The Altria Group posted a second-quarter profit that slightly beat Wall Street estimates, but the number of cigarettes shipped by its Philip Morris USA unit fell more than some analysts expected.

Philip Morris International says net income rose 23 percent to $1.8 billion, boosted by higher prices and a weaker dollar.

The Supreme Court will review for the third time the case of a longtime smoker who died from lung cancer.

A public university has a contract with a company that bars professors from publishing studies without consent.

The ban of most flavored cigarettes, an attempt to curb its appeal to young people, would exempt menthol cigarettes, popular among African-Americans, a group with high cancer rates.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Altria Group said Thursday that its first-quarter profit fell 11 percent, partly as a result of costs related to the spinoff of Philip Morris International and relocating its corporate headquarters.