America’s biggest tobacco companies say they are ready and willing to pass along factual public health information about cigarettes.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will try to get his campaign for the party’s nomination back on track today after declaring his controversial former pastor “was not the person that I met 20 years ago”.

A US soldier pleaded guilty today to murdering a severely-wounded 16-year-old Iraqi, the military said.

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.

Sean P Diddy Combs has been ordered to pay €2.5m to a man who was injured by the rap mogul’s bodyguards at a concert seven years ago.