'Brewer calls time on hundreds of UK jobs'

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the company behind the Stella Artois, Becks and Budweiser brands, looks set to cull hundreds of jobs in the UK. A memo sent last week to staff of the group, created by InBev's $52bn (£35bn) purchase last month of Anheuser-Busch, warned of "potential redundancies across the combined organisation", adding that the management planned "to carry out restructures within a number of areas across the businesses" - The Independent ​

Jon Moulton, the private equity veteran, has become the latest City figure to express concern for the pub industry, saying a "good chunk" of the £20bn of debt in the sector was "unsustainable" - Financial Times ​

Millstream Power Recycling Limited, the food processor company at the centre of the Irish pork contamination crisis confirmed it is working with Government officials to identify the source of chemicals found in pig meal in a number of farms in Ireland - Daily Telegraph​

Talk that Kaupthing, the Icelandic bank, was liquidating positions in London shares after raising margin calls on clients left the brewers Marston's and Greene King down heavily against a rising market. Marston's fell 16 per cent, or 25p, to 133p and Greene King closed down 11 per cent, or 49½p, to 419½p amid talk that Kaupthing was trying to sell about two million shares in each - The Times​

A soft drink claiming to offer the same fix as a cigarette is to launch in the UK. Cans of Liquid Smoking, which look strikingly similar to red and white cigarette cartons, offer smokers an alternative to shivering outside bars and restaurants - The Independent ​

The brewer SABMiller plans to double the number of smallholders it uses as suppliers to 30,000 over the next three years. The company will be sourcing many of its agricultural commodities, chiefly barley, from farmers in India, Africa and Latin America with fewer than 10 acres. Chief executive Graham Mackay said: "For us, a healthy economic environment in the communities where we operate is key to business success - The Guardian​

Footabll hard man turned Hollywood tough guy Vinnie Jones faces up to a year in jail in the US after a bar-room brawl landed him in hospital with blood pouring from his face - Daily Express​

Sales of still wine in supermarkets and other "off-trade" outlets such as off-licences have fallen 0.2 per cent by volume in the year to October, according to research group Nielsen, which tracks supermarket sales - Financial Times​