The companies behind a popular chain of well known music venues and bars in Belfast have gone into administration. John Hansen of KPMG was appointed administrator of pub chains CDC Leisure Ltd and Tarwood Limited on 15 June. The business includes Auntie Annies, Katy Dalys, The Limelight and The Spring & Airbrake. The administrator said the venues would continue to trade as normal while "we assess all potential future options". The directors of the companies bought the venues for a reported £13m in 2007 - BBC
Psychiatrists have joined in calls to make alcohol more expensive to curb harmful drinking. It follows a Department of Health report which said alcohol abuse costs Northern Ireland up to £900m a year. The chairman of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in NI, Dr Philip McGarry, said research showed introducing a minimum price does work. "We need to make alcohol less appealing, particularly to young people," Dr McGarry said. "Walk into any supermarket this week and you will see World Cup offers on beer. "Supermarkets use cheap booze to get customers through the door - minimum pricing would tackle that - BBC
BSkyB is to pull Sky Sports News from Freeview in a bid to drive subscription revenues, ending eight years of free-to-air broadcasting of the channel. BSkyB, which launched Sky Sports News on Freeview in 2002 alongside Sky News and Sky Travel, is to replace the channel with a one-hour-timeshifted Sky 3 +1 service later this year - The Guardian
A Dutch brewer is providing legal and other assistance to the two Dutch women accused of an illegal promotional stunt at the World Cup in Johannesburg. The two women were among a group of about three dozen who wore skimpy orange dresses in a suspected "ambushing marketing" stunt by closely-held brewer Bavaria at a match between the Netherlands and Denmark at the Soccer City stadium on Monday. "There is no way FIFA can hold these ladies responsible for their attendance at the match in their Dutch dress in Soccer City and Bavaria is currently doing everything in their power to assist the arrested Dutch ladies," Bavaria said, referring to World Cup organising federation FIFA - Reuters
The European Parliament backed a proposed requirement for companies to label the energy, sugar, salt and fat content of their foodstuffs on the front of packages, and added protein, unsaturated fats and fibre to this list. Voting in Strasbourg, France, MEPs also added a requirement for country-of-origin labels on meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetables, as well as meat and fish products used in processed food -- a move that opponents called "protectionist - Reuters
Radical plans to lower Britain's drink-drive limit to make it illegal to drive after more than one drink could damage rural pubs, campaigners warned last night. Sir Peter North 'We do have to look at how people would react to a reduction to 50 milligrams and the impact that would have on the rural catering industry.' Daily Mail