HEADLINES

• Luther Terry Awards 2012
• Christopher Hitchens dies of Oesophageal Cancer at 62
• Wales: Smoking in Cardiff playgrounds could be banned
• South Korea: Seoul to extend no-smoking zone to sidewalks and footpaths
• USA: Increasingly, smoking indoors Is forbidden in public housing
• China: WHO warns public of misleading tobacco industry research

• Luther Terry Awards 2012

  ASH is pleased to announce that is the recipient of the Luther L Terry Award for "Oustanding Organization".  Awarded by the American Cancer Society, the Luther L. Terry Awards are presented triennially and in conjunction with the World Conference on Tobacco OR Health. These awards recognize outstanding worldwide achievement in the field of tobacco control.

  This year the awards were given to the following individuals and organisations:   

  Distinguished Career

  Michael Daube, (Australia)
   

  Outstanding Individual Leadership

  Martin Raw, Ph.D. (United Kingdom/ Brazil)

  Yussuf Saloojee, Ph.D. (South Africa)
   

  Outstanding Research Contribution

  Prabhat Jha,.M.D., D.Phil. (Canada)

  Melanie Wakefield, Ph.D. (Australia)
   

  Outstanding Organization

  Action on Smoking and Health United Kingdom (ASH UK)
   

  Exemplary Leadership by a Government Ministry

  Department of Health and Ageing of the Government of Australia
   

  Community Service Award

  Mira Aghi, Ph.D. (India)

  Stan Shatenstein, (Canada)

  Source:
  Link:

• Christopher Hitchens dies of Oesophageal Cancer at 62

  Best-selling author and Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens has died at the age of 62 from pneumonia, a complication of oesophageal cancer.

  Hitchens, who smoked and drank heavily,  was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2010 while on tour for his book Hitch-22. Risk factors for the disease include smoking, heavy alcohol use, acid reflux, and poor diet.

  Source: Everyday Health, 16 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/vopyLa

• Wales: Smoking in Cardiff playgrounds could be banned

  Cardiff Council is considering banning smoking in playgrounds across the capital.

  Children’s groups and health organisations overwhelmingly backed a potential ban in playgrounds, saying children have a right to a smokefree leisure environment.

  Source: WalesOnline, 16 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/rPG6Nb

• South Korea: Seoul to extend no-smoking zone to sidewalks and footpaths

  Anti-tobacco rules will be amended by Seoul Metropolitan Council to include sidewalks and footpaths.

  The revision will be submitted to the standing committee in February.

  The city government plans to expand its no-smoking zones to include more than one-fifth of the city by 2014.

  Source: The Korean Times, 18 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/tYXq7R

• USA: Increasingly, smoking indoors Is forbidden in public housing

  Maine will become the first state to ban smoking in all of its public housing authorities on 1st Jan 2012, affecting 12,000 tenants and, by September, Boston will become the biggest city to ban smoking in its public housing.

  The bans are largely a response to the risks posed to nonsmokers by secondhand smoke, whilst property managers say smokeless apartments reduce the risk of fire.

  Housing officials point out that they do not require tenants to quit, only to smoke outside, and they often provide shelters for smokers. They also offer smoking-cessation programs, although they say few people attend.

  Source: The New York Times, 17 December 2011
  Link: http://nyti.ms/sonQUv

• China: WHO warns public of misleading tobacco industry research

  World Health Organization officials have warned that research indicating that some cigarettes are less harmful  than others is tobacco industry hype meant to mislead the public.

  The debate on tobacco science arose in China after Xie Jianping, a researcher known for his studies on low-tar cigarettes, was honoured with a seat in the elite Chinese Academy of Engineering.

  The 52-year-old researcher, has spent decades working with a tobacco research institute under the China National Tobacco Corporation (China Tobacco) -- the world's largest cigarette company.

  Source: English.xinhaunet, 19 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/sgAkZA