Tobacco farmers smoke cigarettes during a protest against a bill on stricter tobacco control in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 3, 2012.

Thousands of farmers staged the protest claiming that the bill — which would ban cigarette advertising and sponsorship, prohibit smoking in public, and add graphic images to packaging — would lead to massive job losses, The Associated Press reports. Indonesia is the world's third-largest tobacco consumer.

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• Bloomberg charity pledges $220 million to combat 'scourge' of smoking

Reuters reports — Michael Bloomberg's charitable foundation will commit $220 million over the next four years to fight tobacco use globally, including for the funding of legal challenges against the industry.

Calling tobacco "a scourge all over the world" and accusing cigarette makers of "nefarious activities," the New York City mayor said at a news conference that his foundation will focus on low and moderate-income countries where nearly 80 percent of smokers live, like Russia, China, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Smoking could kill about 1 billion people this century, authors of the fourth edition of the Tobacco Atlas said at the book's launch in Singapore on Wednesday. The book is published by the American Cancer Society and World Lung Foundation. Continue reading.

Is this a public health issue, or is the county government infringing on the rights of smokers and business owners?

UPI.com reports
INDEPENDENCE, Ky., April 14 (UPI) -- After years of contentious debate, a northern Kentucky county will be the first in that part of the state to ban smoking in most public places come Friday.

The controversial ordinance says Kenton County offices and public establishments such as restaurants, churches, bowling alleys, bingo halls and retail stores must go smoke-free, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Private clubs and "drinking establishments" meeting certain requirements can apply for an exemption, the newspaper said.

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Kate Moss made a rare foray on to the catwalk today to model a creation by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, but her decision to pose with a cigarette attracted almost as much attention as her outfit.

Smoking in public places is banned in France, though a Time magazine report in late 2009 suggested that French smokers had begun to ignore the restriction due to low enforcement.

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