LONDON: Healthy progress has been made in reducing smoking and tobacco use, but governments need to do more to help the world’s 1.1 billion smokers quit, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
Tobacco use has also declined proportionately in most countries, the WHO said in a report. But population growth means the number of people using tobacco remains stubbornly high. Around 80 percent the world’s 1.1 billion smokers live in poor and middle-income countries.
“Quitting tobacco is one of the best things any person can do for their own health,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general.
He said governments that introduced anti-smoking policies such as raising taxes on cigarettes and banning tobacco advertising were providing “the practical tools to help people kick the habit, adding years to their life.”
Smoking and other tobacco use kills more than 7 million people a year globally, latest WHO data show. Many of these deaths are from heart disease, stroke and other diseases, as well as from lung and other types of cancer.
The WHO report found that some 5 billion people live in countries that have introduced smoking bans, graphic warnings on packaging and other effective tobacco controls — four times more people than a decade ago.
But many countries are still not adequately implementing policies, it said. It urged governments to make greater effort to introduce six key anti-tobacco measures it calls MPOWER, which include free services for people wanting to quit, protecting people from tobacco smoke, graphic danger warnings, higher tobacco taxes and advertising bans.
The report found that 36 countries have introduced one or more MPOWER measure at the highest level.
Only 23 countries have implemented quit-smoking support policies at the highest level, it found, but 116 more fully or partly cover the cost of services and another 32 offer services but do not cover their cost.
More than half the world’s population – 3.9 billion people in 91 countries – now see large graphic warnings on packs of cigarettes and other tobacco products, the report found.
WHO hails progress in fight against tobacco but wants more
WHO hails progress in fight against tobacco but wants more
- More than half the world’s population – 3.9 billion people in 91 countries – now see large graphic warnings on packs of cigarettes and other tobacco products, the report found
Where We Are Going Today: Taste and Tales by Chef Shagufa
- We shared three platters among the six of us, and needless to say, the portions were generous and the flavors satisfying
Relatively new on the block, Taste and Tales by Chef Shagufa, located in Jeddah’s Al-Rehab district, has been making quite a buzz on social media.
So, on a cool Friday morning at 7:00 a.m., five of my cousins and I decided to visit the restaurant to experience its much-talked-about traditional South Asian breakfast for ourselves.
We ordered the restaurant’s hyped breakfast thali (platter), which included sooji halwa (semolina pudding), kheer (rice pudding), chickpea curry, potato curry, pickles, pooris (fried, fluffy bread), and paranthas (layered flatbread), all served in beautiful copper serveware.
We shared three platters among the six of us, and needless to say, the portions were generous and the flavors satisfying.
Personally, I enjoyed everything on the platter except the semolina pudding, which I found a little bland for my taste.
For drinks, five of us ordered milk tea, which was fairly good. One of my cousins opted for their famed Pakola lassi and couldn’t stop raving about it. Since she didn’t let any of us sample it, we’ve decided it’s something to try on our next visit.
Our total bill came to SR150 ($40), slightly higher than what nearby restaurants charge for similar breakfast platters. However, the taste, presentation, and overall ambience more than make up for the difference.
Not many South Asian restaurants in Jeddah offer decent dine-in breakfast seating for families, but Taste and Tales stands out. With its simple interiors and modest seating, the space is clean, comfortable, and welcoming. It’s definitely a place I’d visit again with my female friends, cousins, and family.
