Like waves crashing against a rock, legislators in most Western countries have whittled away at the places where you can light up, turning the habit from de rigeur to largely illegal in a little under three decades. But you know things are really getting tough for smokers when Egyptian companies get in on the act.

In our cover story this month, reporter Jessica Gray finds that a growing number of firms, driven by the bottom line, are making an effort to snuff out puffing in the office. Some have tried the carrot approach, sending (skeptical) workers to seminars that highlight the dangers of smoking. Others have gone with the stick, banning the practice outright.

But the results, say executives, are the same: A workforce that is happier, healthier and more productive. That’s borne out by some surprising numbers. According to one study, the average smoker takes two weeks worth of cigarette breaks a year. And employees who light up claim 50% more sick days than their non-smoking counterparts.

So beware smokers: The days of leaning back at your desk and taking a long drag probably won’t last forever.

On the theme of clean air, we also have a special report on government plans to turn downtown Cairo into a bucolic manse of parks and pedestrian malls. While the details remain sketchy, reporter Osama Diab reveals that officials are looking at everything from banning cars around Talaat Harb to building a network of electric trams to shuttle people around the city center.

Meanwhile, Nadine El Sayed looks at the country’s laughably-low minimum wage — it’s LE 35 a month — and whether a recent court ruling will finally force the government to set a realistic salary floor.

On the other end of the financial spectrum, we’ve got a look at the makeup session between Orascom Telecom and France Telecom, who after three years of bitter court battles, finally ended their tug of war over the country’s biggest mobile operator, Mobinil.

On the lighter side of things, our newest section, the Rundown, offers a look at Mercedes’ new supercharged C-Class sedan, the excitement surrounding 3D television and corporate buzzwords you should avoid like bird flu.

Enjoy and, as always, let us know what you think. bt