'Lloyds takes £600m hit on Admiral pubs'

Lloyds Banking Group has been forced to swallow a £600m debt-for-equity swap at Admiral Taverns, the pubs group, in the latest fallout from the banking group's ill-fated merger last year with rival HBOS - The Times​

Managed pubs and those offering cheap food are set to fare better than tenanted players in a bumpy ride for British pubs next year due to increased taxes, thriftier drinking habits and competition from supermarkets - Reuters​

A minimum price for alcohol would have a "considerable" impact if it was set at 60p a unit, a public health expert has said. Dr Emilia Crighton, the convener of the Faculty of Public Health in Scotland, spoke after delegates at its conference voted in favour of minimum pricing - BBC ​

Britian was yesterday confirmed as the last big economy in recession - as the Eurozone escaped the slump.Output across the 16-nation Euro state ROSE by 0.4 per cent from July to September.Germany grew by an impressive 0.7 per cent. But Britain shrank 0.4 per cent - The Sun​

Almost 80,000 patients diagnosed with cancer each year could have avoided the disease by adopting a healthier lifestyle, figures show. They reveal that 39 per cent of cases of the 12 major cancers are preventable through better diet, drinking and exercise habits - Daily Mail ​

The Government's triennial review of stakes and prizes gave a boost to fruit machine income after the increase in maximum jackpot to £70, which came into force this year. From a machine operators' perspective, finding the capital required to update and replace machines to match demand has proved challenging, particularly for the larger companies who operate many thousands of machines in the UK - The Times​