-The Hindu   The Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, recently said he "supports" higher taxes on Cigarettes and other tobacco products. But even if he were to substantially increase the tax rates, will it make Cigarettes and other tobacco products very expensive and hence reduce consumption? In the case of India, as per the current taxation practices, increasing the tax component is quite unlikely to reduce consumption drastically. This is unlike the...

-The Hindu   That over 27 per cent of tobacco consumers in India fall in the 15-24 year age bracket amply demonstrates how successful the tobacco companies have been in continually enticing the vulnerable sections of the population into the suicidal practice. The addition of new customers every year even as thousands of patrons die annually ensures that the tobacco companies' customer base remains wide and tall. If the global tobacco-related mortality...

-Mid Day   A visit to the APMC in Vashi revealed that calcium carbide - referred to as ‘carpet' by traders - which is known to cause cancer, food poisoning, nausea etc - is being used indiscriminately to ripen the fruit faster, so as to increase sales Think before you sink your teeth into those juicy, delicious mangoes. For, they could have been ripened artificially using calcium carbide, a deadly chemical that is...

-Down to Earth   HIV/AIDS, suicide among other top causes. The good news is that rates of Cigarette smoking are decreasing in 10-19 years age group in some countries A report released by World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday says depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19 years. The top three causes of global adolescent deaths are road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS, and...

-The Hindustan Times Noida: Mystery shrouds the death of Right to Information activist Chandra Mohan Sharma (38), who was allegedly charred inside his car Friday night. On the complaint of a family member, a case of murder has been lodged against five people at Kasna police station. However, no arrests have been made so far. If foul play is unearthed, this would the third episode of an RTI activist being targeted...