After Philip Morris USA said it is increasing cigarette prices by 6 cents across the board, competitors R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard Inc. have countered with list price increases of their own. Reynolds will increase its prices by 6 cents a pack across most of its brands; the uptick is effective immediately with all orders placed starting today. Lorillard is taking the largest increase, at 8 cents per pack on all brands, which is also effective on orders billed starting today.

For decades, Cuba was devoid of television, radio and newspaper ads. Or any ads. President Ral Castro's push for limited free-market reform is changing that. And the country's small-business owners have turned to low-cost, unconventional guerrilla. Getting the word out is "a nightmare," said Cedric Fernando, operator of Bollywood, the island's only Indian restaurant, which opened in December. "We're running a race with one leg."

Falling gasoline prices pulled inflation lower last month, as consumer prices dropped 0.3% after being unchanged in April, the government said. Another government report Thursday showed first-time claims for unemployment benefits the week ended June 9 rose 6,000 to 386,000, reflecting a weaker-than-desired jobs market.

Lance Armstrong is staying strong with sponsors. Despite government allegations on doping and his having been banned from competing in the Ironman triathlons, which he took up in 2011, his sponsors are not abandoning him. "Lance has proven that his marketability is Teflon-coated," says Paul Swangard, managing director at the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. "Most of his fans will look at this news with a degree of indifference, and sponsors shouldn't be too worried."

"Golf & Spa Kalahari - #Sandusky Package/Gift Certificate. Perfect for a Father's Day gift!" read the entry on @LESIWC, the Twitter account of Lake Erie Shores & Islands on Wednesday afternoon. Just what kind of spa are they selling here? Yes, it was supposed to be a routine tweet promoting a Father's Day getaway, but now tourism officials in Sandusky, Ohio, are dealing with a hash tag could be misconstrued given headlines involving Jerry Sandusky. And readers who clicked on the hash tag were immersed in the latest lurid developments from the trial of the former Penn State University assistant …

Federal safety regulators are expanding their investigation of Chrysler's Jeep Grand Cherokee and two other Jeep vehicles they started nearly two years ago. At issue is whether millions of Chrysler-made sport-utility vehicles face an unduly high risk of catching fire in rear-end collisions.The National Highway Traffic Safety investigation, launched in August 2010, initially focused on 3 million Jeep Grand Cherokees produced between 1993 and 2004. The agency has now added another 2.1 million 1993 to 2001 Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Liberty SUVs.

The Internet's next domain name revolution is coming, and companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft are preparing to use their names to the right of the dot instead of "com." ICAAN this week unveiled a list of names and applicants looking to brand the domain space to the right of the dot. if the organization approves them it will be the first time companies can grab a moniker or product-related name in the Web address slot.

Target's annual meeting was held in a CityTarget store in downtown Chicago. Last year, Target set a record and remodeled 400 stores to its PFresh format which features expanded food and consumables. The program, now in more than 1,000 of the company's former general merchandise stores, has begun to decelerate with 230 remodels planned for this year. New store growth is ticking up to between 20 and 25 stores. The CityTarget in Chicago will be joined next month by one in Los Angles and Seattle. They will be followed by October openings in San Francisco and a second Los Angeles …

Sears Holdings, the retailer controlled by Edward Lampert, is "open" to selling assets as it works to turn itself around, its chief executive said. "If there are assets that make sense to be brought into the portfolio, we are open to that discussion as well," Lou D'Ambrosio said Wednesday on Bloomberg Television. Sears posted first-quarter profit of $189 million last month after spinning off smaller format stores and selling some locations, and following a $3.1 billion loss last year. It also has announced plans to spin off part of its Canadian business.

It's all about jocks in jocks as basketball player Dwight Howard is now showing up in Adidas ads for its new line of performance underwear. Quarterback Cam Newton appeared in his Under Armour briefs on a Times Square billboard. Soccer star David Beckham...enough about him, as we've seen more of his body than has his masseuse. Quarterback Tim Tebow is pitching Jockey (which one assumes had to be cleared by his cleric as it comes close to the sin of vanity.) The target of these ads? Women, who make more than 40% of male underwear purchases, per Jockey.