A federal judge has ruled that the top US cigarette makers violated racketeering laws, deceiving the public for years about the health hazards of smoking.

Philip Morris USA, the United States’ largest cigarette company, today said it plans to test a smokeless, spitless tobacco product this summer in the Indianapolis market.

More than five years after filing suit, US federal prosecutors are wrapping up their groundbreaking racketeering case against major cigarette makers, accused of conspiring for decades to mislead the public about the health risks of smoking.

US investors found some reassurance in weak job growth figures today, and sent stocks sharply higher on the assumption that the numbers will prompt Federal Reserve to be less aggressive in raising interest rates.

Philip Morris USA has challenged a $10bn (€7.8bn/£5.4bn) consumer fraud ruling, telling the Illinois Supreme Court that its ”light” cigarettes performed as advertised and that the company is not to blame if people ended up taking deeper puffs or smoking more cigarettes.

LAWYERS for the world’s leading cigarette makers have admitted that the companies sold dangerous and addictive products, but said they never conspired to hide those hazards.

CIGARETTE makers lied and tried to confuse the public about the dangers of smoking for 50 years, the US government said as its $280 billion case against the industry went to trial in Washington.

A renewed rise in oil prices stifled a rally on Wall Street today, leaving stocks mixed and investors worrying that costs will climb further despite Saudi Arabia’s vow to boost production.

Philip Morris USA, the largest US cigarette maker, is cutting prices of its four biggest brands, including Marlboro, to keep customers from switching to lower-price cigarettes sold by discount manufacturers.

British American Tobacco and RJ Reynolds Tobacco have agreed to merge their US tobacco businesses, uniting the nation’s second and third largest tobacco companies in an effort to blunt the attacks of sagging sales and cheaper brands.

THE world’s largest tobacco manufacturer has conceded that ventilation in pubs and restaurants has no health benefits for passive smokers.

A US judge has ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay €9.65bn in damages for misleading smokers into believing its light cigarettes are less harmful than regular labels.

A Los Angeles judge has slashed a record-breaking $28bn (€27.3bn) award to a former smoker to $28m (€27.3m), saying the jury’s decision on punitive damages was excessive.

Philip Morris USA said a California jury found Philip Morris USA liable for $750,000 (€767,500) in economic and $100,000 (€102,000) in non-economic damages to Betty Bullock, a 64-year-old smoker.

Philip Morris has reported a 5.4% rise in third quarter profits