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ASH Daily News – Saturday 1 – Monday 3 December 2001

HEADLINES
Imperial to bid £4bn for German rival
Imperial “does a roaring trade in suffering”
UK tobacco companies: ‘the success story nobody is talking about’.
George Harrison dies of smoking-induced cancer
Kellogs to replace Silk Cut as Rugby’s new sponsor
Smoking’s deadly facts


FULL TEXT


Imperial to bid £4bn for German rival

The Observer reports that Imperial Tobacco is to submit a £4bn bid for Reemtsma this week. Imperial is considered to be the front-runner to buy Reemtsma given that Philip Morris and BAT are prevented by the anti-trust authorities from entering the bidding contest. The other main contenders are Altadis and Japan Tobacco while Gallaher is unlikely to be able to afford the bid.


The Observer, 2/12/01


Imperial “does a roaring trade in suffering”

In a surprising article in the Sunday Telegraph headed: ‘Imperial does a roaring trade in suffering’ reporter Kevin Myers notes that Imperial’s profits announced last week hardly attracted any comment. However, Myers states: “Perhaps the most surprising thing about Imperial’s announcement was that its chairman didn’t make it with a hood over his head, rather like Martin McGuiness in his youth, and for much the same reason. Certainly if I were making a living from a business which annually kills millions worldwide, I would opt for the jolly old balaclava with eye-holes.”


The Sunday Telegraph, 2/12/01

UK tobacco companies: ‘the success story nobody is talking about’.

The Sunday Times has a brief overview of the UK tobacco industry, noting that “Britain’s latest boom industry employs 7,900 people and will put £7.8bn in the Treasury coffers this year.” However, the article adds that “It will also kill 120,000 people in Britain this year.” The report notes that the industry has been consolidating for the past 10 years but recently the pace has been accelerating. The article also notes that with the exception of BAT, British tobacco companies face little litigation and that the companies’ biggest threat comes from the “unpredictability of governments”.

The Sunday Times, 2/12/01



George Harrison dies of smoking-induced cancer

The death of former Beatle George Harrison receives widespread coverage. He candidly admitted that his cancer was “purely due to smoking” and several of the articles reporting his death refer to his past smoking habit. The Mirror notes that cannabis could also have played a part in the development of Harrison’s throat cancer which was diagnosed in 1997. The Times’ medical correspondent, Dr Thomas Stuttaford, also expresses the view that smoking cannabis might have played a part since smoking both tobacco and cannabis regularly increases the incidence of cancers of the head and neck by a factor of more than 30.

The Times, Mirror and all other papers. 1-3/12/01



Kellogs to replace Silk Cut as Rugby’s new sponsor

Rugby League’s Challenge Cup. Which has been sponsored by Silk Cut for the past 17 years is to be sponsored by Kellog’s Nutri-Grain cereal.

Daily Mail, Daily Star, 1/12/01



Smoking’s deadly facts

The Mirror’s weekend magazine carries a useful reminder of some of the ‘deadly facts’ about smoking. These include some of the lesser known effects such as the increased risk of cervical cancer, reduced fertility, increased risk of osteoporosis. Last but not least, there is the effect of smoking on the skin, or as The Mirror puts it: ‘Fags turn you into an old hag’.

The Mirror, 1/12/01






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