A regional Italian court today ruled that smoking in public must be banned throughout the country in order to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. The Lazio regional tribunal has given the Health Ministry one month to draft such a law. March 30, 1995. A shootout between rival Vietnamese gangs has left 5 dead, according to Reuters. Police suspected the rumble was over untaxed cigarettes.
Vietnamese gangs seem to rule the lucrative cigarette-smuggling trade in Germany.
March 15, 1995. Germany's largest insurer warned smokers they risk facial burns if they are smoking when their car's airbag is inflated in a crash, according to Reuters. Safety studies by Allianz AG-Holding found other potentially harmful objects are mobile phones and canned drinks. No problems had been reported for eyeglasses. April 4, 1995.