Ireland's public smoking ban, due to come into force in pubs and restaurants this month, has been put on hold until the spring because of red tape.
The Irish Government's lawyers are negotiating with Brussels in an attempt to make sure the law is airtight when introduced.
A grey area over the language used in the forthcoming bill to define a "dwelling", which will be exempt from the ban, has pushed back the launch to at least until the end of February.
- In the UK, the Laurel Pub Company, which has more than 600 bars across the country, opened the capital's first entirely smoke-free pub during December. The Phoenix Pub joins three other smoke-free venues across the group that are all predominantly food-led.
Laurel has since announced its intention to convert more of its portfolio to smoke-free sites where there is demand.