America's Food and Drug Administration and city governments are not making life easy for tobacco makers these days. As cities across the U.S. have kicked smokers out into the streets outside of bars and restaurants, the FDA has attempted to make the sale of tobacco products increasingly more expensive and more difficult.

The most recent effort by the FDA is to require tobacco companies to report “the amount of unsafe chemicals in their products and prove their so-called lower-risk alternatives to smoking such as snuff are actually safer,” according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Back in 2009, the FDA was given the ability to regulate all tobacco products so it is finally moving forward, offering “preliminary guidelines for the industry that it says can educate consumers on exactly what is in cigarettes, such as ammonia and formaldehyde, and police claims that certain tobacco products may be safer than others,” the magazine reports.

“We are forging new territory to ensure that tobacco companies provide accurate information and do not mislead American consumers,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement on the FDA blog. “We are committed to stopping such practices that may cause people to start or continue using tobacco products that could lead to preventable disease and death.”Continue reading...

Forget the FDA's graphic cigarette packaging planned to scare American smokers. R.J. Reynolds wants smokers to think more positively... about the environment.

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., a subsidiary of the U.S. tobacco giant, has been buying magazine ad space in magazines such as Esquire, Elle, Wired, and Marie Claire to advertise its "earth-friendly," "additive-free," organically-grown Natural American Spirit cigarettes.

Eco-friendly cigarettes? The process to make them is plenty green – wind-powered, few chemicals used, recycled packaging materials, a salesforce equipped with hybrid cars — but the smokes themselves are just as likely to cause lung cancer as the nonorganic ones, USA Today reports.

"It's an egregious ad. It's trying to greenwash a deadly and addictive product," says Vince Willmore of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, to USA Today.Continue reading...

It’s somehow fitting that today, the official first day of summer in the northern hemisphere, America's Food and Drug Administration is releasing the strongest warnings against cigarette use in 25 years. Tobacco usage causes about 443,000 deaths in the US annually, according to the FDA.

Nine new cigarette package warning labels illustrate the effects of tobacco — in very graphic detail — including rotting and diseased teeth and gums; a man with a tracheotomy smoking; the corpse of a smoker; diseased lungs; and a mother holding her baby with smoke swirling around them.Continue reading...

A report appearing in the February issue of Pediatrics magazine confirms what those in the advertising business already know — tobacco advertising can be highly influential on young people.

The survey of German public school students showed that 46% of young people who saw the most ads for cigarettes were more likely to try smoking than those who saw no tobacco ads. The study was conducted with children age 10 to 17 years old.

To those in the tobacco business, the new study is cause for anything but celebration.Continue reading...

Altria, R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard face tougher tobacco marketing rules in US.

Apple launches app store for Mac software.

Bank of America categorizes clients, adds fees.

Boeing loses major 747 order due to delays.

BP spill inquiry to report that disaster "likely" to recur; and hears that microbes may have mitigated methane damage in the Gulf.

CNN books Oprah as first guest for Piers Morgan's post-Larry King debut on Jan. 17; Madonna still banned as "boring."Continue reading...

Adobe creative suite spurs rebound.

Apple's iPhone 4 discounted in Wal-Mart holiday special, following Radio Shack deal.

AT&T spends nearly $2 billion to acquire wireless spectrum from Qualcomm.

Boeing to build 3-satellite system for government of Mexico.

Cadillac taps Laurence Fishburne as its new voice.

Coca-Cola awards $4 million to support active lifestyles, education and environmental programs in North America.

Continental Airlines and Spanair to start codeshare flights.Continue reading...

Airstream peddles premium RVs in a recession.

AOL unveils beta version of new email hub. as Facebook rolls out email service.

Apple brings mobile iAds to Europe this week.

Arcelor expresses interest in buying Massey.

BHP Billiton withdraws its takeover bid for Potash in the wake of Canadian-government opposition.

Caterpillar to buy Bucyrus in $8.6 billion deal.

Daily Beast's Tina Brown begins transforming Newsweek, including plans to fold (update: incorporate) its website.Continue reading...

Lloyds Banking System seeks buyers for £2.8 billion of new securities-backed prime mortgages. [Times of London]

GAO declares AIG stable, but survival depends on market conditions and further government support. [NY Times]

Dell purchases Perot Systems for $3.9 billion, intended to bolster the hardware manufacturer's services arm. [Times of London]

After Sunday media blitz, Obama goes on Letterman show to reinforce message. [WSJ]

Cadbury acknowledges that Kraft deal would "make some sense," encourages a better offer. [Times of London]

Facebook, Nielsen introduce BrandLift to poll users about ads on the social network. [CNET]

(More headlines: Hyundai, B of A, Facebook, Crocs, Reader's Digest)Continue reading...