Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks including British American Tobacco Plc advanced. Europe's largest cigarette maker, the owner of the Lucky Strike brand, had a lawsuit dismissed for a second time by a U.S. appeals court.

Diageo Plc and Scottish & Newcastle Plc held indexes back as the shares traded without the right to their latest dividend payouts.

The benchmark FTSE 100 Index added 9.4, or 0.2 percent, to 5347.4. Forty-eight shares rose, 46 declined, and eight were unchanged. The FTSE All-Share Index added 0.2 percent. Ireland's ISEQ Overall Index added 0.1 percent.

British American Tobacco rose 1.5 percent to a record 1,172. A ruling by the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in New York rejected separate lawsuits by the European Union and 25 departments of the nation of Colombia, that accused the British company and Reynolds American Inc. of smuggling cigarettes to avoid paying taxes and customs duties.

The Colombian suit names British American. The European Union sued R.J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American.

Diageo, the world's largest distiller, lost 18 pence, or 2.2 percent, to 811. The stock traded without the right to the latest dividend of 20.22 pence.

Scottish & Newcastle, Britain's biggest brewer, slid 8.75 pence, or 1.8 percent, to 470.75 as the stock traded without the right to a dividend of 7.82 pence.

The following stocks also rose or fell in the U.K. and Irish markets. Stock symbols are in parentheses after the company names.

U.K. stocks:

2Ergo Group Plc (RGO LN), a provider of mobile-phone messaging services for businesses, rose 6 pence, or 3.4 percent, to 184.5. The company said it bought the patent for a security system that will provide a new secure mobile-telecommunication standard.

Bristol & London Plc (BTL LN) advanced 5 pence, or 7.1 percent, to 75. The provider of replacement luxury cars for people involved in accidents said first-half earnings per share increased 41 percent.

Caffe Nero Group Plc (CFN LN) added 6.5 pence, or 3.1 percent, to 216.5. The third-largest U.K. coffee-shop chain said annual profit doubled to 4.95 million pounds.

Fulcrum Pharma Plc (FUL LN) rose 0.63 pence, or 19 percent, to 3.88. The provider of drug-development services to pharmaceutical companies forecast a second-half operational profit as recovery in its business has continued since May.

Gaming Corporation Plc (GMC LN) climbed 1.25 pence, or 9.6 percent, to 14.25 pence. The operator of the U.K.'s largest Internet casino portal said it may beat its full-year profit forecast because it added customers through its acquisition of Gambling.com and reduced software costs.

Genetix Group Plc (GTX LN) added 0.5 pence, or 1.1 percent, to 46.5. The maker of genetic research equipment said first-half profit rose to 866,000 pounds from 492,000 pounds.

In Cup Plus Plc (ICU LN) sank 1.13 pence, or 12 percent, to 8.25. The maker of drink vending machines forecast full-year sales will be ``significantly'' below market estimates.

K3 Business Technology Group Plc (KBT LN), a software developer focusing on Microsoft Corp. products, fell 8 pence, or 7.8 percent, to 95 after saying it will sell 1.4 million new shares. The company posted a first-half loss of 153,000 pounds, compared with a year-earlier profit.

Provident Financial Plc (PFG LN) gained 28.5 pence, or 4.5 percent, to 667. The lender to low-income households may sell its Yes Car Credit financing unit after the business led to a drop in first-half profit.

Raft International Plc (RFT LN), a maker of banking software, increased 88 pence, or 13 percent, to 7.5. The company said it signed a distribution agreement with U.S.-based Rome Corp.

SIG Plc (SHI LN) added 28 cents, or 4.2 percent, to 693. The insulation and roofing-materials distributor said first-half profit rose 25 percent to 26.3 million pounds.

Sutton Harbour Holdings Plc (SUH LN), the owner of Plymouth City Airport in southwest England, gained 11.5 pence, or 5.6 percent, to 218.5. The company forecast first-half and full-year results will be above market estimates.

Tullow Oil Plc (TLW LN) rose 6.75 pence, or 3.1 percent, to 225.25. The oil and natural gas company said first-half profit climbed more than sevenfold to 63.1 million pounds.

Irish stocks:

Qualceram Shires Plc (QLC ID), a 70-year-old Irish maker of ceramic bathroom sinks and toilets, fell 6 cents, or 4.8 percent, to 1.19 euros after posting a first-half loss of 3.68 million euro from a profit of 3.94 million euros.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katy Watson in London at kwatson@bloomberg.net Margo Towie in Brussels at mtowie@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 14, 2005 13:02 EDT