'Whitbread shrugs off fears of downturn'

Whitbread on Thursday shrugged off fears over softening consumer spending announcing a strong performance from its hotels and coffee shops and improvements in its pub restaurants - Financial Times​

Sales of factory-farmed chickens have slumped since a high-profile campaign raised awareness of the cruelty at the heart of the poultry industry and implored consumers to pay more to improve the animals' welfare - The Independent​

Fizzy drinks, crisps and chocolate top the list of Britain's 100 most popular grocery brands according to the latest figures, which show Coca-Cola remains the best-selling household name - The Scotsman​

The makers of Mars bars are bringing back its most popular catchphrase - 13 years after it was ditched. A TV ad campaign featuring bell-ringing monks will end with the words: "Work, rest and play" - Daily Mirror​

Italian police have confiscated about 1,000 hams because the meat was branded with fake Parma prosciutto trademarks - The Scotsman​

The biggest earthquake to hit Britain for 25 years shook homes yesterday. Thousands were woken at about 1am by the ten second tremor. And the damage bill could also be large, topping £10million, the Association of British Insurers said - Daily Mail​

Retirement is driving pensioners to drink as they struggle to come to terms with loneliness, boredom and poverty. Doctors are seeing increasing numbers of men and women in their 60s, 70s and even 80s, turning up for detox sessions and other treatments after finding it difficult to adapt to life after work - Daily Express​

Ten tonnes of seeds were deposited hundreds of feet inside a frozen mountain yesterday as part of a scheme to preserve all the world's crops - The Times​