In the other issue appealed to the nation's highest court, the industry said the generalized jury findings rested on evidence, arguments and theories of liability that were preempted by a federal law, the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act.

A Miami jury ruled in 2000 that the tobacco companies deceived smokers about the dangers of cigarettes and ordered the companies to pay $145 billion to ailing Florida smokers, estimated to number about 700,000.

The case, filed by Miami Beach pediatrician Howard Engle in 1994, was the first smokers' lawsuit to be certified as a class action.

But a Florida appeals court overturned the punitive damages award and decertified the class action, a ruling upheld by the Florida Supreme Court.

Defendants in the case included Altria Group Inc's Philip Morris USA unit; the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co and Brown & Williamson units of Reynolds American Inc; the Lorillard Tobacco Co unit of Loews Corp., which trades as Carolina Group; and Vector Group Ltd's  Liggett.

In the Supreme Court appeal, the companies said the constitutional right of due process "prohibits a state court from giving preclusive effect to a jury verdict when it is impossible to discern which of numerous alternative grounds formed the basis for the jury's finding of wrongful conduct."

They also argued that a plaintiff may not avoid federal preemption under a 1992 Supreme Court ruling by merely invoking characterizations such as "fraud" and "negligence." 

The announcements are the latest from a lengthening queue of banks who have taken hits from a meltdown in U.S. subprime mortgages, which has set off a global liquidity crisis.

UBS said it would write down a net 4 billion Swiss francs ($3.4 billion) in its fixed-income portfolio and elsewhere, resulting in a third-quarter loss of 600 million to 800 million francs, its first quarterly loss in nine years.

UBS also said it would shed 1,500 jobs in its investment bank -- a sharp reversal of its recent buildup.

Citigroup, the world's largest bank by market value, said it was expecting a fall of about 60 percent in third-quarter net income.

Among the main culprits for the profit warning were $1.4 billion in pretax writedowns on funded and unfunded leveraged loan commitments.  

The Washington-based U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, a special patent appeals court, reversed the trial court ruling and opened the door for Apotex.

However, Pfizer's ability to sell Norvasc without competition from other companies expired on Sept. 25, 2007.

The XEL-1 will accept up to a 1080p video image, although the 11-inch screen has a resolution of just 960 pixels by 540 pixels.

The launch of the XEL-1, coming one day before the start of the Ceatec 2007 exhibition, gives Sony a head start on its competitors, many of whom are also working on OLED technology for televisions. After several years of being upstaged by competitors pushing into new technology areas, such as MP3 players and LCD televisions, the OLED launch puts Sony firmly ahead in the race to thinner flat-screen televisions.

OLEDs offer other advantages over LCD and PDP technology, including wider viewing angles, faster response time, and better contrast and colors. However, the technology is difficult to manufacture and the OLED material degrades over time.

Sony said the XEL-1 has a viewing life of 30,000 hours, which allows a user to watch eight hours of television each day for 10 years. The television goes on sale in Japan on Dec. 1, and will cost US$1,740.50. Currently, there are no plans to sell the television outside Japan, as Sony plans to manufacture just 2,000 sets each month.

The XEL-1 has a thin, widescreen display mounted on a metal arm attached to a base. The base contains all of the electronics required for the television, and has an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port, a built-in satellite tuner, as well as a USB port and an Ethernet connection.

The television, which uses the same XMB user interface found in the company's Bravia line of LCD televisions and PlayStation 3, measures 287 mm by 253 mm by 140 mm, and weighs 2 kilograms.

The Topps Meat Co.'s massive frozen hamburger beef recall has many shoppers worried about the safety of their meat, after it may have sickened 25 people in eight states.

"You don't know what's in it," one concerned shopper said. "It makes me feel very scared, and I don't know what to eat."

The recall, which includes 21.7 million pounds of meat, is enough to make a McDonald's regular hamburger for every adult in America.

The meat in question was made in late June and July. The E. coli in the hamburger beef began sickening people in August. It took nearly six weeks before the first recall was issued.

"We don't understand why it took so long to recall this meat. If there was a victim in August, it should have been revealed weeks ago," said Jean Halloran of the Consumers Union.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the industry, said there were no recall delays. However, when the first recall went out Tuesday, only a small amount was recalled. By the weekend, the recall was expanded by more than 600 times.

One victim, who tasted the tainted beef, was 15-year-old Samantha Safranek. She had severe stomach cramps in August after eating it.

"It almost cost my life," Safranek said. "I was just scared the whole time, just thinking, if I was even going to make it. And I didn't want a silly burger just to kill me."

The food recall is the latest in a rash of E. coli-related callbacks this year, including tainted spinach and salad mixes. The USDA said it is unable to explain why there have been so many outbreaks.

However, critics complain that every lot of processed meat should be tested, which is something not required today.