Judge: Tobacco firms deceived smokers
(AP)


<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060818/ap_on_bi_ge/tobacco_lawsuit"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20060817/capt.sge.fjl02.170806214652.photo00.photo.default-512x342.jpg?x=130&y=86&sig=_5XhrNiIWQH9pP6AIOeGmw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Cigarettes burn in an ashtray. The tobacco industry lied for decades about the harmful effects of smoking and will be banned from using descriptive terms such as "lights" on cigarettes, a US federal judge ruled.(AFP/File/Joel Saget)" border="0" /></a>AP - A federal judge ruled Thursday that the nation's top cigarette makers violated racketeering laws, deceiving the public for years about the health hazards of smoking, but said she couldn't order them to pay the billions of dollars the government had sought.</p><br clear="all"/>