Beginning Tuesday, cigarette ads and sponsorships will be banned in the Philippines. The Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 mandates a total ban on cigarette ads effective July 1, said Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control-Alliance Philippines (FCAP).

n average worker wastes almost one year of his or her working life puffing away on cigarettes, a new poll revealed. Three 15-minute smoking breaks a day cost employers 195 working hours a year for each worker. That is equivalent to 8,677 hours in an average 44-year working lifetime or simply put, nearly a whole year smoking instead of working.

A man suspected of theft was found clinging to a rail after impaling his feet onto a spiked fence while trying to escape from guards. According to reports, Mthandani Nqetho managed to free one foot, but was unable to reach the other foot, hence leaving him dangling on the fence.

Loneliness is painful and potentially deadly, according to new research at the University of Chicago that found animals, gadgets and spiritual beliefs - not just friends - ease the sense of being alone. "It's actually a greater risk for morbidity or mortality than cigarette smoking is," says Nicholas Epley, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the university's Graduate School of Business and lead author of an article on the subject in the February issue of the journal Psychological Science.

Nine years after taking up his first dance lessons, John Lowe made his debut as a ballet dancer at the age of 88. Lowe, who hails from Witchford, said he took up his dancing at the age of 79 when his daughter Alison become a professional dancer.