Adam Bliss, owner of Hookah Bliss on Franklin Street, said this week that the business will stay open and possibly go to court over the smoking ban if it is fined. “We’re going to stay open long enough to get a ticket,” he said. “We’re going to fight them in court.” The business specializes in hookahs, which are water pipes used for smoking tobacco, and serves beer. It has been open for about two and half years at 418 W. Franklin St. in Chapel Hill. Hookah bars were not included in the exemptions that were granted to cigar bars under the smoking ban law. Cig ... Jump to full article >>

Russia cut off oil to Belarus, much of it destined for the rest of Europe, as talks broke down in a dispute over tariffs, officials say. Oil supplies to Europe could be disrupted this winter, as they were in 2007, when Russia cut off the flow to neighboring Belarus after the two countries failed to reach an agreement on prices, The Guardian reported Sunday. European countries are concerned about increasing dependence on Russian energy supplies and the effect of possible shortages, the British newspaper said. Last winter, Ukraine had its gas supplies cut off by Russia. The halt in shipments to ... Jump to full article >>