HEADLINES

• Anti-smoking protest in Liverpool
• Booker Wholesale tells retails to prepare for point of sale display ban windfall
• It pays to give up smoking
• Australia: Cancer patient launches legal action against smoking neighbours
• USA: Bringing tobacco to the Tea Party
• 'John Terry' image used in Indian anti-smoking drive
• On TV Tonight: The Smoking Years

• Anti-smoking protest in Liverpool

  A group of young anti-tobacco protestors donned cardboard TVs for a parade through Liverpool city centre to launch their new Smoke Off campaign.  The young people are campaigning to have smoking removed from pre-watershed television programmes such as Coronation Street.

  The campaign group, D-MYST, is launching an e-petition to back their campaign.  For further information visit their website: http://www.d-myst.info.

  Source: Liverpool Daily Post, 04 January 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/yRqYGq

• Booker Wholesale tells retails to prepare for point of sale display ban windfall

  Wholesale group Booker is launching a new campaign to help retailers take full advantage of the tobacco display ban, which comes into effect in larger stores in England on 6 April this year. 

  Director Steve Fox describes the ban as "the biggest opportunity since the national lottery,” and estimates that an extra two million shoppers each week could transfer to small retailers from supermarkets, bringing with them an extra £1bn of sales.

  Source: Wholesale News, 03 January, 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/t17ppZ

• It pays to give up smoking

  In light of a Department of Health claim that half of all smokers underestimate the financial impacts of smoking, journalist Paul Farrow spells out the full cost of smoking for the average 20 a day smoker.

  He encourages those that have successfully quit to ask their insurer about reduced rates for their life insurance and critical illness policies, as non smokers are likely to be charged a significantly lower premium.
   
  Source: Daily Telegraph, 04 January 2012
  Link: http://tgr.ph/w8xmQk

• Australia: Cancer patient launches legal action against smoking neighbours

  Lawyer Peter Lavac, a fitness fanatic and champion surf skier, asked a chain-smoking couple in the flat below his to stop smoking after he developed breathing problems.

  In March 2008 it was confirmed that Mr Lavac had developed cancer in his right lung. Respiratory specialist Professor Matthew Peters concluded that Mr Lavac's problems were caused by the second-hand cigarette smoke.

  
  Mr Lavac is now planning legal action against the people he claims caused his disease.
  Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 29 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/vpGgsP

• USA: Bringing tobacco to the Tea Party

  In an opinion piece, Peter Galuszka attacks the new 'Citizens for Tobacco Rights' website launched by Philip Morris.  He argues that the website taps into the anti-regulation fervour of the Tea Party movement in order to undermine health policy.
   

  Source: Washington Post, 03 January 2012
  Link: http://wapo.st/z6vXgm

• 'John Terry' image used in Indian anti-smoking drive

  Representatives of John Terry are said to be taking legal advice following an image said to resemble the Chelsea and England footballer being used to illustrate health warnings on cigarette packs in India.

  The image appears above the words 'Smoking Kills' on the new health warnings. However, the Directorate of Visual Publicity denies that the image is a picture of John Terry.

  
   
  Source: BBC online, 03 January 2012
  Link: http://bbc.in/vyYaIH

• On TV Tonight: The Smoking Years

  BBC 4's Timeshift programme, The Smoking Years, tonight, from 9.00 to 10.00, looks at the changing attitudes to 'the smoker', featuring celebrities Barry Cryer and Stuart Maconie, alongside long-term anti-tobacco campaigner Cecilia Farren.

  Source: BBC online, 04 January 2012
  Link: http://bbc.in/uoxrwx