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Buzzword: Ten years after setting a trend with its workplace smoking ban, Ireland is pushing ahead to become the first EU state with plain packaging for cigarettes, despite fierce opposition from tobacco companies. Lawmakers will vote on proposals to introduce plain packaging in the new year. Under draft legislation before parliament, all forms of branding, including logos and colors, would be banned, and all products would have uniform packaging with graphic health warnings.

Bilingual: Poverty affects the intelligence of children as young as 2, a study has found, and its impact increases as the child ages. Deprived young children were found to have IQ scores six points lower, on average, than children from wealthier families, according to scientists at University of London. The gap became wider throughout childhood, with the early difference tripling by the time the children reached adolescence.

Beijing metro: Thirsty Beijingers can look forward to clean, tasty water after neighboring Hebei province announced plans to complete a desalination project by 2019. The project will be able to desalinate 1 million metric tons of seawater daily. The supply will provide 10 percent of the capital's current annual water consumption.