Sony set to make pre-emptive strike on Microsoft with PS4

TOKYO (Reuters) – Sony Corp is expected to showcase a new PlayStation console on Wednesday in a pre-emptive strike against Microsoft Corp’s bid to make its Xbox the world’s leading hub for household entertainment.The rare PlayStation event in New York comes amid industry speculation that Microsoft is set to unveil the successor to its Xbox 360, which beats the seven-year-old PlayStation 3′s online...

Read More..

Robin Roberts Welcomed Back to GMA by the Obamas

By Stephen M. Silverman 02/20/2013 at 07:50 AM EST From left: Josh Elliott, Sam Champion, Robin Roberts, Lara Spencer, and George Stephanopoulos Heidi Gutman/ABC A standing ovation from her crew greeted Robin Roberts at the door of the ABC Times Square studio...

Read More..

Drug overdose deaths up for 11th consecutive year

CHICAGO (AP) — Drug overdose deaths rose for the 11th straight year, federal data show, and most of them were accidents involving addictive painkillers despite growing attention to risks from these medicines."The big picture is that this is a big problem that has gotten much worse quickly," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which gathered and analyzed...

Read More..

Stock futures flat with data, Fed minutes on tap

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday, ahead of data on the housing market and inflation, as well as minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's January meeting. Housing starts and permits for January along with the January producer price index are due at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT). Economists in a Reuters survey forecast the housing starts...

Read More..

Bulgarian government resigns amid growing protests

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's government resigned on Wednesday after violent nationwide protests against high power prices, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity during Europe's debt crisis. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, a former bodyguard who swept to power in 2009 on pledges to root out corruption and raise living standards in the European Union's poorest...

Read More..

Fergie Pregnant: Singer & Husband Josh Duhamel Confirm News On Twitter

Fergie and Josh Duhamel are expecting their first child together.The pair both confirmed the news on their Twitter accounts on Monday afternoon.PLAY IT NOW: Josh Duhamel & Julianne Hough’s Double Date Night At Safe Haven PremiereFergie, 37, wrote, “Josh & Me & BABY makes three!!! #mylovelybabybump.”Josh, 40, Tweeted, “Fergie and Me and BABY makes three. #MyLovelyBabyBump.”VIEW THE PHOTOS:...

Read More..

Reeva Steenkamp Laid to Rest

By Tim Nudd 02/19/2013 at 07:45 AM EST With her boyfriend Oscar Pistorius in court 600 miles away, slain model Reeva Steenkamp was laid to rest in her south-coast hometown of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on Tuesday – cremated at a service attended by devastated friends and family. "There's a space missing inside...

Read More..

Hip implants a bit more likely to fail in women

CHICAGO (AP) — Hip replacements are slightly more likely to fail in women than in men, according to one of the largest studies of its kind in U.S. patients. The risk of the implants failing is low, but women were 29 percent more likely than men to need a repeat surgery within the first three years.The message for women considering hip replacement surgery remains unclear. It's not known which models...

Read More..

Stock futures edge higher after seven-week rally

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures edged higher on Tuesday, indicating the S&P 500 will build on its seven-week winning streak ahead of data on the housing market. * The S&P 500 <.spx> has risen for seven straight weeks, its longest streak since January 2011, and is up 6.6 percent for the year. * The strong start to the year was fueled by legislators in...

Read More..

Chavez back in Venezuela, on Twitter with 4 million followers

CARACAS (Reuters) - After Hugo Chavez spent two months out of the public eye for cancer surgery in Cuba, the Venezuelan government hailed his homecoming on Monday and said the president had achieved another milestone - four million followers on Twitter. The 58-year-old flew back from Havana before dawn and was taken to a military hospital. No new details were given on his health, and...

Read More..