'Pubs could close if licensing law changes, warn licensees'

Pub bosses in Scotland have warned that the price of a pint will rise by 2p if MSPs approve controversial changes to licensing laws today. They made a last ditch plea yesterday for MSPs to reject plans for a 40-fold increase in the cost of liquor licences. Holyrood's justice committee is due to vote on the hike today. But the licensed trade warned it would put struggling pubs out of business, while the rest would pass on the costs to drinkers - Daily Record​

Scottish & Newcastle's chief executive, John Dunsmore, will pocket more than £3m as a result of the impending £10bn takeover of the brewer by Carlsberg and Heineken. - The Times​

Pub group JD Wetherspoon slipped 25¼ to 292½p amid fears that today's trading update will be disappointing. Rivals Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns have already revealed that sales suffered over the Christmas period because of shrinking consumer confidence and the introduction of the smoking ban in England - Daily Telegraph​

In a single session, a massive £84bn was wiped off the value of Britain's biggest companies, as the FTSE 100 index plummeted by 5.5 per cent, closing 323.5 points lower at 5578.2 - The Independent​

The government has abandoned plans to impose a pre-9pm ban on junk food TV advertising when it unveils its new anti-obesity strategy tomorrow, safeguarding more than £200m a year in TV advertising revenue - The Guardian​

Caffeine appears to lower a woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer, US researchers said, while smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol do not - Daily Mirror​