HEADLINES

• Scotland: Appeal judges reject Imperial Tobacco's cigarette display bid
• Student attends House Of Commons and calls for MPs to change cigarette packaging
• Smoking ´martyr´ locked up
• 11 North East people die every day due to smoking
• Japan: Low income linked to smoking
• Japan Tobacco eyes Imperial Tobacco

• Scotland: Appeal judges reject Imperial Tobacco's cigarette display bid

  Appeal judges have rejected a bid by a major tobacco firm to challenge Scottish government plans to ban the open display of cigarettes.

  They turned down the challenge by Imperial Tobacco which claimed the measures were beyond the legislative competence of Holyrood.

  Source: BBC News - 02 February 2012
  Link: http://bbc.in/zA1a1G

• Student attends House Of Commons and calls for MPs to change cigarette packaging

  Adan Loughlin, a 21-year-old anti-smoking campaigner from Widnes, has urged MPs at a meeting in the House Of Commons to change cigarette packaging.
  
  He told MPs that he thinks branding is a major factor in young people taking up smoking, and said plain packs would be a good move towards reducing youth smoking. He said: “It was really good to have an opportunity to engage with MPs from across the country about why plain packaging is an important step towards helping to prevent young people from starting to smoke.”

  Source: Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News - 02 February 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/zhH05s

• Smoking ´martyr´ locked up

  Controversial smoking champion Chris Carter has held his word to go to jail rather than pay a £1,250 fine for lighting-up illegally in Bangor’s Town Hall over four years ago.

  The 57 year surrendered himself to Bangor Police Station but has vowed not to give up on his campaign against the ban on smoking in public buildings.

  Source: Spectator Newspapers - 01 February 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/yJ2OE8

• 11 North East people die every day due to smoking

  Smoking kills more than 11 people every day in the North East and it costs the region’s economy over £210m a year, a new report has shown.

  The latest research shows that 4,211 deaths were caused in the North East in 2010 as a result of smoking. That accounts for nearly one in five of all deaths among adults over 35.

  The figures released by the North East anti-smoking office, FRESH, in partnership with Brunel University in Uxbridge, West London, are combined with existing figures from the North East Public Health Observatory.

  Source: Journal Live - 02 February 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/wC4F0u

• Japan: Low income linked to smoking

  Rates of smoking among Japanese people are highest in low-income households, according to the results of a government health survey.

  The ministry questioned some 3,200 households, breaking them into three annual income categories.

  In the top income bracket, 27 per cent of men and 6.4 per cent of women were smokers, figures that rose steadily as household income dropped to 33.6 per cent of men and 8.8 per cent of women in the middle income segment, and to 37.3 per cent of men and 11.7 per cent of women in the lowest income bracket.

  Source: Tobacco Reporter - 02 February 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/ww93qy

• Japan Tobacco eyes Imperial Tobacco

  Imperial Tobacco is thought to be a takeover target of Japan Tobacco.

  Broker Nomura said Imperial could benefit from the upcoming sale of the Japanese government’s stake in Japan Tobacco and growing consolidation in the sector.

  Source: The Express - 03 February 2012
  Link: http://bit.ly/zIVaG9