http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/congo.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/455568 http://tobacco.org/news/205978.html CIGARETTE smugglers taking advantage of the porous southern Sudan and northeastern DR Congo borders are reaping big from the large number of consumers in the West Nile region. This is threatening to push the largest local producer, British American Tobacco (BATU) out of market. Such is a reason that prompted the trade state minister, Nabeta Igeme to travel to Arua and Koboko on spot assessment of the problem. In company of BATU’s top managers, the minister randomly visited kiosks, which he found selling smuggled cigarettes. The New Vision Uganda Congo Sudan Tue, 13 Sep 2005 04:00:00 GMT http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns12672.html http://tobacco.org/news/157982.html Earlier this week Ecuador become the 100th country to sign the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The following day Congo lifted the number to 101. "With their signatures, 100 governments which represent 4.5 billion people have underscored their intention to become a party to the convention and thus protect their populations from tobacco-related diseases," said WHO Director-General Dr Lee Jong-wook. "I commend these countries, urge the remaining ones to sign and encourage all signatories who have not yet ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to do so." The treaty comes into forces when 40 countries have ratified the deal. At the moment only nine have done so but as India is one of them, they represent one billion people... The important name missing from for the treaty is that of the United States of America. grandprix.com Congo Ecuador Fri, 26 Mar 2004 05:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/12/magazine/12COLTAN.html?searchpv=nytToday&pagewanted=all http://tobacco.org/news/72609.html Like several miners I interviewed in the reserve, a territory controlled by the Ugandan military and its rebel allies, Bangazuna was compelled to give up a slice of his coltan diggings to an extortion racket run by Ugandan soldiers. ''In the morning, when you get up, the Ugandans hand you a pack of cigarettes, and they give you two bottles of beer,'' said Bangazuna, explaining his daily routine. ''In the evening, when you finish digging, you have to pay them back with coltan. It was very expensive. One bottle of beer cost me two spoons of coltan'' -- about $8 -- and cigarettes were one spoon. If you refuse to pay or if you don't have coltan, they beat you and threaten to shoot you.'' New York Times Magazine Uganda Congo Sun, 12 Aug 2001 04:00:00 GMT