Miami

Big Tobacco appeals $145 billion ruling

Claiming it faces financial ruin at the hands of a Miami-Dade County jury, the tobacco industry urged an appeals court Wednesday to overturn a $145 billion award to sick Florida smokers.

The 2-year-old verdict, the largest civil award in history, resulted from a misguided jury who fell for misdirection and racial pandering by the smokers’ lawyers, tobacco companies argued before Florida’s 3rd District Court of Appeal. They also lambasted the trial judge’s logic in letting the jury consider class-action damages before deciding how many of the estimated 700,000 plaintiffs had actually fallen ill by smoking.

A three-judge panel of the appeals court more than tripled the time usually reserved for arguments, reflecting the case’s status as the most closely watched tobacco litigation in the country.

Washington, D.C.

Safety board tightens guidelines for teen drivers

www.ntsb.gov

Federal safety regulators on Wednesday toughened guidelines for some teen drivers, recommending that only one passenger under the age of 20 be allowed in the car unless an adult driver is supervising.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued new recommendations for graduated driver’s licenses, intending to curb highway-related youth fatalities. In 2000, 6.8 percent of drivers were 20 years old or younger, yet they were involved in 14 percent of fatal crashes, according to the NTSB.

The graduated driver’s licensing system places a number of restrictions on the driving of teenagers, including limiting late-night driving, restricting the number of passengers in a vehicle and zero-tolerance for alcohol.

Alaska

Oil pipeline restarted

Workers began the slow process Wednesday of restarting the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, which was shut down after a strong earthquake this past weekend, officials said.

Tanker loading at Valdez could resume as early as today, according to Mike Heatwole of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.

The 800-mile, 48-inch diameter line, which carries about a sixth of the nation’s oil production, was shut down Sunday in the wake of a magnitude 7.9 earthquake. It damaged pipeline supports and moved sections of the line up to seven feet but did not cause any leaks.

Turkey

New leader refuses to OK U.S. use of air bases

The leader of Turkey’s winning party refused Wednesday to commit to allowing U.S. warplanes to use Turkish bases in any war with Iraq.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that while his party opposes a war in Iraq, it would respect decisions taken by the United Nations.

Turkey, which borders Iraq, was a key launching pad for U.S. aircraft during the 1991 Gulf War. The United States already has some 50 aircraft in southern Turkey at Incirlik air base and would be eager to use the sprawling NATO facility if there were a conflict with Iraq.