CAPE TOWN, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) - South African lawmakers gave their final seal of approval Thursday to legislation which will make it harder for smokers to indulge their habit in the open air, at home or in their cars.

The amendment bill makes it an offence to smoke within a prescribed distance from a window, ventilation inlet, doorway or entrance to a public place -- and introduces a fine of 500 rand (about 70 dollars) for breaches.

LONDON, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - The number of people admitted to hospital with heart attacks dropped 17 percent after smoking was banned in public places in Scotland in March 2006, authorities said Monday.

The figures compare with an annual reduction of only three percent for the 10 years before the ban was introduced, the Scottish Government said on its website.

Research led by Glasgow University showed there were 3,235 people admitted to hospital with heart attacks in the 10 months before the ban took effect, a government spokeswoman said.

HARARE, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Zimbabwe's annual tobacco auctions wrapped up with almost 70 million kilogrammes of the leaf sold, after pricing disputes delayed the start of the selling season, officials said Monday.

This is a far cry from the impoverished country's glory days, when tobacco production reached a record high of 236.13 million kilogrammes (236,130 metric tonnes) in 2000 to just 55.6 million kilogrammes last year.

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - A top World Health Organisation official on Monday urged the world to get tough with tobacco companies, saying smoking deaths are an international scandal.

'The deaths and misery caused by smoking continue to be one of the greatest scandals of our time,' said Shigeru Omi, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.

However, he said, the region has done 'exceptionally well in fighting the tobacco scourge,' noting that all 31 member states have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

BERLIN, Aug 30, 2007 (AFP) - A total ban on smoking on trains and at more than 5,000 stations will come into effect in Germany on Saturday, state-run rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced on Thursday.

Under a law adopted in May, it will also be forbidden as from the weekend to light up in public buildings, while the legal age for buying cigarettes and smoking in public will be raised from 16 to 18.

NEW YORK, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - US tobacco giant Altria announced plans Wednesday to spin off its Philip Morris International division, continuing a restructuring begun this year for the maker of Marlboro and other cigarette brands.

'Today's announcement underscores our sustained and determined commitment to create enduring long-term shareholder value,' said Louis Camilleri, chairman and chief executive of Altria.

'I am convinced that this transaction will enhance growth at both Altria and Philip Morris International.'

PARIS, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - Kicking the tobacco habit, even young, does not always reset harmful cancer-related genes that have been switched on or off by smoking in the first place, according to a study to be published Thursday.

Taking samples from the respiratory tracts of 24 smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers, Canadian researchers from the British Columbia Cancer Agency anaylsed gene activity using a powerful technique called 'serial analysis of gene expression' (SAGE).

LONDON, Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) - All packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products sold in Britain will have to feature graphic photographs showing the effects of smoking from next year, government ministers said Wednesday.

The move was unveiled by Health Secretary Alan Johnson, who said it would shock more people into quitting, while a spokeswoman for the Department of Health confirmed it came about following a European directive in 2001.

BEIJING, Aug 28, 2007 (AFP) - China intends to ban all tobacco advertising by the beginning of 2011, the latest possible date required under an international treaty, state press reported Tuesday.

The end of the advertising will be in line with China's commitments to a World Health Organisation convention, Xinhua news agency said, citing Jiang Yuan from the health ministry-affiliated State Tobacco Control Office.

DHAKA, Aug 26, 2007 (AFP) - The world's leading tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris has tied up with a Bangladeshi firm to sell Marlboro cigarettes in the local market, company officials said Sunday.

The Marlboros will be manufactured and distributed by the Dhaka Tobacco Company, the company's chief executive officer Sheikh Bashir Uddin told reporters.

'This agreement will benefit both companies,' Matteo Pelligrini, president of Philip Morris International, Asia, said in a statement.

STOCKHOLM, Aug 23, 2007 (AFP) - A Swedish woman has been banned by court order from smoking in large parts of her own garden following a complaint from a neighbour, daily paper Sydsvenskan reported on Thursday.

'I will submit to the court's ruling because otherwise I am afraid of paying fines, but I am livid,' the woman, who has not been named, told the paper. 'It's absolutely insane.'

The neighbour, a lawyer, filed the complaint with the court in Vaxjo in southern Sweden saying he was obliged to wear a mask in his garden when the neighbour lit up.

OTTAWA, Aug 20, 2007 (AFP) - Canada said Monday it aims to bring the number of smokers down from 19 percent of the population to 12 percent by 2011, through tougher smoking bans and by clamping down on cigarette smuggling.

'Reaching a 12 percent smoking rate is a very ambitious goal, but it is by no means unrealistic,' said Health Minister Tony Clement.

'Seeing the great progress we have made over the past few years, I am confident that by putting our renewed Federal Tobacco Control Strategy into action, we can achieve this goal,' he added.

NEW YORK, Aug 15, 2007 (AFP) - A lawmaker from New York City, which already has some of the world's toughest anti-smoking rules, wants to ban people from lighting up in a car if there are children present, a report said Wednesday.

City Councilman James Gennaro has teamed up with anti-smoking activists to present the smoke-free auto proposal, the New York Post reported on its website. 'We want to continue to fight to denormalize smoking,' the Democratic lawmaker told the newspaper.

COPENHAGEN, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - A ban on smoking in public places in Denmark goes into effect on Wednesday, a move welcomed by many Danes but opposed by a vocal group of cafe, bar and restaurant owners and patrons.

Under the new law, smoking will be banned in bars, cafes and restaurants bigger than 100 square metres (1,070 square feet), although separate smoking areas will be allowed. For smaller venues, it will be up to the owner to decide.

LONDON, Aug 13, 2007 (AFP) - Britain's Imperial Tobacco said Monday that its shareholders had approved the company's takeover of Franco-Spanish rival Altadis.

Imperial Tobacco said in a statement that its shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of the acquisition at an extraordinary general meeting on Monday.

The maker of Regal, Embassy and Davidoff cigarettes is offering 50 euros per Altadis share, which values the group at 16.2 billion euros (22.4 billion dollars) including debt.

TOKYO, Aug 9, 2007 (AFP) - Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) on Thursday reported a sharp fall in profits in the fiscal first quarter after domestic sales were hit by higher taxes on a pack of cigarettes.

But JT upgraded its full-year outlook, predicting another year of record profits thanks to its recent takeover of British rival Gallaher Group that reinforced its position as the world's third largest cigarette maker.

Net profit fell by 15.2 percent in the three months to June to 64.63 billion yen (542.4 million dollars), JT said in a statement.

LJUBLJANA, Aug 3, 2007 (AFP) - Smoking will be banned in virtually all public places in Slovenia starting on Sunday, under legislation adopted by parliament in June.

The new measures will enter into force at midnight on Saturday.

From then on, smoking will be banned in all public places, including hotels and restaurants except where they have installed special isolated smoking rooms.

LONDON, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - British American Tobacco, the cigarette maker, posted a modest rise in second-quarter net profits on Thursday but warned of slowing growth later this year.

BAT`s net profit advanced by 6.8 percent to 584 million pounds (872 million euros, 1.19 billion dollars) in the three months to June 30, 2007. That compared with 549 million pounds in the same period of 2006.

Sales declined by 0.7 percent in the second quarter of this year to stand at 2.493 billion pounds, BAT added in an interim earnings release.