Bloomberg charity adds $220 million to anti-smoking effort

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Michael Bloomberg’s charitable foundation will commit $220 million over the next four years to fight tobacco use globally, including for the funding of legal challenges against the industry. Calling tobacco “a scourge all over the world” and accusing cigarette makers of “nefarious activities,” the New York City mayor said at a news conference that his foundation will focus on low and moderate-income countries where nearly 80 percent of smokers live, like Russia, China, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. …