International Updates Archive

10 June 2026 By Reuters ROME, June 10 (Reuters) – Italy’s competition authority on Wednesday slapped a €7 ​million ($8.1 million) fine on Philip Morris’ Italian unit over allegedly ‌misleading marketing for non-combustion tobacco products.

China has already fully banned smoking on high-speed electric multiple unit, or EMU, trains — fast, modern services that carry nearly three-quarters of the country’s rail passengers, according to transport authorities. 3 June 2026 By

16 June 2026 By Newsroom Avillage in western Türkiye is drawing attention for a nearly century-old anti-smoking tradition and a social life built around smoke-free community rooms rather than coffeehouses. Tazlar, a village in the

Existing global efforts to reduce harms caused by smoking have targeted tobacco smoking, but vapes containing nicotine are also harmful. 17 June 2026 By Rachel Fieldhouse – Nature  The Republic of Palau has already banned

7 June 2026 By Muguel A. Melendez – Men’s Journal If the bill passes, it could go into effect in January 2028. The war against smoking in the United States has been going on for

5 June 2026 By JAMA The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first report dedicated to nicotine pouches, aiming to help countries understand marketing tactics and implement effective regulation. Although the tobacco-free sachets may

8 June 2026 By Zoe Hardy – Daily Mail Despite being positioned as a tool for quitting smoking, swapping cigarettes for vapes may not significantly reduce the risk of lung cancer, new research suggests. Health

10 June 2026 By TT News Agency – Sweden Herald The Italian subsidiary of American tobacco giant Philip Morris has been fined €7 million after being found to have misled Italian consumers about the health

24 May 2026 By Bangladesh Post PROGGA, ATMA urge tougher action against e-cigarettes and higher tobacco taxes A delegation from research and advocacy organisation PROGGA and the Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) on Sunday praised the

4 May 2026 By Tom McIlroy – The Guardian A Senate committee considering the illegal tobacco trade in Australia hears closed-session evidence from cigarette manufacturers Anti-smoking campaigners have accused the Coalition of secretly giving tobacco

17 May 2026 By Krishani Dhanji and Tom McIlroy – The Guardian Big tobacco is exploiting fears of the illicit market to unwind longstanding health policies, leading health campaigners have warned, amid a parliamentary inquiry

11 May 2026 By Ashima Sharda Mahindra – Times Now News Doctors warn smoking is linked to 15 cancers beyond Lung cancer, silently harming organs throughout the body over time. For many people, smoking is

9 May 2026 By The Japan Times OSAKA – Despite being heavily restricted, an increasing number of young people in Japan are using nicotine-vaping devices known in Japanese as “nicopuff.” The e-cigarettes, which heat nicotine-containing scented

30 April 2026 By Barry R Davis – Business Day Seventy-six years after the evidence came in, the US and other countries still will not act on what we know In August 2002, an 89-year-old

Research highlights higher cardiovascular danger and mortality, urging smoking cessation to be treated as a core part of diabetes care. 26 April 2026 By Team TNIE NEW DELHI: Smoking among people living with type 2 diabetes

26 April 2026 By rthk A large-scale publicity campaign is underway to remind tourists about an upcoming ban on alternative smoking products, a health officials said on Sunday. From April 30, the possession or use

22 April 2026 By Michelle Roberts – BBC Children aged 17 or younger will face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill clears Parliament. Both the Commons and Lords have

19 April 2026 by Marie Helweg-Larsen – The Conversation Smoking is really bad for you. Most people know that. Even smokers think smoking is bad for one’s health. But most people don’t know just how

20 April 2026 By The Straits Times SEOUL – Liquid e-cigarettes in South Korea will be subject to the same regulations as conventional cigarettes starting April 24, under a revision to the Tobacco Business Act

15 April 2026 By The Straits Times HONG KONG – People in Hong Kong will be banned from possessing or using e-cigarettes and related products in public places starting on April 30, expanding an earlier

17 April 2026 By Anthony Cammalleri – Daily Hampshire Gazette NORTHAMPTON — Smokers who are currently younger than 21 will likely never be able to legally buy cigarettes or any other tobacco products in Northampton

A 78-year-old corporate finance veteran has helped pass nicotine bans in towns across Massachusetts. A state law could be next. 16 April 2026 By Jason McLure – The Examination Globally, just a handful of countries

12 April 2026 By RTHK Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health chief Henry Tong on Sunday said the government should ban the possession of electronic cigarette devices in all settings, including in private places.

10 April 2026 By Herriyet Daily News Türkiye is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its tobacco control regime, with draft legislation foreseeing a complete ban on the sale of tobacco products by 2040, alongside a

3 April 2026 By Respiratory Therapy A study of over 92,000 incidents shows a 243% surge in e-cigarette exposures among toddlers, often involving direct inhalation from devices. RT’s Three Key Takeaways: Rising Exposure Rates: Electronic

31 March 2026 By Michelle Starr – Science Alert Nicotine vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancers, a comprehensive review of more than 100 studies has concluded. According to the analysis, human and

30 March 2026 By Melissa Lyne – UNSW Sydney A comprehensive review led by cancer researchers at UNSW found vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancer – even before long-term studies can confirm

30 March 2026 By Bernard Stewart – The Conversation As early as the 1880s, there was evidence that smoking tobacco damaged your lungs. But it took almost 100 years to definitively show that smoking causes

23 March 2025 By The Standard The government is planning a comprehensive smoking ban across all construction sites in Hong Kong, proposing hefty fines for both workers and contractors in a bid to enhance workplace

17 March 2026 by University of Tsukuba – Medical Press A multi-institutional research team in Japan evaluated the impact of the Revised Health Promotion Law and related local ordinances on indoor smoking policies in restaurants

16 March 2026 By Sean Scanlan – Taiwan News Health minister Shih Chung-liang cites Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act as justification TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei aims to become a non-smoking city by the end of

5 March 2026 By Stephen Beech – Talker News People who vape or smoke are at much higher risk of potentially deadly high blood pressure, warns a new study. Researchers found that those who smoke

31 January 2026 The Harberlor  The Ministry of Health has initiated a new legislative effort in response to the increase in smoking. With the new regulations, semi-open areas will be considered closed areas, and a

24 January 2025 By Shinji Hakotani – The Asahi Shimbun OSAKA—To further discourage illegal smoking in public, nonsmokers recommend harsher penalties against violators while smokers are calling for more spaces where they can legally light up,

18 January 2026 By Eitan Gefen – Y Net Global No cough, no shortness of breath and no warning signs may give smokers a false sense of safety; doctors explain why even one cigarette a

11 January 2026 By RTHK The city’s expanded anti-smoking regulations have been met with public understanding and cooperation since taking effect at the start of the year, according to Director of Health Ronald Lam. Speaking

4 January 2026 By 2First Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health (MINSA) issued an official statement on January 2, 2026 reaffirming the validity of Ministerial Resolution No. 334-2021, which absolutely bans the use and commercialization of electronic

31 December 2025 By Rhianna Benson – Tyla Manchester-based Kayley Boda switched from reusable vapes to disposable ones in the months before suffering any symptoms When 22-year-old Kayley Boda took up vaping seven years ago,

4 January 2026 By Turkiye News Electronic cigarettes are being linked to severe lung damage that can end up in intensive care units, according to a senior pulmonary specialist at Sakarya University Faculty of Medicine,

3 January 2026 By PA/TPN – The Portugal News Spain’s government has approved a draft reform of its tobacco law that would ban smoking and vaping in many outdoor public spaces, such as restaurant terraces,

3 January 2026 By Fayrisya Maliha Riyawati Soehadi Putri – Tempo TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – January 1 in Hong Kong marks more than just the start of a new year, as it ushers in a stricter era

12 December 2025 By Pamela Ferdinand – USRTK Even less than one hour a day of social media use is linked to nearly doubled odds of smoking and vaping Children and teens who spend hours

13 December 2025 By Sushanta K Singha  Though the import of e-cigarettes and vapes is banned in Bangladesh, the market for these products is booming, with young people becoming increasingly addicted. Despite the ban, the

28 November 205 By Julia Schneemann – Snow Brains France is rolling out one of the most sweeping anti-smoking measures ever applied to winter sports: smoking will now be prohibited across all ski resorts on

30 November 2025 By Bailee Tucker – Bakersfieldnow CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — For years, smoking rates have steadily declined across the country, but while fewer teens are picking up cigarettes, many are turning to something

6 December 2025 By Liv Bridge – UNILAD Best to steer clear of both… A study has revealed the terrifying reality of vaping, which might shock you. In the US, an estimated eight per cent

5 December 2025 By Atlas Shah – ChinaDaily A complete smoking ban could be introduced at Hong Kong’s construction sites following the fatal blaze in Tai Po last week. Hong Kong’s real estate industry has

22 November 2025 By Felix Sassmannshausen – Health Policy Watch The Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) concluded in Geneva on Saturday with calls to member

22 November 2025 By Framework Convention on Tobacco Control The Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC has concluded with a series of critical decisions on global tobacco control. A

12 November 205 By BMJ Group https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251112/Rising-youth-e-cigarette-use-threatens-childrene28099s-health-and-human-rights.aspx Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children’s best interests first and protects them from the harms associated