Texas House approves chewing tobacco tax cut

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House members have approved a bill to lower a tax on loose-leaf chewing tobacco like Red Man and others brands despite the health risks.

The bill passed 83 to 53 Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Allan Ritter of Nederland says his bill is a "good thing" for "all of us that chew tobacco."

Ritter says the measure corrects a weight-based tax the Legislature levied in 2009 that penalized heavier loose-leaf tobacco.

Cigarette smugglers 'using Ireland'

Ireland remains one of the "preferred destinations" in the EU for cigarette smuggling because of its comparatively high taxes on tobacco, a new report into criminal activity in the union has found.

Europol, the agency that handles criminal intelligence within the union, published its EU Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2011 today.

It covers a wide range of criminal activity, including the drugs trade, illegal immigration, human trafficking, fraud, counterfeiting, property and environmental crime and weapons trafficking.

Cuban eyes world record with 268-foot cigar

HAVANA — The 67-year-old Cuban cigar roller Jose Castelar, on Tuesday set a new Guinnes Record when completing a massive cigar measuring 81.80 meters long and 4 centimeters in diameter.

The huge cigar is being exposed at the International Tourism Fair “FIT Cuba 2011″ which runs from May 3 to 7 and Castelar said his next project will be to roll a cigar measuring 100 meters.

“The next one will be 100 meters long. Cuba is the country where the best tobacco is grown, and as long as Cueto lives the longest cigar will be here too,” he said, referring to his own popular name as “el Cueto” which means someone whose achievement can not be surpassed.

Ban on Cigarettes in India

Films have always had an effect on human behaviour. Movie stars created fashion statements, which the masses followed with excitement and joy. Actors and actresses often made heroes and heroines out of ordinary men and women.

On the flip side, cinema had its negative impact on society. Crime and other forms of unacceptable behaviour were picked up from the screen. Habits too. Humphrey Bogart's cigarettes created rings of magic that eventually not only felled him to cancer, but also caused pain and suffering to hundreds of thousands of his fans, who loved to ape the American actor. Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct" is said to have provoked a revolution among women, many of whom took to smoking cigarettes.

Hundreds of teenagers have got into the habit of smoking after watching their favourite cinema icons puff away. These have been studied and documented. A recent study in the U.S. revealed that films had a powerful effect on our behaviour. Artists by smoking on the screen often became an effective link between big tobacco companies and the young with impressionable minds.

NE is 'gateway' for tobacco smugglers

THE NORTHEAST of the State is “a gateway to the UK” for cigarette smugglers, according to the Irish tobacco manufacturers’ group.

Figures from the group show that of the 189 million cigarettes seized in the Republic and in Armagh in 2010, almost 70 million were found at locations in Louth and neighbouring Armagh.

The M1 motorway linking Dublin and Belfast runs through Louth, and the county also has three busy ports – Drogheda, Dundalk and Greenore.

BAT First-Quarter Sales Advance on Higher Cigarette Prices

British American Tobacco Plc (BATS), Europe’s largest cigarette maker, said first-quarter revenue rose as higher prices offset declining consumption.

Pricing helped boost sales as shipments declined 2.4 percent in the three months ended March 31, London-based BAT said in a statement today. Volume excluding acquisitions declined 1.8 percent. Organic revenue growth was 5 percent at constant exchange rates.

Former smokers have greater willpower

A study has found that former smokers have greater willpower than current smokers and non-smokers.

The study by researchers from Trinity College and the Research Institute for a Tobacco Free Society, Dublin, Ireland, compared former smokers to current smokers and non-smokers.

Functional MRI images were obtained while current smokers, former smokers and never smokers performed tasks designed to assess specific cognitive skills that were reasoned to be important for smoking abstinence.

These included a response inhibition task to assess impulse control and the ability to monitor one's behaviour and an attention task, which assessed the ability to avoid distraction from smoking-related images, which tend to elicit an automatic attention response in smokers.

Don’t buy cheap cigs, car boot fans urged

A visitors to Easter car boot sales in South Yorkshire are being urged to be on the lookout for traders selling counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes and alcohol.

HM Revenue and Customs wants rogue traders to be reported to stop cut-price cigarettes and booze being sold.

Officers say the fake goods are often produced in back-street or underground factories and their content cannot be guaranteed.

Stuart Crookshank, Assistant Director for HMRC, said: “Low-cost tobacco and alcohol products can often seem very attractive to people who believe they are buying genuine products at a knock-down price.

Half of US states now have strict anti-smoking laws while nationwide ban is on track for 2020

Half of the states in the U.S. have banned smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace since 2000, and federal health officials have predicted that cigarette smoking will be forbidden in all U.S. states by 2020.

In a new report, the CDC estimates that roughly 47.8 per cent of residents are now covered by comprehensive state or local indoor smoking bans.

Still, an estimated 88 million people age 3 or older are still exposed to second hand smoke, according to the office’s report.

‘It is by no means a foregone conclusion that we'll get there by 2020,’ said Dr. Tim McAfee, director of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health, in reference to the goal of a ban in 50 states.

Still he maintains that he is ‘relatively bullish we'll at least get close to that number.’

Russia: Putin's plan to invest £46bn to boost falling birth rate by 25%

Russia's population will plummet by 30 per cent in the next four decades due to a falling birth rate, Vladimir Putin warned today.

The Russian Prime Minister issued the warning as he announced plans to invest $53billion (£46.9billion) to help raise reproduction rates in the country by 2015.

Despite being the worlds largest country at over 6.5million square miles, high rates of smoking, alcoholism, pollution and poverty, together with falling rates, mean Russia's population will shrink to 116 million by 2050 from 143million last year.

Altria 1Q net rises on higher prices, cost cuts

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc.'s first-quarter net income increased 15 percent in on lower costs and higher prices, even though it sold fewer cigarettes.

The owner of the nation's biggest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, said Wednesday that it earned $937 million, or 45 cents per share, for the period ended March 31. That's up from $813 million, or 39 cents per share, last year.

Excluding one-time items, earnings were 44 cents per share, matching analyst estimates.

RED SUN Cigarettes: We Put the Fun Back Into Smoking!

Goodrich Tobacco Company, a subsidiary of 22nd Century Group, Inc. (OTCBB: XXII.ob), introduced RED SUN brand cigarettes to the tobacco trade at the NATO (National Association of Tobacco Outlets) trade show in Las Vegas. RED SUN is a super-premium specialty cigarette that challenges the anti-smoking establishment.

In response to consumer sentiment against the endless assault on tobacco usage, Goodrich Tobacco Company proclaims on RedSunCigarettes.com: “We put the Fun back into smoking!” RED SUN contains a rich, proprietary tobacco blend with relatively high natural nicotine content, and RED SUN utilizes the finest cigarette paper and filter creating an extraordinary tasting cigarette that smokers describe as “The Best Cigarette Ever Made.”

Electronic cigarettes still raising questions in public places

In a world of rapidly growing technology, with more facets of daily life becoming electronic, one device can still turns heads: the electronic cigarette.

"People give me weird looks for smoking inside," said Jeff Martin, a freshman criminal justice major. Martin, also a traditional smoker, enjoys his e-cigarette indoors where normal smoking is not allowed.

E-cigarettes are devices that simulate the appearance and sensation of smoking. While they can be disguised, they often look like normal cigarettes. Some e-cigarettes are smoking cessation devices, akin to nicotine gum. Others are supposedly safer alternatives to smoking a cigarette or hookah.

Charlie Sheen greet his devoted followers after Toronto show

With a crowd of adoring fans gazing up at him from below, there is little doubt that Charlie Sheen certainly felt like he was 'winning.'

The actor, with his goddesses, held court on a balcony outside The Massey Hall in Toronto last night after the first Canadian show on his Violent Torpedo Of Truth tour.

Smoking and clutching a red cup, and animated Sheen observed his fans who cheered and filmed him on their mobile phones.

The evening's show ended bizarrely with the 45-year-old toasting the ashes of an audience member's dead husband.

After an hour of frenetic conversation between the troubled actor and comedian Russell Peters during Sheen's My Violent Torpedo of Truth show, Sheen called out to the audience for a woman whose husband had died two years ago to come on stage. Sheen, 45, said he read about her in a newspaper article.

Hookah lounges thriving, three years after smoking ban

Three years after the state banned indoor smoking in public places, Chicago-area hookah lounges are hotter than ever, packing in a new crop of aficionados to puff on ancient communal water pipes.

Employing a loophole that allows patrons to light up inside tobacco shops, dozens of the exotic smoking dens have sprung up in the city and suburbs since the Smoke Free Illinois Act became law in 2008, much to the frustration of some health officials.

State bill would ban smoking at tobacco shops

State Senator Mark DeSaulnier wants California to enact even tougher smoking laws. In 1994 California became the first state to ban smoking in most indoor places but DeSaulnier says 25 other states have since adopted stronger laws to protect people from second-hand smoke. He's proposing a bill which would expand the statewide smoking ban to include employee break rooms, private residences that house day care, warehouses and tobacco shops.

The Sanctuary Tobacco shop has been in San Luis Obispo since 1973. As the city has enacted groundbreaking legislation over the years to ban smoking in public places, The Sanctuary has always gotten an exemption and patrons have been able to smoke at the shop. The proposed state law may put the smoke out.

Milla Jovovich: Smokin' On the Set

Getting down to business on her new project, Milla Jovovich was spotted on the set of “Bad Luck”.

The “Zoolander” actress looked to be taking a break from filming as she had a cigarette break outside on the lot.

Milla also enjoyed a surprise visit from her husband Paul W.S. Anderson, who ended up sticking around until she was off and taking her home.

“Bad Luck” is about a group of friends who find their lives changed when the superstitions they don’t believe in begin to come true.

Aussies Take on Big Tobacco With Plain Packaging Law

The Australian government is stepping up the fight against smoking by proposing laws to restrict cigarette packaging, replacing colorful logos and branding with graphic images of death and disease.

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed bigger and more graphic warnings on cigarette packaging in this country, Australia is aiming to impose even more extensive requirements to curb tobacco promotion. “This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone,” Health Minister Nicola Roxon said in a news release. “Cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking.”

Tobacco industry has much to fear

Plain packaging will slash smoking rates - and cigarette-makers know it.

In 1967, as a fresh-faced researcher looking to make an impression in my first real job, I conducted an experiment to assess the frequency of cigarette advertising on television. I was astonished when the study revealed Melburnians were shown at least one cigarette advertisement every 12 minutes. Thankfully, things have come a long way since then, with Australia leading the world in tobacco-control initiatives such as banning cigarette advertising, requiring health warnings on cigarette packs and prohibiting smoking in pubs and clubs.

Kate Middleton Smoking to Deal With Wedding Stress!

With the wedding just weeks away, royal insiders have been worried about Kate Middleton's shocking weight loss and now they are concerned that the future Queen of England is smoking again.

"Only Princess Diana could understand the amount of pressure this young girl is experiencing," a royal expert tells me. "It's been billed as the wedding of the century, when in realty it is just young kids that are at the center of it. No one should be put under this sort of pressure."

Cheryl Cole told to quit cigs for U.S.

They're proving to be her crutch as she makes the 'stressful' move to Los Angeles to pursue her American career.

Cheryl Cole has been told to stop smoking - or stub out any chance of cracking America.

The pop star is trying to land a US X Factor judging job, has spent weeks working with a voice coach to improve her speech.

But her voice coach has told Cheryl, 27, to kick her 20-a-day habit if she wants any chance of cracking America, according to The Sun today.

A source told the paper: 'Cheryl's teacher has advised her to stop smoking.

'But she says the move to LA and X Factor job is stressful enough without having to try and quit the cigs on top.

Hit a Home Run for Healthy Kids: Banish Chewing Tobacco from the Major Leagues

Jeff Short is a high school baseball coach now, but he used to be just another teenage ball player, dreaming of the Major Leagues. So he knows what his players are thinking when they watch their favorite players.

"When you look at a Major League dugout, and you see these players with tobacco," Short said, "First thing you think of - oh that's cool. Oh, I can do that."

A coalition of public health groups, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Smoke Free Texas, are trying to stop this cycle. They've started a petition on Change.org, trying to get Major League Baseball to ban smokeless tobacco, just like they did a few years ago in the minor leagues.

Addiction or fashion

Smoking Sheesha for an hour is as injurious as smoking 100 cigarettes, while the addiction is increasing in the name of fashion, said the health experts.

Pakistan Chest Society Sindh’s General Secretary Dr Mushataque Ahmed Memon informed that a recent research has revealed that smoking Sheesha is 10 times more injurious as compared to cigarette while smoking Sheesha for an hour is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes, adding that the impacts of cigarette smoking are not hidden from anyone.

He said after its induction in modern fads, a great misconception prevails that Sheesha is not injurious to health. He said Sheesha smoking leaves a bad impact on lungs, causes respiratory complications and asthma while it also castes a bad impact on a person’s mental health.

A Cigar for Japan

La Aurora S.A. has created a new cigar meant to help the people of Japan who are reeling from a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 10,000 dead.

La Aurora's Para Japón—which translates to "For Japan"—will be shipped to Aurora cigar distributors soon. A portion of proceeds from sales of the cigar will be donated to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief fund, via Japan Tobacco Imex Co. Ltd.

The cigar is going to be a robusto measuring 5 inches long with a 50 ring gauge. Aurora said the cigar would be medium to full bodied, made with aged leaves of undisclosed origin and wrapped in Nicaraguan wrapper.

Idaho Democrats Attempt To Stall Legislature

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho -- Democrats in Boise are sending a strong message to legislative Republicans. They are protesting the House's refusal to schedule a hearing for a proposed tobacco tax.

Democrats are asking that all legislation be read in full, something not typically done. They're hoping to get Republicans to give in and grant a hearing.

One person even said that it took more than three hours to read one bill. Democratic Rep. Brian Cronin said that they want to stall the legislature. All they want to do is simply have the discussion about a possible increased tobacco tax, and they see no reason Republicans won't grant their wish.

Smokeless tobacco may be on its way out of Major League Baseball parks

Major League Baseball begins the 2011 season in two days, and if public heath officials have their way it will be the last season during which players will be able to chew and spit smokeless tobacco on the field.

The leaders of 15 public health departments in cities with professional baseball teams sent a letter Monday to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Michael Weiner, executive director of the union representing major league players, urging them to forbid the use of smokeless tobacco products. Tobacco has been banned in baseball’s minor leagues since 1993.

Smoking Screen

Cinema's power to move and mould men is awesome. Actors play facilitators and propagators of this power, and when India's Federal Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, carried out a long campaign some months ago to ban smoking on the screen and even succeeded in doing so, he certainly had a point. Film heroes and heroines who essayed smokers often set hard-to-resist examples for especially their younger fans. The act was what mattered, not its consequences. Neither the money spent on cigarettes nor the terribly ruinous effect they had on health appeared on the radar of all those who idolised the men and women puffing away on the screen.

Farmers file class-action suit against tobacco company

Several Kentucky farmers have filed a class-action lawsuit against a leading tobacco merchant they say failed to honor contracts to purchase burley tobacco from them at the end of the 2010 crop year.

Now some of the farmers say they would rather leave the business than gamble on tobacco.

The lawsuit, which was filed against Universal Leaf North America last week in Harrison Circuit Court, says hundreds of farmers have lost what amounts to millions.

Among the plaintiffs are Jerry Feagan of Berry, Steve Lang of Cynthiana and Thomas Leach and Larry O'Neill, both of Dry Ridge, who say agents of Universal Leaf North America refused to accept tobacco, the lawsuit says. They are seeking monetary damages to be determined at trial.

Whoopi Goldberg Talks About Smoking Weed Before Her 1991 Oscar Win

When Whoopi Goldberg took to the stage in 1991 to receive her Academy Award she appeared just like an other Oscar winner - excited and overwhelmed.

But the 55-year-old star was actually under the influence of drugs as she made her acceptance speech having smoked a 'wonderful joint' just minutes before the win.

She was accepting the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role alongside Patrick Swayze in the film Ghost.

In a 1992 video that has only just surface on celebrity blog TMZ, the actress is seen admitting she was stoned on the day of the ceremony.

Three states bucking trend by proposing cigarette tax cut

Bucking a national trend of raising cigarette taxes, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island have considered reducing theirs, hoping to draw smokers from other states and increase revenue.

Supporters argue reducing the tax by a dime would make New Hampshire more competitive with Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts, while opponents say that even if the state experienced higher sales as a result it still would lose millions of dollars in revenue.

It’s very unusual for states to lower the tax, University of Illinois at Chicago economics professor Frank Chaloupka says. The increase in sales isn’t enough to offset the drop in state tax revenue, he says.

Instead of lowering the tax, states have enacted 100 increases over the past decade, he says.

Teens chewing tobacco in school

According to some local teenagers, it's cool to chew tobacco at school.
So now, administrators at the Greece Central School District are cracking down on it, saying it’s not happening on school grounds. If students are caught chewing tobacco, they face a five day suspension. The district says the rules also apply to staff members and visitors. They want it to be a tobacco free zone.

Within this school year, Greece Odyssey caught five different boys chewing tobacco on school grounds. The district says they started investigating, and found out that students and their families don't understand that chewing tobacco is bad for your health. But doctors say it's just as bad as lighting a cigarette. Administrators sent a letter home to all parents in the Greece Central School District, warning parents that if their child is caught using tobacco on school grounds, they'll be suspended for five days.

No reason to carve exceptions in state smoking ban

When Washington voters were asked to approve one of the nation’s strictest smoking bans in 2005, protecting workers’ health was one of the most prominent arguments initiative supporters used.

Voters agreed that the people who worked in restaurants, taverns, bowling alleys, nontribal casinos and clubs shouldn’t have to breathe smoke for hours on end and risk a host of illnesses associated with secondhand smoke – which kills thousands of Americans every year. And so Washingtonians voted yes, and for five years workers’ health has been protected.

Now some legislators – including state Reps. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw; Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma; and Hans Zeiger, R-Puyallup – want to take that protection away for some workers.

Heineman: No Increase On Cigarette Tax

If the Legislature passes a bill to slap a whopping tax increase on cigarettes Gov. Dave Heineman says he will veto it.

The pending measure would boost the tax on a pack of smokes from 64 cents to $1.99.

Proponent say it would generate $100 million in additional state revenue. Nebraska faces a budget gap of up to $1 billion.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Heineman indicated he might have been willing to look at a higher tobacco tax under different circumstances.

Tobacco industry report: Menthol cigarettes aren't riskier

Menthol cigarettes are marketed in a similar manner as regular cigarettes, although menthol products are "disproportionately" marketed to African-Americans, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said in a partial draft report released Thursday.

The federal agency is considering banning the minty cigarette flavoring that makes menthols different from other smokes. Many health experts, including an FDA advisory panel, say consumers seem to think menthol flavoring offers health protection or benefits, and menthol cigarettes are disproportionately marketed to African Americans.

The tobacco industry sees menthols as a key area for growth in the shrinking cigarette market. The industry's draft report acknowledges that "all cigarettes are hazardous to health" and says there's no scientific basis to regulate menthols differently. The report concludes that menthol cigarettes don't make it easier for people to start or harder for them to quit or raise their risk of disease.

Smuggled tobacco seized at port

UK Border Agency officers have seized five tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco that was hidden in a lorry as it entered the country at Dover's Eastern Docks.

The Czech-registered vehicle arrived on a ferry from Calais and was stopped by officers at the inward freight controls.

After questioning the 39-year-old Czech driver, officers searched the vehicle and trailer.

The haul of tobacco, with Luxembourg tax stamps, was found in 11 shrink wrapped pallets within a load of electrical materials.

The case was passed to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for further investigation.

Katherine Heigl is still puffing on her electronic cigarette nine months after switching from real ones

Did somebody sleep through their alarm?

Katherine Heigl was caught in public in white pyjamas that featured her monogram on the pocket.

The 32-year-old actress hid behind a pair of sunglasses and was carrying a steaming cup of coffee as she made a dash from her car.

She teamed her look with a beige leather bag and flip flops as she arrived at her mother's Los Feliz home in California.

The Knocked Up star is clearly not a morning person.

One notable missing accessory was her 'smokestik' electric cigarette.

The Hollywood star, who has a two-year-old adopted daughter Naleigh with husband Josh Kelley, is often spotted with the contraption in hand.

In fact, she was seen smoking it earlier this week in upmarket Japanese restaurant Matsuhisa.

Lindsay Lohan Quits Smoking! No, Seriously!

Lindsay Lohan has quit smoking and is reportedly trying to lead a healthier lifestyle since being released from rehab in January.

Lindsay Lohan has quit smoking.

The troubled actress - who completed a three-month court-ordered programme at the Betty Ford rehabilitation clinic in January - is determined to follow a new healthier lifestyle since her release and has been working out with a personal trainer every morning after giving up the habit a week ago.

While Lindsay has until March 25 to decide whether to accept a plea bargain for six months jail time after being accused of grand theft felony regarding a $2,500 necklace from jewellers Kamofie & Company, Lynwood Correctional Facility - where has previously served time after breaching the terms of probation set for her 2007 driving under the influence (DUI) conviction - is a non-smoking facility.

Florida Department of Corrections facilities to be tobacco-free

Tallahassee – To reduce healthcare costs and to make our prisons safer, Florida Department of Corrections facilities will be tobacco-free in six months.

Smoking bans have long been in place in all of Florida's public buildings and offices, over half of the state prisons in the U.S. already have similar bans, and since 2004, all of the prisons in the Federal Prison system have banned smoking on prison grounds.

“Inmate smoking and second-hand smoking is costing millions in healthcare costs each year,” said Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Edwin Buss. “Eliminating smoking is a win for taxpayers, but it’s also a win for employees and inmates, making our facilities healthier places to work and live in, and making them a little safer too.”

George Michael turns to Twitter to stop smoking

The singer told Smooth Radio's Mark Goodier that he started smoking again after being sent to prison.

He said: "When they put you inside, they almost chuck nicotine at you and, having given up regular cigarettes many years ago, I found within a week I was hooked back on the nicotine.

"What I have found is that now I'm trying not to smoke cigarettes the tweeting stops me from doing it because I've got something to do. Instead of having to have one of those plastic things in your hand that you suck on, I'm just tweeting to stop myself from smoking cigarettes now."

Michael was released from prison in October after serving half of an eight-week sentence for drug-driving.

Marc Jacobs captures spirit of Paris fashion week with whiff of scandal

The best designers know that fashion is as much about capturing the zeitgeist as it is about dresses. Marc Jacobs, the designer of Louis Vuitton, presented an appropriately scandalous finale to a Paris fashion week riven by rumour and disgrace, with a collection inspired by fetish and a show themed around the "hookers, chambermaids, wives, mistresses and other exquisite creatures" whom Jacobs sees when he stays at Claridge's hotel in London.

The audience were seated around four ornate, gilded elevators, each manned by a uniformed bellboy. As the show began, the first lift opened and a model emerged dressed in a monogrammed chauffeur's cap and smartly buttoned jacket over a patent corset and a sheer skirt which revealed stockings beneath. The elevators descended out of sight and returned, each delivering a model in a fetishised, high-gloss fantasy of uniform: knee boots in sex-shop latex, tight trousers with the leather patches used on jodhpurs pulling the focus to the inner thigh and demure knee-length printed dresses embroidered with gloves, masks and high heels.

Shops to be banned from displaying tobacco products

Government announces rules to keep tobacco out of sight in shops and considers making plain packaging mandatory

Tobacco displays will have to be kept out of sight in shops in England from April 2012 for large stores and April 2015 for all other shops, the government has announced.

Ministers will also start a public consultation over whether England should become the first country in Europe to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes and other tobacco products while insisting they are keeping "an open mind" on the issue.

Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has decided to go ahead with the display ban, albeit delayed, after reviewing the move made possible under Labour legislation. The measure was originally to come into force in October this year for large stores and in 2013 for others.

Lawmaker proposes tobacco sales ban around schools

A CHINESE lawmaker has said tobacco sales bans around the nation’s schools should be imposed, noting that cigarettes are currently too easy for youngsters to obtain.

Jin Changrong, councilor for the Shanghai Municipal Government and also a judge, said the current laws banning tobacco sales to youngsters were too general and hard to enforce, during the ongoing parliamentary session.

According to law, tobacco can not be sold to people under 18 years old but they can buy it even so, Jin said.

He said there should be a national regulation on a 500-meter radius ban of tobacco from schools, although some local governments have imposed the 50 or 100-meter radius ban from elementary and middle schools.

George Michael: Jail Time Was Karma and “Deserved”

Pop star speaks of shame of being jailed and support he has received over drug problems

George Michael has said he deserved to be jailed for crashing his Range Rover while high on cannabis, describing the punishment as karma.

The singer said he was ashamed to have broken the law repeatedly, adding that he was now in therapy for his drug abuse issues. He served a month of an eight-week prison sentence and was banned from driving for five years.

In a radio interview, he said: "By the time I went to court, I knew this wasn't going to happen again. I knew I was going to lose my licence.

"I was assured I wasn't going to prison but I thought I was and, like I said, it was much easier to take because I felt it was deserved.

"This was a hugely shameful thing to have done repeatedly so karmically I felt like I had a bill to pay. I went to prison, I paid my bill."

Tobacco cos. fire back on gov't-proposed ads

America's largest cigarette manufacturers have said the Justice Department's proposed corrective statements about smoking's dangers are inflammatory and inaccurate and violate guidelines set by the court overseeing the lawsuit.

The tobacco companies, including Philip Morris USA, maker of top-selling Marlboro cigarettes, also asked a US district judge to toss out the 12-year-old lawsuit, saying the Food and Drug Administration's authority over the industry makes the court's involvement unnecessary.

Last week, the Justice Department released 14 "corrective statements" that it says the companies should be required to make as part of the lawsuit. It wants the companies to admit that they lied to the public and would force the industry to pay for an advertising campaign of self-criticism.

Inside Scarlett & Sean's Mexican Getaway

They have previously denied any romantic involvement but Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn certainly looked rather cosy during an outing this week.

The 26-year-old Iron Man 2 star and Oscar winner Sean, 50, were spotted having lunch together on Tuesday at Cuban restaurant Versailles in Los Angeles.

As the pair ate, Scarlett placed one of her feet on Sean's lap - a move which suggests the pair may be better acquainted than they have let on.


Dressed casually in jeans and a striped T-shirt, Scarlett looked relaxed and happy as she and Sean laughed and chatted throughout the meal.

And yesterday the pair jetted off to Mexico together for a whistle stop visit.

The scene when Charlie Sheen arrived for his "Piers Morgan Tonight" interview

With less than 10 minutes to go before "Piers Morgan Tonight" went live on the air, Charlie Sheen still had not arrived at the CNN LA bureau last night. His car pulled up, out came his friend Tony Todd and assistants Rick Calamaro and Stacey, and just a few minutes later he was on the air talking to Piers Morgan.

"Well the whole world's going to watch this," he said, to which Sheen responded, "I hope so."

Having just been cancelled by CBS executives for the rest of his “Two and a Half Men” season after a radio rant attacking the show’s executives, Charlie Sheen, 45, boosted Piers Morgan show ratings last night.

Menthol Not Shown to Raise Health Risks of Smoking, U.S. Draft Report Says

Smokers don’t face more risks of tobacco-related disease from menthol cigarettes than unflavored cigarettes, a U.S. advisory panel says in a preliminary report.

“The evidence is insufficient” to conclude that menthol smokers face a different disease risk than people who use regular cigarettes, said advisers to the Food and Drug Administration. Still, menthol may make smoking more addictive, the panelists said. The comments were posted yesterday on the FDA website in two draft chapters of a report the panel must submit by March 23.

The FDA advisers’ non-binding report is required by a 2009 law that restricts tobacco marketing and bars cigarette makers from adding flavors such as clove or strawberry. An FDA conclusion that menthol cigarettes are more dangerous than unflavored versions may lead to a ban.

More German youths say no to cigarettes

Smoking is decidedly "out" among German youths, with just 13 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in Germany starting the habit in 2010, according a study by the German Center for Health Education.

That is the lowest level since the organization started tracking youth smoking 30 years ago. The Center for Health Education also said about half as many German youths started smoking in 2010 as the same age group did in 2001, when 28 percent of youngsters smoked.

The Center for Health Education's Director, Elisabeth Pott, said the findings are part of a downward trend in smoking in Germany.

Cameron Diaz: 'I Love Porn!'

Cameron Diaz visited 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Thursday night to promote her upcoming movie 'Bad Teacher,' in which she smokes pot, gets lathered up at a car wash in Daisy Dukes and chases her real-life ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. But it was her love of adult movies that kept Kimmel's attention.

In a new trailer for the upcoming comedy, the star is seen flashing her incredible figure in tight Daisy Duke denim shorts as she gets lathered up in soap suds at a car wash.

"I love porn!" she exclaimed. Cameron went on to talk about how easy it is to order porn on the sly in hotels.

"You know what I love about hotels? How discreet they are," she said. "They always give you that little thing at the bottom - 'Your room will be charged the same as any other room, no titles will be used.'"

In her new movie ‘Bad Teacher’ Cameron Diaz Smokes Pot

Cameron Diaz proves she is schooled in the art of seduction in her upcoming film, Bad Teacher.

In a new trailer for the upcoming comedy, the actress is seen flashing her incredible figure in tight Daisy Duke denim shorts as she gets lathered up in soap suds at a car wash.

The 38-year-old is also pictured smoking marijuana in a scene from the film in which she plays a raunchy educator looking for a man to take care of her.

Diaz also pairs up with her with her former boyfriend Justin Timberlake who plays another member of staff in the film due to be released in June this year.

The actress described the flick as 'filthy' but 'fun' and said she had given her seal of approval to Timberlake's role.

'We wanted Justin because he's such a brilliant comedian. He's so funny. He's very, very talented,' she said.

'And Jason Segel is the heart of the film, which is weird. It's sort of a love triangle between the three of us.'