China of May drawing use on struggle of warning labels

The Chinese officials of public health services support the laws demanding placing of photos and other graphic representations on cigarettes on purpose to warn people about danger of smoking.

"The effective prevention is very important", Jan Gonghuan, the deputy director of the Center under the control and preventive maintenance of diseases and the director National to struggle against tobacco has told.

Now packs of cigarettes to bear only small reading of the text of the prevention, "Smoking is harmful to your health".

Despite the fact that, there is an assistance on fractions in the Chinese government, offered new marks should be are ratified by the congress of national representatives to become the law. For this purpose officials from public health services have begun online of a disk of the petition on popular web site Sohu.com.

The drawing campaign is a part of wider national efforts "On a way to free from a tobacco smoke of China", intended for reduction of the general consumption of tobacco in the country. According to positions by the World organisation corrected that he has agreed in 2005 China should forbid sale of cigarettes by the minor, AMP to warning inscriptions on tobacco, to lift taxes and the prices for tobacco products, to limit degree of susceptibility of people from passive smoking and a place more rigid rules on advertising of tobacco products within three years. Not all these obligations, including rigid labels of the prevention, have not been executed yet.

Some previous efforts of China on suppression of the use of tobacco have included an interdiction for tobacco, publicity boards, on smoking of taxi drivers, and on smoking in public places in Beijing a threshold of Olympic games of 2008.

Now one third of smokers in the world - 350 million persons - live in China. The state tobacco company has made $53,6 billion in 2007 from this market, with sale of two billions cigarettes in a year. As consequence, millions people die because of connected with tobacco causes in China every year.

Nevertheless, cigarettes remain cultural significant in China, few people realise the dangers. It is traditional to give a cigarette as gifts, especially on holidays, and smoking are considered as icebreaking activity.

Philip Morris paid almost $ 3 billions for cigars

Corporation Altria, which owns a cigarette company Philip Morris, paid $ 2.9 billion for cigar manufacturer John Middleton, The Associated Press. Approximately $ 700 million of that amount are tax benefits. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

John Middleton manufacturers of large cigars, made by machine. The volume of the market in 2007 amounted to $ 5.3 million. As expected by the end of this year growth John Middleton, will amount to $ 360 million and operating earnings of $ 182 million. Altria expects that the acquisition will compensate for the receding demand for cigarettes in the United States of America. Previously with the same purpose, the company started production of chewing tobacco under the brand Marlboro.

At the same time, the corporation Altria preparing to get rid of the international department of Philip Morris. It is assumed that the division of the company held on 30 January. It will allow Philip Morris to a more active work in developing country markets without any restrictions imposed by U.S. legislation.