'Pubs fight back over 'beer ties'

Greedy pub companies are facing a new backlash over rip-off beer prices. Britain's pub chains - which own 25,000 locals and make £1.5billion-a-year profit - are facing a possible rent strike by landlords. The GMB union, which represents 3,000 publicans, is now balloting members on industrial action. GMB boss Paul Maloney said: "The pub trade is being driven to the wall." - The Mirror ​

Round-the-clock drinking and cut-price alcohol are to blame for an 'appalling' rise in cancers, experts warned today. Cases of cancer of the mouth have gone up by half in the past decade, with a 43 per cent rise in liver tumours. There have also been big rises in breast and colorectal cancer. Many experts are blaming alcohol consumption, which has doubled in the UK since the 1950s and has been fuelled by Labour's decision to relax licensing laws - Daily Mail​

Boss at the pub crawl firm that left a teenager so drunk he urinated on a war memorial faces court tomorrow accused of knocking a man out. Ryan Hilton, 29, allegedly floored Mark Roberts with a punch after the 61-year-old complained about the noise coming from a bash near his home - The Sun​

Fears are growing that 70,000 more Britons face paying the top rate of income tax under plans from Alistair Darling. The Chancellor will trigger the increase by freezing personal allowances for taxpayers in his Pre-Budget Report on Wednesday, say accountants. It is also thought that the threshold for higher-rate income tax will be held at the current level - Daily Mail ​

A scheme to tackle under age drinking is to be expanded after university researchers judged it to be a success. The Kent Community Alcohol Partnership was piloted in Edenbridge, Thanet and Canterbury, Kent County Council said. It will be extended to parts of Herne Bay, Whitstable, Margate and Swanley, after an evaluation by the University of Kent found positive results. Under the scheme, retailers commit to stringent sales checks, training and displaying a responsible trader sign - BBC​