'Booze cruise trade under threat after EU vote'

The European Parliament is clamping down on the 'booze cruise' trade. Euro MPs want to cut the amounts of cigarettes and alcohol that can legally be brought into Britain tax-free by imposing stricter guidelines on what constitutes personal consumption. The new definition of personal consumption would halve the amount of booze and cut the current permitted legal level of cigarettes by almost 90 per cent - Daily Mail​

InBev, the Belgian-Brazilian brewing group has announced the completion of the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch after agreement from the shareholders of both companies and regulatory approval. The deal, worth $52 billion (£34.6 billion), or more than $60 billion including debt, has been funded with a $45 billion debt facility and a $9.8 billion bridging loan - The Times​

Enterprise, Britain's second-biggest pub company, maintained its final dividend but has called a halt to all pub acquisitions and stepped up disposals in a bid to reduce a £1 billion debt facility due for renewal in 2011 - Times​

Alcoholics can ban themselves from buying or being served alcohol in a Norfolk resort under a new scheme. Count Me Out, the first of its kind, was set up by a local police officer and is monitored by people such as health care and outreach workers. People in Great Yarmouth can put their details into a database which will be distributed to off-licences and shops who will then refuse to serve them - BBC News​

Athletes funded by the drinks industry were more likely to engage in binge-drinking than those with no alcohol sponsor, a study has claimed. Researchers said athletes felt obligated to drink the sponsor's product when free or discounted alcohol formed part of the deal. The joint study by the University of Manchester and the University of Newcastle in Australia found nearly half of sponsorship deals included free or cut-price alcohol for functions and celebrations - The Herald​