TULSA, Okla. -- A federal judge Thursday rejected an international moving company’s request, reported in CSP Daily News last week, that he temporarily block Phillips Petroleum Co.'s proposed merger with Conoco Inc., says the Associated Press.

Temporarily blocking the $35 billion merger would do more harm to Phillips and Conoco in lost cost savings and future planning than it would save Transeuro Amertrans, U.S. District Judge Sven Erik Holmes ruled. He also said London-based Transeuro, which buys gasoline and has a service contract with the merging companies, failed to show that it would be harmed by the merger and likely couldn’t win its antitrust lawsuit.

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Responding to a new Philip Morris USA coupon-mailing campaign to increase sales, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has started a similar program in an effort to defend its market share, reports the Winston-Salem Journal.

"We are acting in direct response to what Philip Morris is doing," said Carole Crosslin, a spokesperson for RJR.

RJR said it sent out coupons to smokers whose regular brand is a competitor’s, but who occasionally smoke an RJR brand. The company also sent coupons to its loyal customers. The coupons were mailed to smokers on the company’s mailing list about two weeks ago.