MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning smoking in public places in Russia from June, a cornerstone of the government's bid to improve public health. The law makes smoking illegal in restaurants, cafes, hotels, trains and a host of other places. The law will also ban the advertising of tobacco products as well as sponsorship of events by tobacco firms. From June 1, 2013, it will be illegal to smoke on municipal transport, at railway stations, in lifts and bus stations, as well as any place of education or health. AFP
DOHA - A Qatari appeals court reduced to 15 years the prison sentence handed to a poet accused of incitement against the regime after a lower court had jailed him for life. "My client was sentenced today to 15 years in prison," Mohammed Nejib al-Naimi said, adding that the case will now be taken to the court of cassation, or the highest court. Mohammed al-Ajami was arrested after the publication of his , which criticised governments in the Gulf in the wake of crackdowns on Arab Spring uprisings. AFP
CAIRO - An Austrian man held hostage in Yemen for two months has appealed to his government to save his life, saying his captors would kill him in a week if their ransom demand was not met. Dominik Neubauer was kidnapped on December 21. He spoke on an online video with a rifle pointed at his head, saying he was being held by a Yemeni tribe. AP
