A Canadian court on Monday ordered tobacco firms to pay Can$15.5 billion (US12.4 billion) to smokers in Quebec province who claimed they were never warned about the health risks associated with smoking.


Imperial Tobacco air jordan 12 dark grey for sale , Rothmans Benson & Hedges and JTI-MacDonald said they would appeal the award for moral and punitive damages, which is the largest in Canadian history.


They must, however, put a portion of the award in a trust pending the outcome.


A hearing must also be held to determine how the funds will be disbursed.


The two class action lawsuits behind the award were originally filed in 1998, but only went to trial recently. They represent nearly one million smokers who were unable to quit or who suffered from throat or lung cancer, or emphysema.


At a nationally televised press conference jordan 12 dark grey 2017 for sale , the wife of a deceased smoker showed a photo of her husband appearing gaunt and frail in his final years, due to a smoking-related illness.


The plaintiffs argued in court that the tobacco companies neglected to properly warn their customers about the dangers of smoking, and failed in their general duty "not to cause injury to another person," according to the Quebec Superior Court decision.


They also accused the firms of unscrupulous marketing and of having destroyed documents relevant to the case.


The companies, however, said the court's decision is not supported by the evidence presented at trial jordan 12 retro dark grey for sale , and vowed to try to overturn it on appeal.


"Since the 1950s, Canadians have had a very high awareness of the health risks of smoking," JTI-Macdonald said in a statement.


"That awareness has been reinforced by the health warnings printed on every legal cigarette package for more than 40 years."


As well, the firm said, "every facet" of the tobacco industry has been regulated by government, and the rules were strictly followed.


Imperial Tobacco jordan 12 dark grey suede for sale , which must pay the bulk of the award, said the judgment "ignores reality" by wrongly seeking to "relieve adult consumers of any responsibility for their actions."


It said the plaintiffs' claims were made based on a notion that tobacco products should be banned.


Imperial Tobacco pointed to a 1963 Gallup poll that showed 96 percent of Canadians were aware that smoking might cause lung cancer.


Rothmans Benson & Hedges, meanwhile, lamented that not a single class action member testified at the trial. "Not one showed up to say that he or she was unaware of the risks of smoking," the company said.


In his ruling, Judge Brian Riordan noted jordan 12 dark grey for sale , "Over the nearly fifty years of the class period, and in the seventeen years since, the companies earned billions of dollars at the expense of the lungs, the throats and the general well-being of their customers.


"If the companies are allowed to walk away unscathed now, what would be the message to other industries that today or tomorrow find themselves in a similar moral conflict?" he concluded.


LONDON, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A fungal disease that had killed wild snakes in North America has been found for the first time in Europe Shop Men's Air Jordan Jumpman Pro Mid Black Cat All Black Online Sale , experts at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said Monday.


Experts at the society, based at London Zoo, warned Europe's wild snakes could face a growing threat from the fungal skin disease that has contributed to wild snake deaths in North America.


They base their findings on an international collaborative study, led by ZSL alongside partners including the U.S. Geological Survey. Their new study has been published in the journal Scientific Reports.


The study says the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, snake fungal disease (SFD) can lead to symptoms including skin lesions, scabs and crusty scales Buy Cheap Mens Air Jordan 11 Low IE Fire Red White Fire Red-Black 919712-101 Clearance , which can contribute to the death of the infected animal in some cases.


It was first recognized in wild snakes in eastern North America around a decade ago, but prior to the new study, the only wild populations found to be affected had been those in the central and eastern United States.


"Now, an analysis of samples collected from wild snakes in the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic between 2010-2016 has confirmed the presence of the pathogen and SFD in Europe for the first time," said the study.


While the disease poses no known risk to humans or livestock, scientists are calling for further research to fully understand the significance of SFD to Europe's snake populations.


Xi says BRICS cooperation will usher in new "golden decade"


Scenery seen from Xiangyanghong 09


Humaling Tunnel in NW China's Gansu successfully holed through


Hami section of Beijing-Xinjiang Highway expected to open at end of June


Weekly choices of Xinhua photos


In pics: terrace fields in northwest China's Ningxia


In pics: Mount Jiuhua Buddha College in E China


Students graduate from Civil Aviation University of China

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By Kimathi Kamau


NAIROBI Best Mens Air Jordan 6 UNC Black University Blue 384664-006 Outlet Restock , Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Morocco, the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, have reportedly thrown their weight behind Kenya's bid to host the 2017 finals.


The Kingdom of Moroccan Ambassador and Permanent representative to United Nations Environmental Programmes in Kenya, Abdelilah Benryane said this when he hosted the national team Harambee Stars and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) officials to a dinner at his residence on Thursday.


The envoy, a former player of the famous Moroccan side Raja Casablanca, also confirmed his nation is ready to welcome the continent for the biennial showpiece.


""Our stadiums and training grounds are all ready and the Harambee Stars will use one of the venues Mens Air Jordan 11 Chicago Gym Red Black White 378037-623 For Sale , the Grand Stade in Marrakech,"" Benryane told the Kenyan soccer team.


""We support the Kenyan bid for 2017 as we believe an Eastern African nation should get the nod from CAF. Personally I'm disappointed Kenya will not be in the finals next year,"" he added.


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