Three-quarters of Britons want smoking in cars carrying children to be banned, according to a poll. Many doctors already support such a ban. Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, last week caused controversy when he said that parents who smoked in front of their young children were “committing a form of child abuse”. A YouGov poll for the UK Faculty of Public Health (FPH) found 74% support for ... Jump to full article >>

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Pub drinkers have been warned to brace themselves for higher beer prices next year amid poor barley harvests and higher taxes. It is the latest high cost of living to hit families that are reeling from the recession. Prices have already more than doubled in the past two decades, with the average cost of a pint of lager climbing from £1.08 in 1989 to £2.81 in 2009, the British Beer & Pub Association said. It is feared that the typical pri ... Jump to full article >>

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Taxing the graduates; the woes of Wedgwood; a pension for him or her? Not for nothing is London still known as The Smoke. The bad old days of pea-soup smogs may be distant memories, but the modern version of air pollution is still very much a feature of capital life. And though it may not be so tangible, it’s almost as deadly. Indeed, the City of London has the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted places in Europe, after mo ... Jump to full article >>

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Prison guards have been threatened with “the bash” when the ban on inmates smoking takes effect in a year, says the guards’ union. President Beven Hanlon says the ban will put guards and staff such as tutors who remain smokers in danger from prisoners. “Not just prisoners who get frustrated at smelling fresh smoke on you and just lash out, but because you are introducing an item that is suddenly a high-priority contraband ... Jump to full article >>

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Three years after the smoking ban controversially came into force in England, a substantial proportion of smokers want to see restrictions extended to children’s play areas and smoking in cars. Just under half of smokers support a ban in play areas, while 61% support a ban in cars with children. Surveys by YouGov, commissioned by the anti-smoking organisation Ash, suggest the ban is increasingly popular with the public as a whole. More than ... Jump to full article >>

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An Internet campaign is urging bar and restaurant owners who are unhappy with the new no-smoking law to protest by boycotting their sales of Keno, pull tabs and other lottery games they sell on Saturday, the day before Father’s Day. A Facebook page called Michigan Lottery Boycott claims it has enough supporters to cost the state lottery between $12 million and $18 million in sales. An e-mail cites the Protect Private Property Rights In Michigan ... Jump to full article >>

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