'Under-18s to be banned from drinking alcohol in public'

Police are to be given new powers to confiscate booze from under-18s who drink in public. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will announce the move on Wednesday, and she'll also demand action from drinks producers to reduce alcohol sales to teenagers. While it is illegal for under-18s to buy alcohol, it is not illegal for them to drink it. "If children are caught drinking in public they will have those drinks confiscated," said Smith. "I fully support communities' efforts to stamp out under-age alcohol-fuelled disorder and the harm that it causes." - News Of The World​

One of the country's largest pub operators, Punch Taverns, has approached troubled rival Mitchells & Butlers, owner of the Harvester and All Bar One chains, about a merger that would create a £3.7bn pub giant. Punch, headed by chief executive Giles Thorley, has had its eye on M&B for some time. Thorley will come under pressure tomorrow to clarify his intentions. Punch is not the only company interested. Private-equity houses, including Cinven and CVC, are keen as well. Analysts say a deal with a trade rival is seen as more likely as problems in the debt market make it difficult for private-equity investors to raise the necessary funding for a deal. - Sunday Times​

Punch Taverns has tabled a secret all-share proposal to swallow Mitchells & Butlers, its embattled rival, the Sunday Telegraph has learned. Punch is understood to have submitted the proposal late last week following M&B's disclosure that it had recorded a disastrous £274m loss on failed interest rate and inflation hedges. If a deal between Punch and M&B, which owns chains such as All Bar One, can be agreed, it will create a group with about 10,500 pubs, by far Britain's largest, and a combined enterprise value of more than £11bn. - Sunday Telegraph​

Men are turning to tummy tucks and breast reduction surgery in record numbers to combat the ravages of drinking. Last year there was a 61 per cent increase in the number who had surgery to create a flatter stomach while 27 per cent more men had fat removed from their breasts, according to an audit by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). - Sunday Times​