Chavan to make all MLAs sit for No-Tobacco class

In a role reversal of sorts, politicians who make a career out of lecturing the electorate, will now have to listen to experts telling them what they must do - stay away from tobacco. Having signed a pledge to fight tobacco consumption along with Tata Memorial Hospital, the Chief Minister is now targeting smokers and gutkha users in the state Assembly first.

And the tobacco cleanup drive will kick off during the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature that begins on July 14, where doctors will rub shoulders with legislators to give them a lesson or two on the hazards of consuming tobacco.

"The CM believes that all MLAs and MLCs, who are largely into smoking or chewing tobacco, should be the first ones to learn of the hazards," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, associate professor, Head and Neck Department at Tata Hospital. "That's why he's asked us to hold lectures during the monsoon session."
Complimenting the initiative, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told Mumbai Mirror late on Sunday evening, "Yes, I have requested the doctors to hold awareness sessions for political leaders during the monsoon session.

If the leaders are aware, they can relay the information to the common man. The West has succeeded in curbing even passive smoking, and it's time we took this seriously."

The lecture will centre on the hazards of smoking cigarettes and beedis or chewing gutkha and khaini (a form of gutkha). Besides a common talk to be held on one day for all legislators, individual counselling specific to tobacco users over a couple of days is also on the cards. Besides PowerPoint slides, the education material will comprise posters depicting gory pictures of those who've suffered ill-effects of tobacco consumption and other nitty-gritty of illnesses triggered.

Imperial Tobacco, British Land rise in London

After a flat start, the FTSE 100 index UK:UKX +0.37% rose 0.3% to push past the key 6,000 mark at 6,007.80 in late morning trading. The index gained 0.7% on Friday, its sixth positive session, and longest winning streak since the six days ended March 30.

Action for London was muted because of the July 4 Independence Day holiday in the U.S., with Wall Street closed on Monday.
Banks came under pressure across Europe after S&P said two options proposed by the Federation Bancaire Francaise (FBF) to ease repayment terms on Greek debt could constitute a default for the country.

Some U.K. banks are exposed to Greek debt, though French and German exposure is said to be larger.

The news comes after euro-zone finance ministers approved over the weekend the disbursement of the next tranche of aid for Greece, with the IMF expected to approve its part of the loan in coming days. The Greek government secured parliamentary approval for additional austerity measures last week, paving the way for the disbursement of more aid.

Banking shares pared earlier losses, but Barclays PLC BCS +4.02% UK:BARC -1.42% , Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC RBS +3.29% UK:RBS -1.08% and Lloyds Banking Group PLC UK:LLOY -1.59% still remained some 1% lower, while Standard Chartered PLC UK:STAN -0.66% HK:2888 +3.19% lost 0.8%.

Oilfield-services provider John Wood Group PLC UK:WG 0.00% rose 1.2%, continuing to rise after Goldman Sachs upgraded the shares to buy from neutral on Friday. Among other energy-related stocks, shares of Essar Energy PLC UK:ESSR +1.15% gained 1.2%.

British Land UK:BLND +2.60% rose 1.9% to 627 pence after Deutsche Bank reduced its target price from 840 pence to 820 pence, but said it expects prices to “appreciate considerably” over the next 12 months on expectations for strong growth in net asset value and expected upward re-rating in share valuations. It rates British Land a buy.

Land Securities Group PLC UK:LAND +1.50% rose 1.4%. Deutsche Bank said British Land has better portfolio exposure than Land Securities, but also rates the latter at buy.

Shares of Imperial Tobacco UK:IMT +1.04% rose 1.3% after Morgan Stanley said the tobacco group, which it rates overweight, could lead the industry out of the price war in Spain. It said Imperial Tobacco stands to benefit the most, given its exposure to Spain, if the rest of the industry follows its lead and lifts prices there.

Tobacco giants can't sue the Government

Big tobacco companies won't be able to sue the Government over anti-smoking laws, Prime Minister John Key says.

Philip Morris Asia, based in Hong Kong, is threatening to sue the Australian government because it intends forcing tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packets.

The action is being taken under a trade agreement between Australia and Hong Kong, and New Zealand has a similar arrangement.

The Green Party says Philip Morris could use the same tactic against New Zealand if Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia gets her way and follows Australia.

But Mr Key said today New Zealand's free trade agreements excluded that risk.

"The best advice I've had is that we wouldn't be able to be sued because we would be protected, in the public interest, in terms of health," he said at his post-cabinet press conference.

"Someone can always take an action against the Government, but whether they would be successful is a very different issue."

If the tobacco giant won a case against the Australian government it could claim billions of dollars in damages because its trademark had been compromised.

Mrs Turia said last month she wasn't going to be deterred by the company's threats.

However, she could not confirm the Government would go ahead with the policy.

"It's something that needs to be looked into really carefully -- we don't want to get ourselves into a situation where we're wasting taxpayer money fighting these tobacco companies because they're incredibly wealthy," she said.

Australia's plain packet law comes into effect in a year.

Imperial Tobacco moves higher after hiking Spanish cigarette prices

Imperial Tobacco shares were hit last month as it laid out the full cost of a cigarette price war in Spain.

The company revealed a £110m hit to profits as it followed rival Philip Morris, and cut prices after a ban on smoking in public places. But today its shares have risen 26p to £21.43 after it lifted Spanish prices again across the board to pre-price war levels, the first company to do so. Across its key brands, Imperial has increased prices of Fortuna and Nobel to €3.80 from €3.50 and Ducados, West and JPS to €3.50 from €3.30 (€0.10 less on soft packs across all brands).

Nearly 7K Illegal Cigarettes Seized in Traffic Stop

Acting on a tip from a Maryland State Police trooper, agents with the state Comptroller's office this week confiscated nearly 7,000 packs of contraband cigarettes during a traffic stop on Route 13 in Princess Anne.

Authorities say that during what was described as a routine stop for a traffic violation, Trooper Scott A. Zink observed numerous cases of cigarettes partially hidden under a blanket inside the vehicle. The trooper notified the Comptroller's office of his find. According to investigators, Comptroller's agents arrived on the scene and seized 6,931 packs of illegal cigarettes, valued at more than $40,000.

The driver of the vehicle, Eltobah Nagmuddin, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was arrested and charged with transporting contraband cigarettes and possession of contraband cigarettes in the state of Maryland. The transporting charge is a felony, which carries a $50 per carton fine and/or two years imprisonment; and the possession offense is a misdemeanor, carrying a $1,000 fine and/or imprisonment, not exceeding one year.

Nagmuddin was ordered held in the Somerset County Detention Center, while awaiting a judicial review before a court commissioner.

Cops say Saugerties man evaded cigarette taxes

Town police charged a Saugerties man Wednesday with possessing thousands of unstamped, untaxed cigarettes following a traffic stop.
Police said Richard H. Baer Jr., 64, had more than 100 cartons of cigarettes in his vehicle. A subsequent search of his residence turned up another 100 or more cartons. State police in Kingston and the state police Special Investigation Unit assisted town police.
Baer was charged with one count apiece of possession of 30,000 or more unstamped or unlawfully stamped cigarettes for the purpose of sale; third-degree criminal tax fraud; and attempting to evade or defeat the taxes imposed by Article 20 of the state tax laws, all felonies. He was arraigned in Saugerties Justice Court and released after posting $4,000 bail, to await further court action.

Store’s cigarette policy angers customer

A Bullhead City man faces charges stemming from an unsuccessful morning trip to buy cigarettes last week.

Police say 43-year-old Dennis Roy Kircher became disorderly after a female clerk at the Terrible Herbst gas station, 1815 Highway 95, refused to cell him smokes, because he had no ID.

The clerk explained that it was store policy, police spokeswoman Emily Montague said, but Kircher became angry and threatened to kill the store clerk and everyone else in the store in order to get his cigarettes.

The store manager, Montague said, intervened on behalf of the clerk. She, too, explained the store policy. Kircher then reportedly threatened to kill her.
He left the store after the victims called police, Montague said.

Officers spoke to a witness inside the store, who also heard the threats, she said.

Officers tracked Kircher down by running his license plate, Montague said.

They went to his residence, but he was not home. He later talked to officers on the phone and agreed to meet police in a business parking lot at Highway 95 and Ramar Road to discuss the incident.

Kircher appeared to be intoxicated when showed up to meet officers, Montague said, and told them he was mad because Terrible Herbst employees would not give him cigarettes without an ID.

He was cited and released on two misdemeanor counts of threatening and intimidating.