Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament are expected to vote to ban branding on cigarette packs by a large margin later on Wednesday, a move that would force manufacturers to adopt plain packets in England by 2016.
Ireland on Tuesday became the second country in the world to pass legislation requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packets, despite threats of legal action by tobacco companies opposed to the move.
Major League Baseball players would be banned from using chewing tobacco at games in California under a bill expected to be introduced in the state legislature on Tuesday, the first in a nationwide campaign planned by anti-tobacco activists.
Cigarette maker Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has threatened to take legal action against the Irish government unless it halts moves to introduce a law requiring plain packaging of cigarettes, the Irish Times reported on Tuesday.
