France bans smoking in most outdoor spaces
France will ban smoking in all outdoor spaces frequented by children, including beaches, parks and bus stops, the country's health minister said.
The restrictions will involve creating a perimeter outside schools where members of the public will not be able to smoke a cigarette.
'Tobacco must disappear where there are children,' Catherine Vautrin said in an interview with the regional Ouest-France daily.
The freedom to smoke 'stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts', she said.
The ban on smoking outdoors will come into force on July 1. It will cover all places where children could be, such as ' beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues', Ms Vautrin said.
Those caught smoking in the restricted areas could be fined up to €135 (£115).
Reprieve for cafés
Café terraces will be excluded from the ban, which will also not extend to electronic cigarettes.
Middle and high schools are also subject to the new regulations to prevent students from smoking in front of the buildings, Ms Vautrin said.
She refused to rule out whether there would be a ban on smoking for those under the age of 18. 'I'm not ruling anything out for myself in the future,' Ms Vautrin said.
About 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related health complications each year in France.
Six out of 10 French people favour banning smoking in public spaces, according to a recent survey.
In the UK, the Government ditched plans to ban smoking outside pubs and restaurants in November after concerns were raised about the impact on the hospitality sector.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, said at the time he did not want to do more harm to the industry.
UK could follow suit
But Sir Keir Starmer's government is considering plans to make it illegal to smoke outside schools, hospitals and playgrounds. Those plans are subject to a consultation.
Britain banned smoking in almost all enclosed spaces, including pubs and workplaces, in 2007.
It comes as Labour's ban on disposable vapes, first suggested by the Conservative government last January, comes into effect from June 1.
The new rules will require users to buy reusable vapes and shops will no longer be allowed to sell 'single-use' devices.
It marks part of a government crackdown on tobacco, after data showed that
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The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Simon Yates pulls off stunning comeback to all but seal Giro d'Italia triumph
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BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Laura Kuenssberg: Will strategic defence review meet the threats we face?
Down a discreet road, on the fringes of a quiet home counties commuter town, is a set of grey buildings worth many hundreds of millions of pounds. In one, behind a secure fence, a handful of workers are on shift this weekend, making Storm Shadow missiles by hand. Each one is worth hundreds of thousands, the product of months of work, made of myriad Shadows, like mini-aircraft, have been flying in the skies above Ukraine with a range of 250km (155 miles), part of the UK's backing of President Volodymyr Zelensky's efforts to try to keep Russia's Vladimir Putin at bay. The factory is calm and quiet - a world away from the fire and fury of the conflict on the edge of been allowed to see the missiles up close because the government is warming up for a big moment on Monday, when the prime minister will unveil a major review of the military, the strategic defence review. 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While government sources claim it will be "transformative" and hail a "bold new vision", others are playing down its likely impact. A former Conservative defence minister suggests ministers have "massively overegged" what the review will really promise, and "we'll get a lot of things that sound great, but not many things that actually get moving".A source involved in discussion around the review explained: "What will change? Substantively not much - there is a rhetorical change towards Nato and Europe, but it's not a major change in terms of capability - it's all pretty marginal."The Ministry of Defence's permanent secretary David Williams has already said in public that it won't be until the autumn that we'll get specific details about exactly what is going to be ordered, spent and PM has already sped up his plans to spend 2.5% of the size of Britain's economy on defence by 2027, rather than the initial timescale of 2029. UK Defence Secretary John Healey said on Saturday there was "no doubt" UK defence spending would rise to 3% of GDP by 2034 at the latest. All that doesn't make the problems go first is that after inflation and public sector pay rises, insiders question if 2.5% is enough to meet current defence plans - let alone the government's increasing ambition. Existing, expensive plans will remain - such as recapitalising the army, investing in nuclear, carrying on with the Aukus submarine deal with America and Australia, and the global combat air programme to build a next-generation fighter jet - which will gobble up billions of pounds now and for years to the chancellor doesn't want to change her self imposed rules on borrowing and spending again, so as we talked about last week, money is tight in government. Defence is already a relative winner in the review of government spending that's coming down the the PM faces a political dilemma - a pound on defence is a pound that doesn't go on health or welfare, and you won't find huge numbers of Labour MPs who stood for Parliament with the goal of giving more to the military, while trying to reduce benefit payments. Defence has long been one of the PM's big signals to the party and country that he is different to his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn. His version of Labour is comfortable appearing in front of Union Jacks, posing with soldiers or clambering in and out of submarines, though not all of his colleagues are. And fourth, fundamentally there is a political question about whether a promise of big cash coming in the 2030s matches increasingly urgent rhetoric about the dangers we face which other allies are using to speed up defence spending more dramatically. At the end of June, Nato allies will gather for a major summit in The Hague. Nato's secretary general Mark Rutte has already made abundantly clear he wants the UK and its allies to be spending at least 3% on defence as soon as US, the country with the biggest cheque book, wants countries to aim for as much as 5% and if it's to be less, to stop claiming that pensions, health care for veterans or other costs, can be counted as defence spending. I'm told the summit could set a new target for Nato allies to spend 3.5% on defence either by 2032 or by 2035. If that happens, the UK could seem to be lagging a senior figure warns, for some Nato members, spending 3.5% of GDP on defence is a already a "done deal" - but the UK is still "hopping around". Almost before the ink is dry on the defence review, the government's critics may be able to warn it falls then, the government's approach is as far as it is currently financially or politically possible to go. But with the PM warning defence should be the "central organising principle" of government - the first thought in the morning and the last at night - threats to our security might evolve faster than week there will be fierce scrutiny of whether we're really keeping up. Sign up for the Off Air with Laura K newsletter to get Laura Kuenssberg's expert insight and insider stories every week, emailed directly to you. BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
How to find the perfect summer city break for under £350
July is the perfect time to snap up a city break. While holidaymakers flock to the Med, prices in northern Europe can remain surprisingly reasonable and the good weather makes it easy to enjoy sightseeing, alfresco lunches at pavement cafés and picnics in city parks. Less than two hours' flight away, Berlin has toasty temperatures in the mid-20s, ideal for discovering the capital's pop-up beach bars, lake swimming and beer gardens. You'll stay in five-star style at the privately run Hotel Palace Berlin in the heart of City West. Three nights' room only, including flights from Luton, costs £338pp with easyJet, departing on July 13. A small under-seat bag is included — you can add a 15kg checked bag for an extra £57 return and add breakfast for £50pp. The S-Bahn S9 train runs every 20 minutes from Berlin Brandenburg airport and takes about an hour to Zoologischer Garten station, a five-minute walk from the hotel (£4; The hotel has an upmarket meat-focused restaurant, an in-house patisserie and a lobby lounge serving local specialities including Wiener schnitzel, and a gin bar with 150 gins and DJs performing each weekend. An 800 sq m spa has a Finnish sauna and large swimming pool, while modern rooms are decorated in shades of blue-grey and chocolate brown with statement leather headboards, large desks and smart tiled bathrooms. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Bikini Berlin concept mall, with its up-and-coming brands, international food market and art exhibitions, are both on the hotel's doorstep ( while all the main sights are within a 45-minute walk away. And you can hop on the Line 100 bus to Alexanderplatz to reach the iconic Brandenburg Gate (£10 for one day's travel; The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the lavish Berlin Cathedral and the Fernsehturm — the distinctive TV tower that looms over the city — are all walkable from there (£21; The domed Reichstag Building designed by Norman Foster also has knockout city views, but visits should be booked in advance (free; From there, stroll down the grand boulevard Unter den Linden to the Unesco-listed Museum Island, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year and is home to five museums, including the Alte Nationalgalerie for works by Monet and Renoir (£10; If it gets too hot for sightseeing, grab supplies from the deli at Fredericks ( then find a shady spot in the 519-acre Tiergarten Park where you can rent rowing boats or order a German lager in the fairylight-adorned lakeside beer garden. Other great suntrap spots across the city include Ku'damm Beach on Halensee Lake, which has cocktails, sun loungers and wild swimming, and Badeschiff, a 30m-long barge-turned-outdoor pool floating in the middle of the Spree River with city views, hammocks and an adjoining sandy beach (£7; This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue • Return Luton-Berlin flights, departing on July 13• Three nights' room-only at Hotel Palace Berlin ( Feeling flush? If you're inspired but you've got more cash to splash, you could try: Located in a former 19th-century bank on a quiet street in Mitte, Hotel de Rome, a Rocco Forte hotel, has bags of character, with a spa and 20m lap pool in the basement bank vaults and an opulent ballroom in the cashier's hall. Rooms are more simple and neutral, with dark wooden furniture, navy accents and mosaic-tiled showers. There's an excellent Italian restaurant on the ground floor with a candlelit terrace, plus one of the city's best (weather-dependent) rooftop bars offering spectacular views over the river and city skyline beyond. Museum Island and the Brandenburg Gate are both within a 15-minute walk. Details Three nights' room-only from £637pp, including flights and hold luggage ( The privately run 41-room boutique hotel is on busy Oranienplatz in the heart of the city's Kreuzberg district, known for its creative history and now home to several galleries, music venues and theatres. The hotel continues the tradition with its own stage and literary salon, and hosts free performances from Berlin artists most nights. Rooms have solid hardwood floors, silk curtains and handwoven Iranian rugs, and some have views of Oranienplatz. An all-day restaurant with a fireplace and open kitchen is a popular spot with locals, while the bar serves soul food dishes and spirits from local Berlin Three nights' B&B from £905pp, including flights and hold luggage (
