The UK's upper chamber of Parliament, the House of Lords, voted on 16 March 2015, to require that tobacco products are sold in standardized packs. The government plans for the law to become effective in May 2016.

The vote will bring the UK into line with Ireland, which approved similar rules earlier this month, and Australia as the only countries to introduce standardized packs for cigarettes in an effort to curb the appeal of smoking.

Dr Peter Phillips, Minister of Finance of Jamaica, announced in the Parliament today an increase of 14.28 per cent in the Special Consumption tax (SCT) on cigarettes.

As a result of the move, the SCT rate applicable from tomorrow is $12,000 per 1,000 sticks, up from $10,500.

A proposed Order to amend the Schedule to the Tobacco Act, and its associated Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, were posted online today in the Canada Gazette, as part of a 30-day public consultation period ending on 6 April 2015.

The proposed amendments would further restrict the use of flavours in most types of cigars. Menthol is not part of this proposal.

Ireland has become the first country in Europe, and it is second in the World, to pass legislation requiring plain packaging for cigarettes and tobacco products.

The Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill has passed all stages of the Oireachtas after completing its passage through the Seanad on 3 March 2015. It will now go to the President for his signature within the next five to seven days.

Dr Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, Head of the Convention Secretariat, WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has expressed support for the draft law in a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and praised Thailand's efforts in the implementation of the Convention.

On 12 February 2015, Dr Vera da Costa e Silva, Head of Secretariat, WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, met Dr José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Saira Afzal Tarar announced on 11 February 2015 that new pictorial warnings will be required on all tobacco packaging to cover 85 percent of both sides of cigarette packs, up from the currently applied 40%. The new measure will make Pakistan the third country in the world besides Thailand and India to have warnings of such size.

Following a decree signed by the minister of Public Health of the Republic of Chad, Ngariera Rimadjita, on 10 February 2015, all packaging of cigarettes in the Central African country will need to bear pictorial warnings and written texts from 9 November 2015. This date marks the end of the nine month transition period that has been granted to the tobacco industry.

Chad thus becomes the fifth country in the African region to adopt pictorial health warnings.

- the Norwegian Minister of Health and Care Services, Bent Høie, told journalists when announcing that the Government will initiate a consultation on a proposal to introduce plain packaging legislation. 

The consultation is expected to commence at the end of February 2015.

The goal of taking this measure is to prevent tobacco use among children and young people. The measure is in line with Article 11 of the WHO FCTC, and the recommendations of the implementation guidelines for this Article.

Dr Vera da Costa e Silva met Mr Omar Sey, the Minister of Health of the Gambia during the 136th session of the WHO Executive Board. Dr da Costa e Silva explained the importance of Parties speeding up ratification or accession to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The Minister stated that he is committed to taking immediate action on accession upon returning home. He also indicated that he is promoting implementation of the WHO FCTC in the Gambia, as well as advocating for the Convention in regional and international forums.