Markets brush off Obama win amid gridlock concerns

LONDON (AP) — The re-election of President Barack Obama gave markets a short-lived boost Wednesday, before concerns over his ability to get a budget agreement from a divided Congress and more grim economic news out of Europe turned sentiment around.Obama easily clinched a majority in the electoral college, holding on to a raft of key swing states in Tuesday’s...

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Cautious reformers tipped for new China leadership

BEIJING (Reuters) – China‘s ruling Communist Party will this month unveil its new top leadership team, expected to again be an all-male cast of politicians whose instincts are to move cautiously on reform.Sources close to the leadership say 10 main candidates are vying for seven seats on the party’s next Politburo Standing Committee, the peak decision-making...

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Princess Leia Learns to Be a Disney Princess [VIDEO]

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American composer Elliott Carter dies at age 103

(Reuters) – Classical composer Elliott Carter, who twice won Pulitzer Prizes in a career that spanned more than 75 years, died on Monday in New York at age 103, music publisher Boosey & Hawkes said.Carter was awarded Pulitzer Prizes in 1960 and 1973 for string quartet compositions. He composed 158 works, including several at over 100 years of age....

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St Jude device lowers blood pressure in small study

(Reuters) – St Jude Medical Inc said on Monday its procedure that deadens nerves near the kidneys helped lower blood pressure in a small study of patients whose hypertension could not be controlled with drugs.Patients in the study who were treated with the Enlightn renal denervation system saw an average reduction of 28 points in systolic blood pressure,...

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Ahead of the Bell: Express Scripts plummets

NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Express Scripts slid in premarket trading Tuesday after the pharmacy benefits manager warned that persistent high joblessness and economic uncertainty would make 2013 more challenging, and expectations of Wall Street analysts were too high.Pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs, run prescription drug plans for employers, insurers...

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Bomb shakes Damascus, opposition holds unity talks

AMMAN (Reuters) – A bomb exploded near army and security compounds in Damascus, Syrian television reported, and fractured opposition groups seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad began unity talks abroad to win international respect and arms supplies.The 50-kilogram (110-pound) bomb, near a large hotel in a heavily guarded district, was described...

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The app’s the thing as Shakespeare goes digital

TORONTO (Reuters) – William Shakespeare‘s plays are getting a 21st century-style makeover in the form of new apps for tablets and smart phones nearly 500 years after the Bard took pen to parchment.Plays such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “Macbeth” spring to life in iPad apps released by Cambridge University Press, which pairs the texts with audio performances,...

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Sharon Osbourne has double mastectomy

LONDON (AP) — Sharon Osbourne says she had a double mastectomy after learning she carries a gene that increases the risk of developing breast cancer.Osbourne told Hello! magazine that “I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me.” The 60-year-old “America’s Got Talent” judge, who had colon...

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BioMarin genetic disorder drug meets main goal, shares jump

(Reuters) – BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc said a late-stage trial of its experimental genetic disorder drug met the main goal of improving patients’ walking ability when administered weekly, sending the company‘s shares up 25 percent in premarket trading.The drug, called GALNS, however, did not show any improvement over a placebo when administered every...

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