Business news for Mon, 17 Dec 2007 & with word source. 4 news.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The future of the U.S. tobacco industry came into sharper focus on Monday when Loews Corp. announced it would spin off its Lorillard cigarette subsidiary, positioning the maker of Newport, Kent and True brands to compete with rivals who are aggressively looking to replace cigarettes as a source of revenue....

Google has taken direct aim at the widely-used Wikipedia with a project designed to supplant the collectively produced encyclopedia as the primary source for basic information on the Web.

LONDON (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co . is set to choose a frontrunner to buy European brands Jaguar and Land Rover around the end of this week as it moves towards a sale early in 2008, said a person close to the matter on Monday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's executive arm will rule on Wednesday that MasterCard's method of charging fees for international purchases violates EU antitrust rules, a source familiar with the situation said.