Thailand 1st in Asia to roll out plain cigarette packaging

Bangkok: Thailand rolled out plain cigarette packaging on Tuesday, the first country in Asia to introduce what activists say is an effective way to reduce the appeal of smoking. In 2012, Australia became the first country to require tobacco products to be sold without colourful brand logos. Afp

Iran’s football fan dies after setting herself on fire

Tehran: A woman Iranian football supporter, who set herself on fire a week ago, has passed away. According to a BBC report, the girl was a fan of Esteqlal team and was referred to as Sahar which is not her given name. The woman set herself alight after her trial, for trying to sneak into a stadium disguised as a man, was pushed to a later date. IANS

Pak witnesses 13 per cent rise in HIV cases

Karachi: Pakistan has recorded a 13 per cent jump in the new HIV infections, according to a UN report that recorded the fastest surge among the transgenders and sex workers, a media report said. The total number of HIV cases in Pakistan has increased to 1,60,000 this year, a significant increase from 67,000 in 2010, the Express Tribune reported, quoting a latest UN report on HIV cases. PTI

Sarah Palin’s husband ‘files for divorce’

Washington: The husband of former US vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, is reported to have filed for divorce after 31 years of marriage, media reports said. Todd Palin, in a document filed in Anchorage, Alaska, Superior Court, cited “incompatibility of temperament” in his marriage to Sarah Palin "such that they find it impossible to continue to live together as husband and wife”.  IANS