SC orders smoking ban

NEPAL: Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to prohibit smoking in public places and ban cigarette advertisements in print media to protect public health, a court official said Wednesday.

Judges Anupraj Sharma and Rajendra Koirala issued the order Tuesday after hearing a petition filed by Pro Public, a Katmandu-based rights group.

The measure requires the government to immediately draft laws to prohibit smoking in public places and ban cigarette advertisements in newspapers and magazines, court spokesman Durga Prasad Dawadi said.

Nepal in 1999 banned cigarette advertisements on television and radio, but the country has no laws against smoking in public or against children buying cigarettes.

Health workers and rights groups have been demanding the government draft laws to protect the public's health and prevent children from gaining easy access to cigarettes.

The order made no mention of preventing smoking by minors. Kathmandu, Wednesday, AP