. It also announced the departure of finance director Karim Naffah and a strategic review - just weeks after some of its shareholders discussed a possible tie-up with rival Punch Taverns- Financial Times​

Property entrepreneur Robert Tchenguiz has increased his interest in Mitchells & Butlers shares to just over 22 per cent ahead of a shareholder meeting on Thursday. Investors and analysts remain bitterly divided on whether M&B, Britain's biggest pub operator, should spin off the group's £5bn freehold property assets. The controversial plan is being pushed by activist investor Tchenguiz, who directly owns three per cent of shares- The Guardian​

Leading food and drink companies have joined forces to help the environment by cutting back their use of water. The pledge by 21 companies including Cadbury Schweppes, Premier Foods, Tate & Lyle and Nestlé UK is part of an initiative by the industry's trade body, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) to cut carbon dioxide emissions, packaging and waste, and improve energy efficiency. Food and drink manufacturers account for 10 per cent of industrial water usage, and the aim is to slash this by 20 per cent by 2020- The Guardian​

Families should ban the salt cellar from the dinner table to improve health, a cancer expert has said.Food should be seasoned only with pepper or herbs in order to reduce salt intakes to recommended levels, said Martin Wiseman, a medical and scientific advisor for the World Cancer Research Fund - The Telegraph​

Drinks maker AG Barr has announced a shake-up in its boardroom which will see two executives with more than 60 years' experience depart the group later this year. Finance director Iain Greenock and operations director Alan Bibby, who have been at the company for 33 and 31 years respectively, will both retire from AG Barr this year - The Scotsman​