HEADLINES

• Cigarettes seized In Merseyside and at Newcastle Airport
• Bedfordshire: Vending machine crackdown
• USA: Fifth jury finds for Philip Morris USA in Engle case
• New Zealand: Apology follows tobacco survey
• Cigarette butts spin money in Chinese city
• USA: 'Bama' cigarettes named after president Obama?

• Cigarettes seized In Merseyside and at Newcastle Airport

  Five Merseyside men were arrested over a haul of 10 million smuggled cigarettes.

  The suspects, all from Wallasey, were arrested after a swoop by officers from HM Customs and Revenue on an Ellesmere Port warehouse on Monday.

  The cigarettes, with a duty value of around £1.8m, were imported into the UK from Dubai via Holland.

  Source: Liverpool Echo - 28 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/dqY0lN

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  Six passengers with a staggering 120,000 illegal cigarettes were arrested at Newcastle Airport.

  UK Border Agency officers recovered the enormous haul and 16 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco in the swoop.

  The haul is the latest in a series of successful tobacco seizures at the airport which has seen dozens arrested.

  Source: Chronicle Live - 28 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/bJ9tLV

• Bedfordshire: Vending machine crackdown

  Central Bedfordshire Council’s Trading Standards team have been just one from across the East of England involved in an operation to crack down on illegal sales of cigarettes from vending machines.

  Across the region 104 attempts were made by youngsters to buy tobacco products and 81 times the volunteers were successful. Of the remaining machines, others were either empty, broken or switched off. Only on a handful of occasions was the correct procedure carried out of challenging the volunteer about their age.
   

  Source: Central Berkshire Council - 28 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/9vlk9A

• USA: Fifth jury finds for Philip Morris USA in Engle case

  A Broward County jury today decided in favor of Philip Morris USA in an Engle case (Rohr). The verdict today marks the fifth consecutive verdict for the company in the Engle progeny cases this month.

  “The jury found that the smoker was 100% responsible for his smoking choices,” said Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president and associate general counsel, speaking on behalf of Philip
  Morris USA. 

  The verdict came in a trial of a so-called Engle progeny case following a 2006 Florida Supreme Court decision that decertified a class action but allowed former class action members to file individual
  lawsuits and rely on general findings from the first class action.

  Source: EuroInvestor - 28 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/9MFDrI

• New Zealand: Apology follows tobacco survey

  A prominent research firm has apologised over a tobacco survey which some see as an attempt to recruit new smokers.

  For British American Tobacco, Colmar Brunton pitched the survey to 10,000 people, saying that depending on their answers, they may be asked to join a study in which they would be given cigarettes to smoke.

  They would also be given $40 and 20 Fly Buys points to cover the cost of any expenses.

  The Ministry of Health has contacted Colmar Brunton after receiving complaints.

  Source: NZ Herald - 28 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/bTdmzw

• Cigarette butts spin money in Chinese city

  A city in China has begun offering money to its residents who pick up discarded cigarette butts as part of a campaign to keep its streets clean. Over seven-million cigarette butts have already been collected.

  The drive, which began last month, offers locals 0.05 yuan ($0.0075) for each cigarette butt they pick up from city streets.

  In one month alone, people have handed over a total of 7 million cigarette butts to the government. One person turned over 7,500 butts in one go.

  Source: The Hindu - 28 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/bXTICt

• USA: 'Bama' cigarettes named after president Obama?

  A new brand of cigarette called 'Bama's', which is already being sold in 5 states, has a peculiar oval ring around it making it look like it says Obama.

  The creators of the cigarettes said that there is nothing political about it and they choose the name because it's easy to remember.

  A (small) picture of the packaging is available by clicking on the link below.

  Source: The Post Chronicle - 27 October 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/bF9WtR