Youth support drives passage of California tax-hike measure

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California‘s 74-year-old governor, Jerry Brown, engineered a surprise victory for his tax-hike ballot proposition by tapping support at the other end of the age spectrum.Proposition 30, a temporary $ 6 billion tax hike, passed with a solid 54 percent approval on Tuesday, driven largely by a higher-than-expected turnout of young...

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Country duo Civil Wars cancel tour, cite discord

LONDON (Reuters) – Grammy Award-winning country-folk duo The Civil Wars have cancelled their British tour dates, citing “irreconcilable differences” via Twitter and Facebook.The pair made the announcement shortly after performing at the Roundhouse in north London late on Tuesday, but they added that they hoped to record together soon. “We...

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Los Angeles mandates condoms for porn actors, industry threatens suit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles County voters passed a ballot initiative mandating that pornographic film actors wear condoms during sex scenes, prompting a trade group on Wednesday to threaten to sue and take production elsewhere.Measure B, which was sponsored by the group AIDS Healthcare Foundation, won approval on Tuesday by a margin of 55.85 percent...

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Walmart moves “Black Friday” earlier on Thanksgiving night

(Reuters) – Walmart will kick off its holiday sales rush at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, its earliest start ever, and will guarantee that those who line up can buy a trio of gadgets as it places a big bet that shoppers are ready to spend this holiday season.The holiday season is critical for Wal-Mart Stores Inc , the world’s largest retailer, and its Walmart...

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Merkel says Germany, Britain must work together on EU

LONDON (Reuters) – Germany and Britain must cooperate to work round their differences on the European Union‘s long-term spending plans, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.“Despite differences that we have it is very important for me that the UK and Germany work together,” Merkel said through a translator before a meeting in London with Prime...

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AT&T’s Nokia Windows phone prices to undercut rivals

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – AT&T set a $ 50 starting price for Nokia‘s latest Windows smartphones, on which the struggling Finnish phone maker is pinning its hopes for a turnaround.The No. 2 U.S. mobile provider said on Tuesday that it will sell the Nokia Lumia 820 for $ 49.99 and the flagship Lumia 920 phone for $ 99.99 compared with its $ 199.99...

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The Civil Wars cancel tour using divorce language

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Grammy-winning duo The Civil Wars have canceled their upcoming tour dates, citing irreconcilable differences.The folk-pop duo Joy Williams and John Paul White released a statement Tuesday announcing that because of “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition” they were unable to “continue as a touring entity at...

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Pfizer says FDA approves arthritis drug Xeljanz

NEW YORK (AP) — Pfizer says the Food and Drug Administration approved its rheumatoid arthritis pill Xeljanz (ZEL’jans), seen as potential big seller for the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.Pfizer Inc. says the FDA approved Xeljanz as a treatment for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in patients who can’t take methotrexate or haven’t been helped...

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Futures off lows as election called for Obama

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stock index futures fell late on Tuesday, but were off session lows, as major TV networks called the U.S. presidential election for Democratic incumbent Barack Obama over challenger Mitt Romney.S&P 500 futures fell 6.7 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends...

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Officials: New mass graves found in Ivory Coast

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Up to 10 new mass graves have been discovered near the site of a July attack on a camp for displaced people, officials said Tuesday, amid allegations that initial casualty totals were downplayed to mask killings carried out by the national army.Rights groups claim summary executions were carried out by the Republican Forces...

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