RIP cigarettes as from tomorrow all over Europe

EUROPE (euroalert.net) As from 17th November 2011, once the new safety standards enter into force, national authorities will make sure that all cigarettes sold in the EU are of a type known as 'Reduced Ignition Propensity' (RIP). This means cigarettes which self extinguish when left unattended and which are thus less likely to cause fire. According to the European Commission, the number of fatalities caused by fires can be reduced by over 40% with the introduction of 'Reduced Ignition Propensity' (RIP) cigarettes. Therefore, once the new safety standards are published in the EU Official Journal, all cigarettes sold in Europe will have to comply with these measures. The Commission remains committed to a "smoke-free Europe" and address this issue via its on-going EU "Ex-smokers are unstoppable" campaign, which was launched in July 2011.>>>

How's the smoking ban doing? Where can you smoke? Where not? What could you be fined?

SPAIN (Source: El Pais.com) The majority of smokers are abiding by the new anti-tobacco law, which came into force on Sunday. Spaniards were "reasonably" compliant with the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, according to Dionisio Lara, of the Spanish Service Industry Federation, who reported that drinkers had shifted to outdoor tables en masse. Regulations forbidding smoking within 100 meters of health centers were less rigorously observed and smokers could be seen puffing away at the entrance to various Madrid hospitals.(See the full article on CampoPulse, with all the information on where you can and cannot smoke, what the fines are, etc.)>