CAIRO — Egyptian smokers saw prices surge today by as much as 100 percent as the government slapped new taxes on tobacco products in a bid to curb smoking and raise money for public health programs in the Arab world's most populous nation.

As part of a new law passed in May but only being implemented now, the taxes raise the price of cigarettes by as much as 40 percent, while the tobacco used in Egypt's ubiquitous water pipes, known locally as shisha, now costs twice as much.

The law is part of government efforts to curb smoking, which many Egyptians maintain is one of the few remaining affordable pleasures in a country where rising prices have sparked protests over the past few months.

Government officials say the move is needed to help convince Egypt's millions of smokers to kick their habit.

NANTERRE, France — A French court was deciding today whether to postpone a highly awaited trial into whether France's richest woman was coerced into handing over $1.2 billion in gifts to a friend.The legal battle, which has captivated France, has pitted billionaire heiress Liliane Bettencourt against her only child. Her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, says a charming photographer manipulated her 87-year-old, mentally weak mother into giving him massive gifts.In the trial, which opened today in the Paris suburb of Nanterre, celebrity photographer Francois-Marie Banier is accused of exploitation and risks three years of prison, a fine — and being ordered to give back the gifts.