Man Caught With Contraband Booze, Cigarettes

Bandar Seri Begawan - A forty-nine-year-old local fathering 22 children and living on Baitul Mal (government financial aid) was caught red handed for possession of booze and cigarettes where he was fined yesterday by the Bandar Magistrate's Court $6,000 or in default of payment serve jail for four months.

Ahmad bin Hj Othman pleaded guilty to the charge in which he was caught at the roundabout in Kuala Lurah near the Shell- filling station in possession of five bottles of Carlsberg beer, three cans of Tiger beer, two bottles of Tiger beer, a bottle of scotch whisky, three bottles of Smirnoff vodka, 10 packs of Win Mild Minti Ceta cigarettes and five cartons of D-Gi Menthol cigarettes on July 6, 2010 at about 5.48pm.

The defendant was in his Honda Jazz car with his wife, his two sons and his granddaughter.

The court also heard that the defendant is unemployed and relies on financial aid of Baitul Mal of which he receives $1,900 a month for a period of one year.

It was a grocery shopping outing with the family for the defendant in Limbang and when they came back, Customs Preventive officers stopped the vehicle.

Group Wants Tax Hike on Cigarettes

A new statewide group is calling for a cigarette tax hike and policy experts say Nevada could see $85 million in one year if the hike is approved.

Smokers could be looking at paying an extra $1.20 to smoke a pack of cigarettes. The Health Investment Partnership, or HIP, is a coalition of people and organizations in the public and private health sectors. HIP introduced a new study Tuesday detailing how a health impact fee would dramatically lower the state deficit, decrease the burden of health care costs, and ultimately save lives.

"We estimate that over 16,000 adults would quit smoking in response to the price increase. Over 20,000 kids would be deterred from taking up smoking and in the long run, it would save the state over a half a billion dollars on healthcare costs from smoking," said economic policy expert Frank Chaloupka.

The suggested $1.20 health impact fee would apply to all other tobacco products, not just cigarettes. HIP is calling on lawmakers to adopt the fee and allow it to rise with inflation. The group believes teenagers would benefit the most by increasing the cost of a pack of cigarettes.

"You're starting to take that out of the range of a lot of teenagers," said Dr. John Ruckdeschel, CEO of the Nevada Cancer Institute. "The cigarette costs keep going up and up and they can't do the other things they want to do. After a while, some of them get the idea and stop."

Right now, the state cigarette tax on one pack is 80 cents, which is lower than most states. HIP says tobacco users are costing Nevada more than a $500 million a year in healthcare costs.

Cigarette haul gang charged

EIGHT men have been charged over the theft of a £1.1m haul of cigarettes from Southamp-ton docks.

A gang used a stolen lorry and trailer to take 300,000 packets of American Legend cigarettes on June 7.

Six men have been charged with conspiracy to steal the cigarettes, and the lorry and trailer.

The gang – James Kelleher, 42, from Maldon, Essex; Stephen Pink, 49, from Colchester, Essex; Mark Juniper, 28, from Ashford, Kent; Kevin Burgess, 51, from Sheerness, Kent; Mark Ball, 51, from Sheerness, Kent; and Andrew Badland, 30, from Dagenham, Essex – have been bailed to appear at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on January 7.

Another two men – Alan Hunt, 50, and Sean Ripley, 40, both from Norwich – have been charged with possession of criminal property. They have been bailed and will appear before magstrates on January 6.

Cigarettes, Alcohol Get Thumbs Up In Port Aransas

The Port Aransas City Council discussed a proposed smoking ban for bars and restaurants at Wednesday night's meeting.

Councilman Keith Donley made the suggestion after he received complaints about second-hand smoke, but after discussing the matter the council voted 4-to-3 not to move forward with the ban.

We're told that as of now, the council doesn't have any plans to peruse the ideal any further.

At the same meeting, the council also voted unanimously to allow alcohol at Sandfest in 2011.

In previous years, visitors were not allowed to bring alcohol, and it wasn't sold on-site.

Organizers of of the 2011 event say they will set up a beer tent to see how it goes.

‘Man of mystery’ had illegal cigarettes

A 29-year-old Chinese man who was detected with 18,600 Chinese cigarettes in his business premises, with no duty paid on them, was sentenced to three months in prison.

Castlebar District Court heard that on May 20 2009, gardaí and a member of Revenue entered the Phone Station, Thomas Street, Castlebar— a repair and unlocking phone service. Chang Wu Yu, with a listed address at the Phone Station, Thomas Street, was the proprietor.

Gardaí had a warrant to search for stolen property, nothing was found in relation to this, however 15,000 cigarettes were found in a suitcase in a room above the premises, while 3,000 more cigarettes were found under a counter in the business premises. Three main brands of cigarettes were discovered during the search, which were then seized.

Detective Garda Declan Sweeney said that he was made aware that cigarettes were being illegally sold on the premises. In a statement made to Garda Sweeney, the defendant said that he never sold cigarettes and that the cigarettes belong to his partner and his friends. When interviewed by Revenue Officer, Sean Fitzgerald, without the use of the interpreter, Yu told him that he sold the cigarettes for €7 for 20. This was denied in court.

Yu, who has been in Ireland for seven years, had a student visa and lives with his partner and three children.

The defendant, through the services of a translator, told the court that the cigarettes came from China, however they were not for sale, but were gifts for guests who were to attend a wedding to his partner, which was to take place in December, but which did not occur.

It transpired that even though the defendant claimed he has little English that he has registered for a business course in Dublin which is taught through English.

Judge Mary Devins said that the “credibility of the accused is almost zero” and the judge said that Yu is “a man of mystery”.

Judge Devins convicted and fined him €1,000 and sentenced him to three months in prison. The judge also directed the forfeiture of cigarettes to the State. Recognisance was fixed.

Feds cracking down on flavoured tobacco

The government's trying to close loopholes that allow cigar makers to continue producing the flavoured cigarillos that are popular with teen smokers, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Thursday.

In response to a question by NDP health critic Megan Leslie, Aglukkaq said Health Canada officials are taking another look at the current rules for cigarillos, which were updated last summer.

“We're investigating that (closing the loopholes), yes ... I would love to make an announcement on that,” Aglukkaq said.

“This is a moving target, as you know.”

The Tories promised during the 2008 election to change the law to make cigarillos less enticing to teens.

The new rules took effect last July, banning companies from adding flavouring to small cigars with 1.4g of tobacco or less, as well as the ones with filters and the ones sold as singles.

Manufacturers changed the size slightly and removed filters in some cases, allowing them to continue selling the flavoured product.

Cigar makers argue the flavoured product is popular with adults too and that teens use far more unflavoured tobacco products than they do flavoured.

Aglukkaq also told the House health committee she put cigarette labelling changes on hold so her department can consider whether they're the most effective way to reach smokers.

“I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a step back to re-examine whether we are making the investment in the right place,” as part of a prevention strategy, she said.

Aglukkaq said more people are smoking contraband cigarettes, which come in plastic bags and don't have warning labels, and that the department's trying to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to get its message out.

Spain plans tobacco tax hike to cut deficit-source

Spain's government is planning to raise tobacco taxes, a government source said on Friday, as it fights to cut its high budget deficit and calm investor concerns that it could need a financial bailout like Ireland and Greece.

Proposals for such new austerity measures come just over a week after Spain's prime minister insisted it would not need a new round of cuts, and said those betting the country would end up going the same way as Dublin or Athens would lose.

The source, who asked not to be named, did not comment on newspaper reports that the government is also mulling higher taxes on fuel and alcohol.

The new tobacco tax to raise an estimated 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) a year in revenue could be announced as early as Friday after Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's weekly cabinet meeting, newspapers reported.

The cabinet meeting is expected to approve other measures announced by Zapatero this week involving the sell-off of parts of its airport and lottery businesses to raise funds.

Spain's cost of financing has risen to record highs in recent days on fears it could end up needing a bailout like Greece or Ireland, throwing the euro currency deeper into crisis.

But the yield on benchmark Spanish 10-year bonds ES10YT=TWEB was lower on Friday, at 5.1 percent, as the European Central Bank said its bond-buying programme has been energetic this week [ID:nFAE005845].

Economy Minister Elena Salgado told BBC radio on Friday that the euro zone could not exit its current crisis unless its members adopted common economic policies, a controversial idea not shared by all the currency zone's leaders. [ID:nLDE6B208U]

"We have to improve economic governance in Europe. You cannot have in the long term a common currency without a common economic policy," she said in an interview.

New York City's health commish lights into Brooklyn Camel cigarettes

New York City's top health official is urging the R.J. Reynolds tobacco company to drop its new cigarette campaign that includes special edition Williamsburg cigarettes.

The Brooklyn Camel cigarettes pay homage to the trendy neighborhood with pictures of the Williamsburg Bridge, the area's iconic buildings and silhouettes of musicians.

"I am particularly disturbed that this effort to recruit young smokers exploits the name and image of Brooklyn's vibrant Williamsburg neighborhood," city Health Commissioner ThomasFarley said in a letter to the company.

The special smokes are set to hit stores in January.

R.J. Reynolds officials say the campaign "helps illustrate the break-free attitude that Camel is about."

Cops to target tourists smoking hookahs, drugs

Tourists sitting in shacks or strolling on the beach and blowing smoke rings of charas, ganja or tobacco had better beware.

North Goa police have initiated a drive in the coastal belt and are booking persons smoking in public places in violation of the provisions of the Indian Tobacco Control Act, 2003, that aims at curbing smoking in public places in order to protect individuals from the hazards of second-hand tobacco smoke.

Police are also cracking down on shacks and restaurants that use the hookah. They have warned shack and restaurant owners that anyone found using a hookah in violation of the provisions of law, would have to pay a fine of ` 1,000 and have the hookah seized.

Pernem police have already seized 16 hookahs, while Calangute police have seized 20 and Anjuna police have seized 12 hookahs.

"Under the garb of smoking the hookah or cigarettes, it is alleged that people are smoking drugs on beaches. This drive is to curb the sale and consumption of drugs in the coastal belt and also to ensure that people don't violate the law by smoking in public," SP (North) Arvind Gawas said.

The drive will continue throughout the season and is aimed at curbing open sale and consumption of drugs in the coastal areas. DGP Bhimsen Bassi said, "Our objective is to ensure that the rule of law is preserved. Anybody who violates the law will not go free."

Police have also directed shacks and restaurants in coastal areas to display "no smoking" boards prominently. "At some places we found that they display the board and yet permit tourists to smoke in the premises. They have even placed ashtrays on the table. We have asked all restaurants and shacks to remove ashtrays from the tables, unless these are placed in smoking zones," police sources said.

"Also we have asked shack and restaurant owners to advise customers not to smoke in public places. If found smoking they will be fined Rs 100," police said.

While Anjuna police have booked 20 persons for smoking in public, Calangute police have booked 30 persons and Pernem police have booked 40 persons in coastal areas.

Hookah Bar to Hit Vernon Street

The Vernon Street scene should brace itself for the newest potential addition to its weekend social gamut: a hookah lounge, located next to the House of Peace. To those of you thinking this is too good to be true, fear not. The proposal, created by the House of Peace leaders Ali Abidi '12, Kyle Beek '12 and Alex Nakhla '14, has received strong support from the President's office and the Campus Climate Committee. Preliminary signs indicate that this lounge could grace Trinity's campus as early as next semester. The hookah lounge would operate in a year-round, heated, windowed, carpeted tent on the lawn next to the House of Peace property at 115 Allen Place. For those who don't know, the House of Peace is the red house located next to Hillel behind both Campus Safety and the Umoja house. While the primary function of the tent would be a lounge, the area would also serve as additional social space on campus. The House of Peace intends to have frequent open mic and slam poetry events; Nakhla described the lounge simply as "the Underground, Middle-Eastern style." The chief goal of the lounge is to fill the void of social events on the north side of campus on Friday nights, but it would be open Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. The lounge would only be open to the Trinity community.
In terms of offerings (aside from hookah), the House of Peace Hookah Lounge would have belly dancing, tea, coffee, baklava, Middle Eastern low-light ambience and décor. The operation will be run and maintained by members of the House of Peace. The hookah itself will likely be free, but a donation system will be set up to offset costs. Students can pay what they want to help support the idea, and the greater student movement for diversifying weekend options. Beek is very explicit that students should not feel pressured to smoke; the lounge should be seen as a quiet place to work, and as a place for extensive discussion. He describes the lounge concept as an "intellectual pursuit," intended to foster conversation among groups of students, whether they come to smoke or not.

The idea for the lounge came from Nakhla, the freshman representative for the House of Peace, who feels that the hookah lounge experience is "really good at bringing people together." He brought his idea to the president of the House of Peace, Ali Abidi, who was quick to adopt the cause. Abidi describes the lounge as an extension of the campus movement for the cultural houses; a place where students are encouraged to meet new people. He sees the lounge as a place for "large groups to mingle with other groups, and in doing so bring together the community." Beek, the Treasurer of the house, stresses that the lounge should be a "good alternative to a scene dominated by frats and alcohol." While the social aspect of the hookah is important, the greater idea is to incorporate Middle Eastern culture and tolerance into the hookah experience.

Trinity's House of Peace is a student organization that celebrates the Middle East through events that are traditionally Middle Eastern, started two years ago. Hookah originated on the Indian subcontinent in the Sixteenth Century, and is a staple in Arab social culture. Students interested in joining the House of Peace should contact Abidi at ali.abidi@trincoll.edu. Students who want to support the construction of the hookah lounge should join the Facebook group, "Start a Hookah Bar at Trinity College!" which is rapidly gaining in popularity.

Warehouse engulfed by fire in east end

Maysville firefighters were called to the scene of a tobacco warehouse late Monday, when fire broke out at the structure. The call to the former warehouse on Elizabeth Street, once owned by Eugene Crain, came in to emergency dispatch just before 11 p.m., officials said. Maysville Fire Department responded with all equipment to fight the blaze.
The two-story brick warehouse, built in the 1920s was also struck by fire in November, 2009.
Following the 2009 fire, the building was bought by Jerry Lundergan who was in the process of salvaging materials from the site. Mike Bradford Recycling and Salvage of Rectorville was the contractor in charge of the salvage. Bradford managed to safe several pieces of equipment from the structure including two bulldozers, a track hoe and a tractor-trailer which was actually on fire as it was driven from the building. Firefighters continually dosed the truck with flames to prevent its gas tanks from exploding.
Ruby Fannin of Williams Street said she and other residents noticed the flames just after 11 p.m. and left her home. She said workers had been on the scene for the last few weeks for the salvage operation.
MPD Assistant Chief Ron Rice said nearby residents were evacuated as a safety precaution.
As flames engulfed the warehouse, the air filled with acrid smoke. Flames could be seen through all of the building's windows and embers were carried through the air by wind. Firefighters wet down the roof of the Central United Methodist Church on Second Street and a metal warehouse nearby which houses a manufacturing business.
In addition the MFD and MPD, other fire departments on scene included Lewisburg, Washington-Maysville and Fernleaf-Highland. Mason County Sheriff also assisted and utility concerns were on hand to cut service to the affected structure.

Congressman Griffith: cigarettes more harmful than oil spill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WAFF) - Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith was among those questioning BP's CEO Thursday when Tony Hayward testified at a Congressional hearing.

Hayward told them he's devastated by the accident in the gulf that's gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Congressman Parker Griffith told Hayward he wanted to get past the public relations shenanigans and focus on action to fix the well.

Griffith also told Hayward that this oil spill is not the greatest environmental disaster facing America.

Griffith said it's cigarettes.

"60,000 Americans will die from cigarette related cancer. I'm a cancer specialist. This is not going to be the worst thing that's happened to America," said Griffith.

Big Brother 2010: Mario the mole given cigarettes task

The Tree of Temptation has already persuaded Mario to secretly throw bread and vegetables into the pool - although several housemates suspect the mole was responsible for the destroyed food.
He has now been tasked with trashing someone else's cigarettes.
The Tree of Temptation ordered the mole to use scissors to cut up a packet of cigarettes by Saturday morning and to blame the incident on another housemate.
Mario was told his future in the house may depend on his ability to complete the task.
Meanwhile, the housemates tackled the Wear It Or Lose It task on Friday afternoon, which required them to put on all the clothes they had brought with them at the same time.
They were given four minutes to do it and any clothes they were not wearing at the end were confiscated.
A number of the housemates will not have to spend much time choosing their outfits in the coming days, as they struggled to complete the task.

Proposal to ban the display of tobacco in Guernsey

Shops in Guernsey face being banned from displaying tobacco, if a proposal from health officials gets the backing of the States.

The Health and Social Services Department also wants stricter rules surrounding tobacco vending machines.

Deputies are being asked to agree to ban the display of tobacco at the point of sale and restrict vending machines to adult-only establishments.

The proposals will go before the States in June.

In 1996, the States became the first government in the British Isles to ban tobacco advertising.

The proposals also include making tobacco vending machines token operated and ensuring all products imported into the island include pictorial warnings.

Tobacco Plants Provide New Beauty Secret?

Will tobacco plants provide the next cosmetic filler? Very possibly, according to findings recently published in the journal Biomacromolecules.

Among the beauty-obsessed, the number-one problem with smoking is that it ages your skin. (Let alone what lung cancer does for the complexion.) But a new technique could re-harness the tobacco plant in the name of youthful beauty.

Researcher Oded Shoseyov of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has figured out how to get tobacco plants to produce a human-like collagen. Collagen is the main protein in skin, tendons, cartilage, bone and connective tissue. It typically declines during the normal aging process, allowing cheeks to sag and wrinkles to set it.

While primarily being marketed for medical purposes — such as for bone and heart repairs — the new synthetic collagen may someday be used cosmetically.

"This is a very unique collagen," said Noa Lapido, assistant vice president of CollPlant, the company handling the patents coming from Shoseyov's laboratory. "It is very very similar to human collagen and, as it has not come in contact with any animals, it is much better and much safer than other collagens."

Most commercial collagen currently comes from farm animals, such as cows and pigs, and human cadavers. Collagen from such sources can carry viruses and prions, such as those associated with mad-cow disease. The new collagen avoids these risks, the researchers say. "This is very interesting Tobacco world news": say Bill.

It is not that tobacco plants naturally have these beautifying or medical benefits. Producing human-like collagen from a tobacco plant is a technological feat, involving the simultaneous "turning on" of five specific genes in a genetically modified tobacco plant.

Cosmetic uses of the new collagen are currently unlikely, Lapido said, as the price is several hundred to several thousand times more expensive than other options. But it may become more reasonable, she said, "in a few years time."