BRUSSELS: Belgium will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes as of Jan. 1 on health and environmental grounds in a groundbreaking move for European Union nations.
Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke said the inexpensive e-cigarettes had turned into a health threat since they are an easy way for teenagers to be drawn into smoking and get hooked on nicotine.
“Disposable e-cigarettes is a new product simply designed to attract new consumers,” he said in an interview.
“E-cigarettes often contain nicotine. Nicotine makes you addicted to nicotine. Nicotine is bad for your health. These are fact,” Vandenbroucke added.
Because they are disposable, the plastic, battery and circuits are a burden on the environment. On top of that, “they create hazardous waste chemicals still present in what people throw away,” Vandenbroucke said.
The health minister said he also targeted the disposable e-cigarettes because reusable ones could be a tool to help people quit smoking if they cannot find another way.
Australia outlawed the sale of ” vapes” outside pharmacies earlier this year in some of the world’s toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes. Now Belgium is leading the EU drive.
“We are the first country in Europe to do so,” Vandenbroucke said.
He wants tougher tobacco measures in the 27-nation bloc.
“We are really calling on the European Commission to come forward now with new initiatives to update, to modernize, the tobacco legislation,” he said.
There is understanding about Belgium’s decision, even in some shops selling electronic cigarettes, and especially on the environmental issue.
Once the cigarette is empty, “the battery is still working. That’s what is terrible, is that you could recharge it, but you have no way of recharging it,” said Steven Pomeranc, owner of the Brussels Vapotheque shop. “So you can imagine the level of pollution it creates.”
A ban usually means a financial loss to the industry, but Pomeranc said he thinks it will not hurt too much.
“We have a lot of alternative solutions which are also very easy to use,” he said. “Like this pod system, which are pre-filled with liquid, which can just be clipped into the rechargeable e-cigarette. So we will simply have a shift of clients toward this new system.”
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Belgium will ban sales of disposable e-cigarettes in a first for the EU
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Belgium will ban sales of disposable e-cigarettes in a first for the EU
- The inexpensive e-cigarettes had turned into a health threat since they are an easy way for teenagers to be drawn into smoking and get hooked on nicotine
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
- Thai army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas
- Thailand used aircraft ‘to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks’
BANGKOK: Thailand launched airstrikes along the disputed border with Cambodia on Monday as both sides accused the other of attacking first.
Tensions have simmered since the Southeast Asian neighbors signed a truce agreement in October pushed by US President Donald Trump after their territorial disputes led to five days of combat in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
Thai army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said the Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas. He said one Thai soldier was killed and four other soldiers were wounded, and civilians were being evacuated from the affected areas.
Thailand used aircraft “to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks,” he said.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the Thai military attacked the Cambodian troops first. She said Cambodia did not retaliate during the initial attacks Monday.
“Cambodia urges that Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” she said.
The Cambodian Education Ministry said several schools along the border were ordered closed Monday. Photos and videos posted on its Facebook page showed young students running out of classes to their parents. Some rode on a motorcycles and others were seen walking away hurriedly.
A brief firing incident along the border occurred Sunday. The Thai army said Cambodia fired first and injured two Thai soldiers. It said the Thai troops retaliated, resulting in an exchange of fires for around 20 minutes. Cambodia however said the Thai side fired first and that it did not retaliate.
The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the brief conflict was threatened last month after Thai troops were injured by land mines, leading Thailand to announce that it would indefinitely suspending the implementation of the agreement. Both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility, even as they are supposed to be cooperating in getting rid of the mines.
Trump said in mid-November he’d stopped a war between them as the tensions simmered.
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity going back centuries, when they were warring empires.
Their modern territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still rankles many Thais.
The ceasefire does not spell out a path to resolve the underlying basis of the dispute, the longstanding differences over where the border should run.
Tensions have simmered since the Southeast Asian neighbors signed a truce agreement in October pushed by US President Donald Trump after their territorial disputes led to five days of combat in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
Thai army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said the Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas. He said one Thai soldier was killed and four other soldiers were wounded, and civilians were being evacuated from the affected areas.
Thailand used aircraft “to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks,” he said.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the Thai military attacked the Cambodian troops first. She said Cambodia did not retaliate during the initial attacks Monday.
“Cambodia urges that Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” she said.
The Cambodian Education Ministry said several schools along the border were ordered closed Monday. Photos and videos posted on its Facebook page showed young students running out of classes to their parents. Some rode on a motorcycles and others were seen walking away hurriedly.
A brief firing incident along the border occurred Sunday. The Thai army said Cambodia fired first and injured two Thai soldiers. It said the Thai troops retaliated, resulting in an exchange of fires for around 20 minutes. Cambodia however said the Thai side fired first and that it did not retaliate.
The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the brief conflict was threatened last month after Thai troops were injured by land mines, leading Thailand to announce that it would indefinitely suspending the implementation of the agreement. Both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility, even as they are supposed to be cooperating in getting rid of the mines.
Trump said in mid-November he’d stopped a war between them as the tensions simmered.
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity going back centuries, when they were warring empires.
Their modern territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still rankles many Thais.
The ceasefire does not spell out a path to resolve the underlying basis of the dispute, the longstanding differences over where the border should run.
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