Senegal's health minister says lawmakers have banned tobacco advertising and smoking in public places.
Awa Marie Coll Seck said parliament passed the law unanimously on Friday. It imposes fines of up to $100 for smoking in public and more than $400,000 for violating the advertising ban, which also applies to sponsoring cultural and sporting events.
Anti-smoking groups warn of a looming public health crisis as tobacco companies target Africa as a potential growth market.
The American Cancer Society says the prevalence of cigarette smoking in the Middle East and Africa rose by 57 percent between 1990 and 2009.
In response, other countries in the region including Liberia and Ghana have banned public smoking, though enforcement has been uneven.
The ACS recently reported a 12 percent smoking rate among Senegalese boys.
Ubisoft shares jump following reports of Tencent, Guillemot family considering buyout
Shares of Ubisoft jumped more than 30% Friday, following reports that Tencent and the Guillemot family are considering a buyout of the video game maker.
Bloomberg news reported that Tencent and Guillemot family — minority stakeholders in Ubisoft — have been discussing ways to stabilize the company after it lost more than half its market value this year. Shares surged 33.5% to about $15.57 Friday, according to FactSet.
Ubisoft declined to comment. Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
France-based Ubisoft is the publisher behind the well-known franchise "Assassin's Creed." Ubisoft's shares fell last month to their lowest point in more than a decade after its latest title "Star Wars Outlaws" underperformed and the company announced that it would delay the latest "Assassin's Creed" game.
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft's CEO, said in a statement last week that the company's "second quarter performance fell short of our expectations."
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