HAWAII CONSIDERS RAISING LEGAL SMOKING AGE TO 100 YEARS

LOS ANGELES: Would-be cigarette smokers in Hawaii might have to wait a very long time for their first legal drag, after a lawmaker introduced a bill that would bar sales to anyone under the age of 100 years. The proposed law, introduced by local Democratic representative Richard Creagan, would effectively amount to a cigarette ban by 2024. Hawaii already has some of the toughest laws on cigarette sales but Creagan believes more needs to be done to ban “the deadliest artifact in human history,” according to his proposed bill. “Basically, we essentially have a group who are heavily addicted,” he told The Hawaii Tribune-herald. Under current law, you must be 21 to purchase cigarettes in Hawaii.

Moscow to develop new missile systems in 2 years

MOSCOW: Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said the country must develop new types of missile systems in the next two years after Washington and Moscow ripped up a key arms control treaty. The US has accused Russia of violating the INF Treaty and US President Donald Trump said Washington was withdrawing from the treaty. In a tit-for-tat move, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was also leaving the treaty.

Russian couple detained in Malaysia for swinging baby

KUALA LUMPUR: A Russian couple accused of violently swinging their four-month-old baby during a street performance to fund their world tour have been detained, Malaysian police said on Monday. The man, 28, and his wife, 27, were picked up after trying to woo spectators in the heart of the capital. A 90-second video clip of the incident, which went viral on Facebook, showed the man swinging the infant between his legs and lifting her above his head to the beat of music.

Tomb of Karl Marx vandalised in London

LONDON: Vandals have smashed and defaced the London tomb of Karl Marx in what the cemetery officials said appeared to be a deliberate attack against the philosopher’s ideology. A marble plaque with the names of Marx and his family - the monument’s oldest and most fragile part - was repeatedly hit with a blunt metal instrument, Ian Dungavell, who runs the cemetery trust, told AFP on Tuesday. AP

Instagram’s most-liked egg sparks a buzz

LONDON: It’s been revealed now that the picture of an egg - which is Instagram’s most liked photo ever - is part of a mental health awareness campaign, as reported by the British media. The egg, known as Eugene, has now cracked after “feeling the pressure” of all the attention it’s received. A message posted alongside the broken egg advises people to seek help if they feel the same way. More than 52mn people have now liked the original picture, which was posted in January. AGENCIES