Tobacco firms sued over low tar BBC News
A lawsuit which accuses tobacco firms of duping smokers into thinking low tar or "light" cigarettes are less harmful has been given the go ahead in the US. Federal judge Jack Weinstein has ruled that the case can proceed as a class action, involving potentially tens of millions of plaintiffs. Experts estimate that if successful, the case could cost the tobacco industry up to $200bn. Defendants include Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds and British American Tobacco. They are joined by Lorillard Tobacco and Liggett Group. Low tar cigarettes were introduced in the 1970s.

'Disguise'
Spokesmen for Reynolds American, parent company of RJ Reynolds, and UK company British American Tobacco said each would now be appealing the judge's decision. The appeal is likely to last up to a year. Altria, parent of Philip Morris, declined to comment on the ruling until its lawyers could review the decision. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that the tobacco companies in question reaped between $120bn to $200bn in extra sales through the deception that light cigarettes are less harmful than full strength versions. "They [the cigarette firms] understood that they were selling death," said attorney Michael Hausfeld. The question, he added, was "how to disguise it...They put on 'lights'." Defence attorneys had argued that the lawsuit relied on flawed data. They also said that without surveying each and every smoker in the lawsuit it would be impossible to determine their motives for buying light cigarettes. The link between smoking and lung cancer was first confirmed in 1954. British American Tobacco said that to date there have been 60 class actions cases against tobacco companies in the US and none have been successful.

EU chief urges enlargement pause BBC News
The EU Commission president has called for a pause in EU enlargement after Bulgaria and Romania join the bloc. Jose Manuel Barroso said the EU must first carry out institutional reforms and resolve the constitution problem. His comments raise doubts about when Croatia and Turkey might join the EU. Both started entry talks in 2005. The European Commission is expected to say on Tuesday that Bulgaria and Romania can join the 25-member bloc on 1 January 2007. "There is no formal decision but... I think it would be unwise to bring in other member states apart from Bulgaria and Romania, which will be joining us soon, before we have sorted out the institutional question," Mr Barroso told reporters in Brussels. "I do think it would not be wise to proceed with any enlargements before we have resolved the constitutional issue in Europe," he said. Mr Barroso stressed that there were limits to the EU's capacity to absorb new members without new rules to make an expanded bloc work effectively. However, he said he "would like Croatia to join as quickly as possible, if it fulfils all the criteria". Croatia has expressed hopes of completing its membership negotiations by 2009. Mr Barroso made no mention of the other candidates for membership - Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which officially gained candidate status in 2005. A current EU treaty provides for a maximum of 27 members before institutional changes are needed. Plans for the bloc to adopt its first constitution suffered a setback last year when Dutch and French voters rejected the charter.

Progress report
The European Commission is expected to confirm on Tuesday that Bulgaria and Romania can join the bloc in January 2007, rather than in 2008, the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels says. But, according to a draft report seen by the BBC, both countries may face sanctions without deep reforms, our correspondent says. Romania and Bulgaria risk food export bans and cuts to EU funds, the draft document says. They will also be checked on corruption and judicial reform in some of the EU's toughest ever entry conditions. The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Brussels says that without a new way of taking decisions, it is difficult to see how further enlargement could take place. But given the nervousness about such enlargement, many will interpret Mr Barroso's comments as another sign of the EU's unwillingness to take on new members, he says.

Somali PM warns of terror threat BBC News
Somalia's interim prime minister has asked for international help against the "al-Qaeda" and "terrorist" expansion in the country. Ali Mohamed Ghedi appealed for aid soon, before it was too late. He was speaking after his Islamist rivals seized the key port of Kismayo, where they fired at demonstrators, reportedly killing three people. The Union of Islamic Courts deny having any links to al-Qaeda and say they are bringing security to a lawless country.

'Violation'
"I would appeal to the governments of the region to join our efforts and protect the region from the expansion of this al-Qaeda network, these terrorists," Mr Ghedi said in neighbouring Kenya. He also said the takeover of Kismayo was a "violation" of the ceasefire agreed between the UIC and the government in Sudan. Mr Ghedi's government only controls a small part of Somalia, around the town of Baidoa, while the UIC has expanded across most of the south. They seized Kismayo on Sunday without a fight, after gunmen loyal to Mr Ghedi's Defence Minister Barre Hiraale fled the town. After the takeover, pro- and anti-UIC rallies were held. Islamist guards opened fire after some residents burnt tyres, chanted anti-Islamist slogans and threw stones. An MP told the Somali service that three people had died. Some of the protesters had been seen burning Islamic head-dresses. UIC officials say the protests were organised by those who opposed their ban on the popular stimulant khat during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Earlier an Islamist leader spoke at a rally which passed off peacefully.

Troops
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses report that hundreds of Ethiopian troops have crossed the border, heading for Baidoa - the only town controlled by the internationally recognised government. Ethiopia supports the administration of President Abdullahi Yusuf but has denied that its troops are in Baidoa. Earlier this month, the African Union agreed to a request by Somalia's transitional government, which controls only a small part of the country, to send in a regional peacekeeping force. Kismayo had been seen as a possible landing point for the peacekeepers. Witnesses told AFP news agency they had seen more than 600 Islamist gunmen on about 50 "battlewagons" - machine-gun mounted pick-ups also known as "technicals" - heading toward Kismayo on Sunday. Thousands of people are reported to have fled the city in recent days. Earlier reports said that thousands of people had gathered in the town, chanting "God is great" to welcome the UIC fighters. The UIC has steadily increased its hold on Somalia since its fighters took control of the capital, Mogadishu, in June, taking control of hundreds of square kilometres of territory while hardly firing a shot. Mr Ghedi's government was set up in 2004 after more than two years of talks designed to give Somalia its first effective national government since 1991.

Brown sets out leadership vision BBC News
Gordon Brown has made his pitch to the Labour Party conference in Manchester to be Britain's next prime minister.Mr Brown said he had the experience and right values for the job - and said he would relish the chance to take on David Cameron's Conservatives. In the test of his political life, Mr Brown paid tribute to Tony Blair but admitted they had differed at times. "Where differences have distracted from what matters I regret that, as I know Tony does too," said Mr Brown. Mr Brown said he accepted people want to know more about him as a person.He used his speech to talk about how his upbringing in Scotland had forged his view that all talent must be fulfilled. "I believe then and I believe now that at all times the Labour Party must stand for more than a programme: we must have a soul," he said. Mr Brown said he was quite a private person, drawn into public life not in search of fame or celebrity but because he wanted to make a difference.

Confident
"I know where I come from, what I believe and what I can contribute," he said."And I am confident that my experience and my values give me the strength to take the tough decisions. "I would relish the opportunity to take on David Cameron and the Conservative Party." Mr Brown, who has faced claims he is not a team player, name-checked a series of Cabinet ministers. And he tackled concerns over how his Scottish roots will play with English voters, speaking about the importance of a sense of Britishness in meeting the challenge of globalisation. "When I'm in England some people say I talk about Britishness because I'm now embarrassed about being Scottish," he said. "Let me say I am proud to be Scottish and British." On foreign policy, Mr Brown said Parliament must in future make have the final say on sending British troops to war, except in emergencies. He hinted he was open to the idea of a written constitution.

'New politics'
And he said he wanted to create at least 100,000 new jobs in green technology. The chancellor said he wanted a "new politics" founded on responsibilities as well as rights.He put devolution of power, from government to citizens and local institutions, at the top of his agenda. And despite trade union concerns about NHS reforms, Mr Brown said modernisation had to continue to ensure services met the public's rising aspirations. In a hint about changes to the NHS, he said the daily running of more services should be separated from political control. Mr Blair joined the standing ovation for the speech, but Downing Street was forced to issue a statement denying a Bloomberg news agency report that his wife Cherie had said "that's a lie" as she had heard on a TV monitor Mr Brown saying it had been a privilege to serve under her husband. Dave Prentis, leader of the country's biggest union Unison, said: "This was a speech with vision, based on working together, something we have not heard for a long time." But leadership challenger John McDonnell said Mr Brown had been "content-less" and was offering only more of the same. The Conservatives said Mr Brown had pointed to a record of failure on meeting public aspirations. "People are entitled to ask what he has been doing for the last 10 years," said a Tory spokesman. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said: "Politicians should be judged on their records, not on speeches. Gordon Brown has had nearly 10 years in power to help deliver on Labour's promises to the British people and has singularly failed to do so."

Aristocrat in court over shooting BBC News
The trial has opened in Nairobi of a UK aristocrat accused of murdering a black Kenyan man he suspected of poaching on his family's 100,000-acre estate. Thomas Cholmondeley, 38, great-grandson of one of Kenya's first white settlers, Lord Delamere, denies the murder of 37-year-old stonemason Robert Njoya. It is the second murder charge the divorced father-of-two has faced. He admitted shooting a Maasai ranger but denied murder last year. The case was dropped, sparking national outrage. Reports say the court was packed to overflowing as the state prosecutor outlined the case against Mr Cholmondeley. Keriako Tobiko offered revenge as motive for the killing, dismissing claims Mr Cholmondeley feared for his safety. "The accused attacked the deceased and his companions as retaliation or revenge for trespassing and poaching," he told the court. "The accused was not under any attack or threat from the deceased or any of his companions. "In an attempt to conceal his crime or hinder investigations the accused tampered with the scene after shooting the deceased and two dogs." Correspondents say this case is likely to spark more controversy in the central Rift Valley where resentment still rankles with the region's Maasai community over the dropping of the last case. The old Etonian could face the death penalty if convicted. Mr Cholmondeley and a friend were arrested in May after he phoned the police to tell them about the incident. He told police that the man had three companions and a pack of dogs and he suspected them of poaching a gazelle. He said he shot at the group after they set their dogs on him, hitting the man, who died later on the way to hospital, and killing two dogs. Last year, Mr Cholmondeley admitted shooting Maasai ranger Samson Ole Sisina, but said he acted in self-defence mistaking the warden for an armed robber. That case highlighted the security fears of landowners and the resentment of the local Maasai population in the Rift Valley region.

New social networking site launched The Honolulu Advertiser
Wallop, a startup spun out of Microsoft Corp.'s research lab, is launching the test version of an online social networking site with the premise that people will want to pay extra to look good. The company, which aims to compete with established brands like MySpace and Facebook, plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages. Wallop says the plan to charge users for the decorations will supplant the advertising that supports many such free sites. The add-ons will initially cost somewhere between 99 cents and $4, said Karl Jacob, the San Francisco company's chief executive. The company will offer some elements for free. People will only be able to sign up for the service if an existing member invites them, an approach Facebook is about to abandon. Wallop has its origins in a Microsoft research project that goes back several years. In the interim, News Corp.'s MySpace has emerged as a market leader in the now-hot field of forging and maintaining friendships online. MySpace already lets users customize pages for free, though users typically have to find HTML code elsewhere to post into their profiles.

Switzerland rated world’s most competitive economy Business Day
Switzerland, home to companies such as Nestlé, UBS and Roche Holding, was ranked the most competitive economy by the World Economic Forum (WEF) yesterday in its annual rankings report. Switzerland jumped from fourth place last year, overtaking the US, Finland and Denmark, the Geneva-based WEF said in the study of 125 states published yesterday. The poll aims to examine the range of factors that can affect an economy’s business environment and development as it seeks to maintain economic growth. These include the level of judicial independence, protection of property rights, government favouritism in policy making and corruption. The US fell to sixth place as macroeconomic concerns eroded prospects for the world’s largest economy. Washington’s huge defence and homeland security spending commitments, plans to lower taxes further, and long-term potential costs of health care and pensions were creating worrisome fiscal strains. “With a low savings rate, record-high current account deficits and a worsening of the US net debtor position, there is a non-negligible risk to both the country’s overall competitiveness and — given the relative size of the US economy — the future of the global economy,” the report said. After the US, which topped last year’s index, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain made up the top 10. The WEF said Switzerland’s well-developed infrastructure, plentiful scientific research, intellectual property protection and sophisticated business culture helped launch it to the index’s leading position. As in Switzerland, it said high-ranking Nordic countries benefited from strong institutions and excellent education and training, but said they lagged behind in labour-market flexibility. Most European Union countries saw stable rankings over the past year, but Italy’s competitiveness ranking fell to 42nd, compared to 38th last year, because of macroeconomic and institutional weaknesses. Russia slipped nine places for a 62nd-place ranking this year, largely due to private sector misgivings about the independence of the country’s judiciary, according to the report based on surveys of more than 11000 business leaders worldwide. China’s ranking also fell — to 54 from last year’s 48. The report said China had a mixed performance this year as fast growth, low inflation and high savings rates were muted by banking weakness concerns, poor penetration rates for cellphone, computer and other technology companies, and low secondary and tertiary school enrolment rates. Fellow Asian powerhouse India gained two places to rank 43rd, with persistent poverty, weak health infrastructure and a large public sector deficit offsetting technological advances. Most African states remained in the lower ranks. But SA was at 45, down from 40, and Mauritius was at 55. With Reuters
By Andreas Britt
Thailand slips two spots in WEF poll Bangkok Post
Is the US Losing Its Competitive Edge? BusinessWeek
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