Small Bits of News

Government smoking permit.
A ban on the sale of cigarettes to anyone who does not pay for a government smoking permit has been proposed by Health England, a ministerial advisory board.

The permit might cost as little as £10, but acquiring it could be made difficult if the forms were sufficiently complex, Le Grand said last night.His paper says: "Suppose every individual who wanted to buy tobacco had to purchase a permit. And suppose further they had to do this every year. To get a permit would involve filling out a form and supplying a photograph, as well as paying the fee. Permits would only be issued to those over 18 and evidence of age would have to be provided. The money raised would go to the NHS."Le Grand said the proposal was an example of "libertarian paternalism". The government would leave people free to make their own decisions but it would "nudge them" in the right direction.

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City buys bars to fight binge drinking
A French city has taken drastic action to tackle the growing problem of "le binge drinking".The city council in Rennes, the capital of Brittany renowned for its boisterous student life, has begun buying up bars in order to close them down.
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Happy Valentine's Day, Not For Some
Undercover police officers posing as flower deliverymen on Valentine' Day arrested 23 people with outstanding warrants. The Northglenn officers used a van with a sign saying "Flower Delivery" and knocked on doors bearing a long-stem rose box to net their quarry.
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