August 22, 2008 - Smoking among Democratic People's Republic of Korea (South Korea) adult males continues to fall amid cigarette tax hikes and anti-smoking campaigns. South Korea's smoking rate for adult males stood at 40.4 percent in the first half of this year, down 1.4 percentage points from last year, according to a survey of 2,000 adult males conducted by Gallup Korea on behalf of the Health Ministry. (The smoking rate peaked at 79.3 percent in 1980, fell to the 50-percent mark for the first time in March 2007 and slid to 45.9 percent in September the same year. Health officials predict it will drop to the upper-30-percent range by the end of 2008.)The rate for females, which rose to 4.6 percent last year, dropped to 3.7 percent in the first half of the year.
The tapering of male adult smoking was attributed largely to an increase in cigarette prices. In December 2004, the government slapped an additional 500 won tax ($0.53) per cigarette pack. Currently, most cigarettes in South Korea cost between 2,000 won ($1.87) and 3,000 won ($2.82) per pack.
The ministry added that its continued anti-smoking ad campaign and counseling programs have contributed to raising public awareness about smoking's negative effects on health.
Reference: Smoking Rate Among Male Adults Falls to 40%, The Korea Times, 8/21/2008.
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - the global anti-tobacco treaty.
August 20, 2008 - It has already been found that instead of deterring smokers, the new set of warning pictures printed on cigarette packs are driving up the sales of metal cigarette boxes, Ibrahim El Embaby, head of the Tobacco Industry Division of the Industries Union, told local press. 
August 19, 2008 - Dave Gomez, Philip Morris Philippines (PMI)public affairs and communications manager said they are organizing the Eraserheads reunion concert, not sponsoring it. He said the reunion concert will push through as he assured Eraserheads fans that the event is not a violation of the law. One of the processes that Eraserheads fans go through to register is to give Philip Morris some personal information, including name, address, home phone, cellular phone numbers, and e-mail address. Eraserheads fans would then be included on the tobacco company's mailing list, they are making themselves easy targets for tobacco advertisement and promotional materials.
August 18, 2008 - A Whitman, Mass., couple have patented Steppin' Outs, a pack of 20 color-coded cigarettes in three different sizes; green for regular, yellow for midsized and red for small-sized cigarettes. The idea is that smokers can either gradually reduce their intake in order to quit, or those who don't can still have a shorter smoke break without wasting most of a cigarette. In Massachusetts, Steppin' Outs would sell for about half the cost for a regular pack of cigarettes, now at about $7 said Dean Roberts, the inventor with his wife, Michelle.
August 17, 2008 - CONFECTIONERY cigarettes designed to appeal to children are making a return to stores in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, despite being banned in the state almost a decade ago (since 1999). The French Catcher "cigarettes", made from chocolate, individually wrapped in white cigarette paper and packaged in retro-style soft-top cartons similar to those used for real cigarettes, are being imported and distributed by a Hornsby company, Universal Candy. Universal Candy's owner, said he stopped importing Catcher "months ago". However, consignments may have been distributed to wholesalers in the states (Victoria and Queensland) where the ban does not apply and sent back to NSW.
