'Markets bet that the worst is over'

The UK outlook brightened after companies including clothing retailer Next, pub group JD Wetherspoon, and software company Sage said prospects were improving. "There is no doubt that the green shoots of recovery are almost in full bloom as far as equities are concerned," said David Buik of BGC Partners - The Telegraph​

Punch Taverns: The debt-laden pub company has continued the sell-off of assets to regional and family brewers with the sale of ten freehold pubs in northwest England — six managed sites and four tenancies — to JW Lees, the Manchester brewer and pub operator, for an undisclosed sum - The Times​

Staff and suppliers have not been the only people anxiously awaiting developments at Birmingham-based van maker LDV. Local businesses, including pubs where workers have been regular customers, have noticed a difference since the plant has been at a near standstill. Landlady of The Barley Mow, Pauline Brown, said: "The complete lifestyle of the lads just changed - their attitude, their ways - it just changed. People changed. The money wasn't there." LDV said on Wednesday that the sale of the company to Malaysian firm Weststar has been agreed and the deal would secure production in Birmingham - BBC ​

The North's Department of Health has questioned some of the findings of a new report which suggests the peace process may be a contributory factor to an increase in alcohol consumption in Northern Ireland. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation-commissioned study found that Northern Ireland people engage in more binge drinking than British people while the consumption of alcohol has increased at a higher rate in Northern Ireland than in England, Scotland and Wales - The Irish Times​

Employers are to be banned from using tips and service charges to "top up" staff pay to meet the minimum wage from October, the government says. The change will benefit those working in industries such as restaurants, where tipping is commonplace. Employment Relations Minister Pat McFadden said that the practice of allowing firms to use service charges to pay staff was unfair - BBC​