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Empresas y finanzas

Philip Morris to stop production in Australia after plain-packaging laws


    SYDNEY (Reuters) - American cigarette and tobacco company Philip Morris International Inc said it will cease cigarette production in Australia this year as a result of plain-packaging laws and the growth of illicit trade in the country.

    About 180 jobs will be cut from its Australian center in Moorabbin, Victoria by the year's end, with production transferred to Korea, the company said in a statement.

    Australian law requires standardized packaging on all tobacco products, forcing companies to replace logos and branding with graphic images of smoking-related diseases on a drab background.

    (Reporting by Thuy Ong; Editing by Stephen Coates)