There is no evidence that it is getting any worse but obviously more people than ever are now flying

There is no evidence that it is getting any worse, but obviously more people than ever are now flying,” Mr Kesteven said.Doctors recommend that passengers to reduce the risks by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol to avoid dehydration, and by doing stretching exercises and taking strolls around the cabin during flights.. Downing Street and senior ministers have intervened to hold up a ban on smoking at work over fears that it will create red tape and cost businesses millions of pounds. Downing Street and senior ministers have intervened to hold up a ban on smoking at work over fears that it will create red tape and cost businesses millions of pounds.
The Government will face accusations from MPs of deliberately delaying implementation of the ban to protect the interests of pubs, clubs and the hospitality industry.Ministers and officials are understood to have acted behind the scenes to prevent the enforcement of a code, published in September by the Government’s health and safety watchdog, which would prevent workers smoking at their desks. The Government has taken the unusual step of delaying the ban, despite protests from the Department of Health, which wants to protect workers from passive smoking.MPs and health groups are furious at the delay in introducing the code, which came after a consultation by the Health and Safety Commission that showed wide public support for action on smoking at work.MPs hope to publish a parliamentary motion when the Commons returns in the new year calling on the Government to implement the ban. Kevin Barron, Labour MP for Rother Valley, plans to table the motion.

“We can’t understand why the Government has not implemented this,” he said.David Hinchliffe, chairman of the Commons Health Select Committee, was also concerned at the delay and said his committee may look into it.The code would force employers to ban smoking in offices with no ventilation systems and to provide special smoking rooms. Bars, restaurants and casinos would be given two years to comply and to impose no-smoking policies at the bars. The code would be legally enforceable and employers would face criminal penalties and fines if it was proved in court that they did not meet its minimum standards.Representatives of the hospitality industry have protested to the Government about the proposed ban.. Vodafone, the British telecoms giant, saw a drop in its share price yesterday following reports that an American company which it partly owns is being sued in the US over claims that mobile phones have caused brain tumours. Vodafone, the British telecoms giant, saw a drop in its share price yesterday following reports that an American company which it partly owns is being sued in the US over claims that mobile phones have caused brain tumours.
The legal action is being likened to the billion-dollar claims made against the tobacco industry over the proven links between smoking and cancer, despite there being no scientific evidence that mobile phones can cause ill health.Verizon Horizon, which is 45 per cent owned by Vodafone, is facing legal action from one of America’s most successful law firms, Peter Angelos, which recently helped to win $4.2bn (£3bn) in damages from the tobacco industry. The law firm is planning to launch two claims against the mobile phone industry before March and the remaining seven or eight within the next year.Each claim will be filed against a mobile handset manufacturer, a mobile phone network provider and a local land-line telephone company. Verizon Horizon is the largest mobile phone operator in the US and is a joint venture between Vodafone and American firm Bell Atlantic.A spokesman for Vodafone said the action was purely a US issue and would not affect the company in Britain.

“We’re not the subject of the litigation and we don’t trade in the US as Vodafone. It is very unlikely we’d be involved to any degree in the US litigation,” he said.Vodafone’s shares slipped 2 per cent yesterday when news of the legal action emerged.Vodafone pointed out that the Stewart Inquiry published this year – the most comprehensive health investigation into mobile phones in the world – found there was no evidence to link the devices with brain tumours or any other disorder. Without there being a substantial body of scientific evidence to at least suggest a link between mobile phones and brain tumours, the litigation is unlikely to succeed, the spokesman said.Although the investigation by Sir William Stewart, a former chief scientist, found no evidence of ill health, he recommended that parents should try to limit children’s exposure to mobile phone calls.. English National Opera’s hugely ambitious Italian Season could easily scoop three of my allotted five choices this year, so better to award them a single “Indie” for the whole season. It will be strange returning next year to find the house denuded of Stefanos Lazaridis’s “Restoration” look.