'Police criticise under-21 drink ban'
Fresh doubt was cast on ministerial plans to raise the age limit for off-sales to 21 last night when it emerged that the police do not believe the scheme is workable. The Scottish Police Service has written to the Scottish Government, warning that its proposal to raise the age limit from 18 to 21 is wrong and will be ineffective - The Scotsman
Joe Lewis, the British billionaire who lost more than £500 million on his investment in Bear Stearns, has bought a 25 per cent stake in Mitchells & Butlers. Mr Lewis, a Bahamas-based investor with investments in companies including Ladbrokes and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, is understood to have bought 105 million shares at 130p, putting his investment at £137 million - The Times
A priest has boosted his dwindling flock — by holding services in a pub. Father Philip Blackledge hosts religious chats once a month at his local boozer. And even the pub's regulars have started joining in with the laidback sermons - The Sun
Short-sellers barred from betting against financial services companies have instead stepped up their targeting of the UK's biggest pub companies and retailers as they try to cash in on the deteriorating consumer outlook. According to the financial data specialist Data Explorers, JD Wetherspoon and Punch Taverns are the two most shorted shares in the travel and leisure sector - The Independent
Drinks firm Halewood International has seen an explosion in demand for Chinese beer Tsingtao, thanks to the Olympic Games. The business has sole UK distribution rights for the Oriental ale, which is brewed in Bejing - Liverpool Daily Post
Delighted families toasted a miracle when wine started flowing through their taps. Locals rushed to fill up bottles and containers when the phenomenon began during their annual grape festival. But the truth emerged as the mayor and VIPs gathered in the square for a festival tipple. The fountain in Marino, Italy, should have been flowing with chilled white wine. But festivities fell flat when revellers found only the usual water. A pipe from the local vineyard was supposed to be linked to the fountain — but plumbers connected it to the domestic supply instead - The Sun
