Japan inflation cools demand for vending machine drinks

President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of "nuclear terrorism" on Sunday, as Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster amid deadly new drone attacks. 

Three people were killed across Ukraine after Moscow launched more than a hundred drones overnight, one of the relentless barrages the country has faced almost nightly since the beginning of the war in 2022.

In a social media post marking the Chernobyl anniversary, Zelensky said Russia, through its invasion, was "again bringing the world to the brink of a man-made disaster".

He highlighted how Russian drones regularly pass over Chernobyl and that one had hit its protective shell last year.

"The world must not allow this nuclear terrorism to continue, and the best way is to force Russia to stop its reckless attacks," he added.

The 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the worst civilian nuclear disaster in history and changed global perceptions of nuclear energy.

Thousands are estimated to have died as a result of exposure to the radiation, though assessments of the precise human toll vary. Some 600,000 people involved in the clean-up operation -- known as "liquidators" -- were exposed to high levels of radiation.

A 2005 UN report put the number of confirmed and projected deaths at 4,000 in the three worst-affected countries. Greenpeace in 2006 estimated that the disaster had caused close to 100,000 deaths.

- Overnight strikes -

Russian strikes across Ukraine killed three people and wounded at least four others, Ukrainian officials said Sunday.

In the northeastern Ukraine border region of Sumy, a Russian drone attack killed two civilians, according to the head of Sumy's regional military administration.

"The enemy struck civilians in the territory of Bilopillia community -- near one of the settlements, less than five km from the state border with the Russian Federation," Oleg Grygorov said in a post on Telegram.

He said two men aged 48 and 72 were killed.

Drone and artillery attacks in the central-eastern city of Dnipro, meanwhile, killed one person and wounded four more, the region's military administration head Oleksandr Ganzha said, adding that homes and vehicles were damaged.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired 144 drones overnight, of which 124 were downed. 

Earlier Sunday, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea said a man was killed in a vehicle during a Ukrainian drone attack that damaged several homes and a dance school in different neighbourhoods of the port city.

The governor said Russia shot down 43 drones in the attack.

On Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said at least eight people were killed in Dnipro, which was hit by waves of Russian strikes for 20 hours straight.

bur-asy/ach

World leaders expressed shock after a shooter charged a glitzy media gala in Washington on Saturday night attended by US President Donald Trump -- and relief that there were no casualties.

US law enforcement said the sole suspect, armed with "a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives," has been detained and will face charges Monday in federal court.

Here is how leaders reacted:

- Keir Starmer -

Britain's prime minister said he was "shocked by the scenes at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington overnight."

"Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," Starmer wrote on X on Sunday.

- Benjamin Netanyahu -

The Israeli prime minister said he and his wife Sara "were shocked by the attempted assassination" of Trump.

"We are relieved that the President and the First Lady are safe and strong," Netanyahu wrote on X.

"We send our wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the wounded police officer and salute the US Secret Service for their swift and decisive action."

- Narendra Modi -

The prime minister of India said he was "relieved to learn that President Trump, the First Lady and Vice President are safe and unharmed."

"I extend my best wishes for their continued safety and well-being. Violence has no place in a democracy and must be unequivocally condemned," Modi wrote on X.

- Mark Carney -

The Canadian prime minister said he was "relieved that the President, the First Lady, and all guests are safe."

"Political violence has no place in any democracy and my thoughts are with all those who have been shaken by this disturbing event," Carney wrote on X.

- Claudia Sheinbaum -

The Mexican president wrote on X that "it is good that President Trump and his wife are safe following the recent events. We send them our respect."

"Violence must never be the way," Sheinbaum added.

- Pedro Sanchez -

Spain's prime minister condemned what he called "the attack that took place tonight against President (Trump)."

"Violence is never the answer. Humanity will only move forward through democracy, coexistence, and peace," Sanchez wrote on X.

- Shehbaz Sharif -

The Pakistani prime minister wrote he was "deeply shocked by the disturbing shooting incident."

"Relieved to know that President Trump, the First Lady, and other attendees are safe. My thoughts and prayers are with him, and I wish him continued safety and well-being," Sharif wrote on X.

hol/cms

US President Donald Trump struck a philosophical tone Saturday after a shooter rushed a media gala in Washington, the latest in a series of incidents to target the Republican leader.

"I ask respectfully, why do you think this keeps happening to you?" a reporter asked Trump after the chaotic incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Trump had a ready answer, and it was about the 79-year-old's own position in the pantheon of US presidents.

"Well, you know, I've studied assassinations," Trump said. "And I must tell you the most impactful people, the people that do the most -- you take a look at Abraham Lincoln... the people that make the biggest impact, they're the ones that they go after."

"I hate to say I'm honored by that, but I've done a lot," Trump added. "We've changed this country, and there are a lot of people that are not happy about that. So I think that's the answer."

Trump, who survived an assassination attempt at an election rally in 2024, added that "I lead a pretty normal life, considering, you know, it's a dangerous life."

"A lot of other people, you know, you read stories where they become basket cases. To be honest, I'm not a basket case."

Trump meanwhile took a measured tone towards the press -- despite previously calling it the "enemy of the people" -- saying there was "a tremendous amount of love and coming together" after the incident.

He said he had been ready to give the "most inappropriate speech ever made" but would now be "very boring" when the dinner was rescheduled.

The shooting on Saturday, which Trump blamed on a "would-be assassin," also caused him to riff on one of his favorite topics -- the huge $400 million ballroom he is building at the White House.

Trump said the venue for the correspondents' dinner, the Washington Hilton, was "not particularly secure" and showed the need for the construction of the new ballroom.

dk/hol

US President Donald Trump and other attendees were evacuated Saturday night after gunshots were fired at a glitzy media gala in Washington. 

As details continue to emerge and investigations are underway, here is what we know about the shooting:

What happened in the ballroom?

Shots were heard after the welcoming speech at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association being held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, according to AFP reporters and other witnesses.

Tactical security teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump was seated alongside his wife Melania, Vice President JD Vance and other officials, who were swiftly evacuated.

Hundreds of guests in black tie in the ballroom took cover under tables and later made their way into the hotel lobby and then outdoors as the event was postponed.

Authorities said no dignitaries or gala guests were hurt.

How did the shooting unfold?

A "sole gunman" rushed through a security checkpoint in the hotel lobby just outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place around 8:36 pm (0036 GMT), according to authorities.

Trump shared footage on his Truth Social platform which appeared to show the suspect charging at the checkpoint before being swarmed by officers.

"He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives," Metropolitan Police Department interim chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters.

Law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the suspect and "intercepted that individual."

A uniformed Secret Service officer was "struck in his vest" and taken to hospital, but was doing well, Carroll said.

The suspect was not hit by gunfire, but was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

He was in custody and due to be arraigned on Monday in a federal court.

A long gun and shell casings were found on the scene, FBI Director Kash Patel said, adding that the agency was carrying out witness interviews as part of its probe.

Who is the suspect?

Trump shared photos of the suspected shooter, shirtless and in handcuffs facedown on a carpeted floor, in what appears to be the Hilton lobby.

Authorities are yet to publicly confirm his identity, but US media reported that the suspect was a 31-year-old named Cole Tomas Allen from Torrance, California.

Based on preliminary information, "we do believe he was a guest here at the hotel," Carroll told reporters.

The detained man is believed to be the only suspect in the case, officials said.

He is being charged with two counts currently: using a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.

Other charges could still be brought as the investigation proceeds.

"My impression is he was a lone wolf," Trump said, adding that the suspect's motivation was not yet clear but he believed the gunman was "sick."

Were there security failures?

Questions swirled regarding the security at the reception and how a gun was brought into the hotel.

Attendees pointed out that there was a magnetometer placed outside the ballroom, but there was no such screening before that or at the entrance to the hotel itself.

Trump initially said it was "not a particularly secure building," but later said the ballroom where the event was being held was not breached by the gunman and was "very, very secure."

The checkpoint that the suspect tried to charge past was "right outside the ballroom," authorities said.

"Because that checkpoint worked, there was no one who was injured," Pirro said.

"We'll go through video across the hotel to figure out how the gun got in, how it got down here," Carroll added.

According to Trump, the security services did a "much better job than Butler," where he was the target of an assassination attempt in 2024 during a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania.

aks/mlm

India has ramped up purchases of Russian oil and revived alternate supplies from Africa, Iran and Venezuela to blunt a sharp crude shortfall from the crisis-ridden Middle East, analysts say.

India, the world's third-largest oil buyer, normally sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that has seen only a trickle of traffic since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.

India's heavy import dependence, combined with modest oil reserves compared with major consumers like China, has prompted analysts to warn that India could be among the most vulnerable to a sudden oil price hike.

But while India is grappling with disruptions to cooking gas supplies, it has so far avoided the petrol shortages that have hit some neighbouring nations.

Ship‑tracking and import data show that India has partially plugged the gap by turning to old allies, expanding promising ties and reviving suppliers it had not tapped in years.

The biggest backstop has been Russian crude -- a fuel source New Delhi spent much of the past year trying to pivot away from under stiff US tariffs.

Indian refiners imported an average of nearly 1.98 million barrels per day (bpd) from Russia in March, according to trade intelligence firm Kpler -- a sharp jump from the previous two months.

Analysts say the surge was likely aided by a temporary US waiver granted in March covering Russian oil already at sea.

"Imports rose from approximately one million bpd in January and February," said Nikhil Dubey, an analyst at Kpler.

"This near‑doubling suggests that this additional volume was likely contracted following the sanction waiver," he told AFP.

- Useful purchase -

India likely purchased an additional 60 million barrels of Russian oil that will be delivered through April, two trade analysts said.

Washington's exemptions have drawn criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says they complicate efforts to choke off Russia's revenues more than four years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

But Kyiv gained little leverage after US President Donald Trump last week extended the waiver on Russian seaborne oil by another month.

"The extension gives Indian refiners the runway they urgently needed," said Rahul Choudhary, vice‑president at Rystad Energy.

"Indian refiners will likely move quickly to lock in the additional barrels the extension unlocks before the May 16 deadline."

Other markets have also aided India.

Imports from Angola averaged 327,000 bpd in March, data from Kpler shows, nearly three times what India received in February.

Industry watchers say African crude purchases were made before the United States struck Iran and have proven to be useful.

"A lot of the uptick you're seeing from Angola in March or Nigeria in April comes because we were (already) looking at sources other than Russia," an official at a state‑run refiner told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorised to speak with journalists.

"It's now come in handy because shipments from Iraq and most of the Middle East have fallen heavily."

According to Kpler, crude from both Iran and Venezuela began arriving this month.

Imports from Iran averaged 276,000 bpd as of mid‑April, while shipments from Venezuela stood at around 137,000 bpd, preliminary data from Kpler shows.

The purchases have proven to be a fortuitous windfall for refiners who largely steered clear of both suppliers previously to avoid US ire.

- Higher prices -

Despite the diversification, the road ahead looks difficult.

India's overall crude imports fell in March, sliding to 4.5 million bpd from 5.2 million in February, according to Kpler.

Analysts also cautioned that oil from the African nations has limits as a substitute.

"In a prolonged Iran conflict scenario, African crudes can partially backfill supply. However, they are unlikely to fully replace Middle Eastern barrels on a structural basis due to crude slate mismatches," said Dubey, explaining Indian refineries were configured for different grades than what comes from the African countries.

Higher prices are also a problem.

"The era of cheap oil is over for now, but access has been preserved. Either way, India doesn't have the luxury of walking away," said Choudhary, noting that April barrels were secured at between $5 and $15 above the Brent global oil benchmark.

State‑run retailers have yet to raise pump prices, with the government instead cutting excise duties on fuel.

Some analysts warn prices could rise by as much as 28 rupees (30 cents) per litre once voting in key state elections ends later this month.

The oil ministry acknowledged Thursday that government‑owned fuel companies were incurring losses but denied that a price hike was imminent.

"India is the only country where petrol and diesel prices haven't increased in the last four years," it said.

The government and state oil firms "have taken relentless steps in order to insulate Indian citizens from steep increases in international prices".

asv/abh/sco

Tibetans outside Chinese control vote on Sunday for a government-in-exile, an election of heightened significance as they brace for an inevitable, eventual, future without their revered spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The India-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) -- condemned by China as "nothing but a separatist political group" -- is a key institution for the exiles, especially after the Dalai Lama handed over political power in 2011.

"Our votes matter," said Tenzin Tsering, 19, a first-time voter waiting to cast his ballot to push for greater youth representation.

"We need voices that reflect where our community is going, not just where it has been", he said, speaking in Bylakuppe in India's southern state of Karnataka, one of the largest Tibetan communities outside the Himalayan plateau.

Polling is due to take place in 27 countries -- but not China.

The 91,000 registered voters include Buddhist monks in the high Himalayas, political exiles in South Asia's megacities and refugees in Australia, Europe and North America.

The 90-year-old Dalai Lama, based in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959, insists he has many more years to live.

But supporters of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate are acutely aware that self-declared atheist and Communist China said last year that it must approve the Buddhist leader's eventual successor.

The Dalai Lama says only his India-based office has that right.

Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.

- 'Potential of young Tibetans' -

The five-year parliament, which sits twice a year, has 45 members from across the world: 30 representing three traditional provinces, 10 representing five religious traditions and five representing the diaspora.

Headquartered in Dharamsala in northern India, it functions as a representative body for an estimated 150,000 Tibetans living in exile worldwide.

Lines of red robed monks and nuns lined up to vote in the Indian hill town on Sunday.

The government's "sikyong", or leader, Penpa Tsering, was elected for a second term on February 1, after taking 61 percent in the preliminary round -- a high enough threshold to win outright.

Tsering, like the government, does not seek full independence for Tibet, in line with the Dalai Lama's long-standing "Middle Way" policy seeking autonomy.

Exiled voters represent only a fraction of ethnic Tibetans -- whom the CTA estimates at six million worldwide, compared with more than seven million China counted in its 2020 census.

Beijing, which in 1950 sent troops to the vast high-altitude plateau it calls an integral part of China, has condemned the elections as a "farce".

Its foreign ministry calls the exiled government an "illegal organisation that completely violates the Chinese constitution and laws".

Among younger voters, some were worried at the perceived underrepresentation of Tibet's next generation in the corridors of the exile government.

"I want to see fresh faces, leaders who represent the potential of young Tibetans," said 25-year-old Tenzin Pema, expressing her weariness at the sometimes divisive arguments between older political leaders.

More than half of voters, about 56,000, live in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

The remaining 34,000 are scattered around the world, including roughly 12,000 in North America -- including New York and Toronto -- and 8,000 in Europe, including Paris, Geneva, Zurich and London.

Results are expected on May 13.

str-pjm/abs

The US central bank is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its policy meeting next week, as energy prices stay high and supply chains snarled due to war in the Middle East.

The Federal Reserve's two-day meeting, starting Tuesday, could be chairman Jerome Powell's last at the helm of the independent institution.

But it takes place against a tricky backdrop. Powell's successor has faced a bumpy road to confirmation, while policymakers battle competing pressures as steeper fuel prices drive inflation and job market worries linger.

Fed officials are set to keep rates steady at a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent, extending their pause since the start of the year.

"We still have a very high level of uncertainty on what's happening in the Middle East," KPMG senior economist Kenneth Kim told AFP, ahead of upcoming peace talks.

Oil and gasoline prices remain elevated even if they have peaked, meaning "there's certainly an energy shock that's still impacting both consumers and businesses," he said.

The Fed has a dual mandate of maintaining price stability and low unemployment. It tends to keep interest rates high to curb inflation or lower them to spur growth, meaning that current conditions pull officials in different directions.

Navy Federal Credit Union Chief Economist Heather Long expects Powell to be "non-committal" on the path of rates, as the full impact from the war on Iran remains unknown.

The oil price hikes came after US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran from February 28 sparked Tehran's retaliation in virtually closing the Strait of Hormuz -- a key waterway for energy transit.

- Containing inflation -

Fed officials will likely focus more on containing inflation than the jobs market this meeting, with the war entering its ninth week.

The strait is also a key passage for fertilizers, and disruptions threaten to hit food production.

Already, US consumer inflation reached its highest level in nearly two years in March at 3.3 percent as energy costs rocketed.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who earlier backed lower rates to support employment, indicated this month that a prolonged conflict could make it hard for the central bank to cut rates this year.

If there were high inflation and a weak labor market, one would have to balance risks on both sides.

This "may mean maintaining the policy rate at the current target range if the risks to inflation outweigh those to the labor market," he told an Alabama event.

KPMG's Kim said solid hiring recently "gives the Fed some cushion" to temporarily focus more on prices.

Analysts will monitor if the Fed signals in its post-meeting statement that rate hikes are a possibility.

- 'Critical juncture' -

The Fed is also taking its next steps under intense political scrutiny.

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his wish for lower interest rates, and regularly slammed Powell for not cutting them aggressively.

Beyond rhetoric, Trump has sought to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook over claims of mortgage fraud. The Supreme Court is set to rule on whether he can fire her.

Meanwhile, Trump's choice of new Fed chairman -- Kevin Warsh -- has faced a bumpy road to confirmation.

Republican senator Thom Tillis on the Senate Banking Committee vowed to block Fed appointments until a Justice Department probe into the Fed and Powell is resolved, setting up a potential impasse on the panel Warsh needs to clear.

But the Department of Justice said Friday it would drop the investigation linked to renovation costs overruns, potentially paving the way for Warsh's ascendance.

Asked by journalists Saturday about the DOJ's move, Trump said he still wants to look into the cost of the Federal Reserve building renovations, which he has claimed is too high. 

"I tell you, I want to find out. I have an obligation to find out," he said.

Warsh has repeatedly pledged to remain independent if confirmed.

"We're at a critical juncture for the Fed," EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco told AFP.

"It may be that under Warsh, we're going to see less Fed transparency, less Fed communication than we had in the past," he said, referring to Warsh's confirmation hearing testimony.

Powell's chairman term expires May 15, and he originally intended to stay on the Fed's board of governors until the probe on him is completed.

All eyes are on his future plans at his scheduled press briefing Wednesday.

bys/sla/mjf

Tibetans outside Chinese control vote on Sunday for a government-in-exile, an election of heightened significance as they brace for an inevitable, eventual, future without their revered spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The India-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) -- condemned by China as "nothing but a separatist political group" -- is a key institution for the exiles, especially after the Dalai Lama handed over political power in 2011.

"Our votes matter," said Tenzin Tsering, 19, a first-time voter, waiting to cast his ballot to push for greater youth representation.

"We need voices that reflect where our community is going, not just where it has been", he said, speaking in Bylakuppe in India's southern state of Karnataka, one of the largest Tibetan communities outside the Himalayan plateau.

Polling is due to take place in 27 countries -- but not China.

The 91,000 registered voters including Buddhist monks in the high Himalayas, political exiles in South Asia's megacities and refugees in Australia, Europe and North America.

The 90-year-old Dalai Lama, based in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959, insists he has many more years to live.

But supporters of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate are acutely aware that self-declared atheist and Communist China said last year that it must approve the Buddhist leader's eventual successor.

The Dalai Lama says only his India-based office has that right.

Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.

The five-year parliament, which sits twice a year, has 45 members from across the world: 30 representing three traditional provinces, 10 representing five religious traditions, and five representing the diaspora.

Headquartered in Dharamsala in northern India, it functions as a representative body for an estimated 150,000 Tibetans living in exile worldwide.

The government's "sikyong", or leader, Penpa Tsering, was elected for a second term on February 1, after taking 61 percent in the preliminary round -- a high enough threshold to win outright.

Tsering, like the government, does not seek full independence for Tibet, in line with the Dalai Lama's long-standing "Middle Way" policy seeking autonomy.

str-pjm/abs

From post offices and parks to stations and even the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan's vending machines are ubiquitous. But with the rapid pace of inflation cooling demand for their drinks, operators are being forced to rethink the business.

Last month beverage giant DyDo Group Holdings announced it would remove about 20,000 vending machines -- around seven percent of their stock nationwide -- by January 2027, in order to "reconstruct a profitable network".

Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage, based in Nagoya, also said in March it would sell its 40,000-machine operation to Osaka-based Lifedrink Co.

"The strength of the vending machine business has been to sell at list prices," a spokeswoman for Pokka Sapporo told AFP.

But "a rise in list prices is pushing more people to look to shops that sell drinks at a discount", she said.

Tetsuharu Kawaguchi, 31, who works for a food delivery company, said cost was the leading factor in his decision to ditch vending machines -- which stock a host of Japan's favourite thirst-quenchers from iced tea to canned coffee.

From a machine, even "water... ends up being around 130 yen (80 cents). If you go to a convenience store, you can sometimes get it a bit cheaper, and places like drugstores often sell it for quite a low price", he explained.

While Japan was long haunted by deflation, it has more recently faced a surge in living costs.

Kazuhiro Miyashita of Inryo Soken, a research institute focused on the beverage industry, told AFP that increased costs for fuel and staff to keep machines stocked were eating into profits.

"If they can curb prices through cost-cutting, they may be able to hold their own against convenience stores."

Takayuki Ishizaki of Nomura Research Institute said that growing environmental awareness was also playing a part in the troubling situation for operators.

It "has led some people to stop buying drinks outside and instead bring their own bottles (to refill)", he said.

Despite the decline, vending machines -- where ramen noodles, cut fruit, kimchi and crepes are also on offer -- are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

"Ultimately the overwhelming convenience of being able to find one just by walking a short distance practically anywhere (in Japan) is something that can't really be replaced," Ishizaki said.

"The move now is toward being more strategic and selective in terms of placement."

Taisuke Oguro, 27, a hairdresser in Tokyo, is holding out for their survival.

"In places where there aren't any convenience stores, I do think it's actually pretty handy to have one," he said.

kh/aph/dan/abs

Britain's parliament this week approved a bill to ban those aged 17 and under from ever legally buying tobacco products during their lifetime.

A first in Europe, the UK will be only the second country in the world to implement such a measure. Here are five things to know about the new landmark UK law. 

– What does it stipulate? –

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill legally bars anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 from buying cigarettes and other tobacco products in the UK, even after they become adults. 

It hands the government new powers to restrict the flavours and packaging of vapes and bans vaping in places where smoking is already banned, which is extended to children's playgrounds and areas near schools. 

Often containing nicotine, these products are popular among young people, partly due to the array of flavours and brightly coloured packaging on offer, according to critics. 

The government last June banned the sale of disposable vapes, which were cheap and also similarly marketed, while the new bill bans the advertising and sponsorship of all vapes and other nicotine products.

– Why make the changes? –

In 2024, the UK had around 5.3 million adult smokers, nearly 10 percent of the population, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Those aged 25-34 made up the highest proportion, the agency's figures showed. 

Although the number of smokers is at its lowest level in more than a decade, the habit remains the leading cause of preventable deaths in Britain, with 80,000 annually according to the government. 

A YouGov poll last year for the health charity Action on Smoking and Health found more than two-thirds of Britons support the so-called generational ban on tobacco sales. 

The charity's chief executive Hazel Cheeseman called the move "really symbolically important" because it signals the aim "to phase out the legal sale of tobacco over the lifetime of somebody who's currently 17".

"And that's a kind of shift in mindset." 

Cheeseman conceded it likely will not completely eliminate smoking among the cohort in the future, but expects it to "substantially decrease" rates.

– When will it come into force? -

The law will apply once the bill agreed by parliament earlier this week gets royal assent imminently.

The new rules will then take effect on different dates, some of which are still subject to consultation. 

The ban on sales to young people born after 2008 will begin on January 1, 2027, the year in which they turn 18 and become adults.

Thereafter, the legal minimum age to buy tobacco will be raised annually by one year, first to 19 years old, then 20 and so on. 

Christine Methnani, 66, a nurse in northern England, welcomed the law.   

"Teenagers will never start to smoke" after facing peer pressure, she told AFP.

"I see a lot of people who come into the surgery trying to give up smoking, but it's because they've been pressured into it as young teenagers."

– How will it be enforced? –

Smokers themselves will not be penalised. But any retailer who sells tobacco or related products, such as rolling papers, to a person born after 2008 will be liable for a fixed fine of £200 ($270). 

Some opponents of the law have warned it risks creating a black market. 

"Similar claims were made about previous tobacco control measures and were proven wrong," countered Alizee Froguel, policy manager at Cancer Research UK. 

"It's a common argument by the industry, but time and time again, that hasn't happened," she told AFP.

But Froguel acknowledged it was "likely" the industry would mount a legal challenge, noting it has "done that for the previous landmark laws on smoking in the past".

– What about globally? –

According to the British government, the UK will be the second country in the world to implement a generational ban, after the Maldives. 

The archipelago of 500,000 inhabitants in November banned the sale of tobacco to young people born after January 1, 2007. 

In France, Green lawmaker Nicolas Thierry has introduced a cross‑party bill to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2014. 

Similar proposals have been put forward in the US states of Hawaii and Indiana. 

New Zealand had been a pioneer, adopting plans for a ban for anyone born after 2008, but the centre-right National Party dropped the measure when it took power in 2023, before the ban had been implemented.

cla/alm/jj/yad/lga

© Agence France-Presse