UNITED STATES

Eli Lilly and Co posted third-quarter profit well above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday on strong performance of its major prescription drugs and lower taxes, sending shares up 1.9 percent.

Striving to attain that perfect life, work balance? You're not alone, but if you live in Chicago you're more unlikely to find it with residents of the Windy City the most stressed in the United states.

Michael Jackson intended his run of 50 live concerts in London to be his live performance farewell and an event to share with his growing children, the director of his new movie said on Tuesday.

A single pill containing the pain relievers tramadol and acetaminophen is as effective as the drug gabapentin for treating diabetes-related nerve pain, according to study findings presented Tuesday at the 20th World Diabetes Congress in Montreal.

Research presented Tuesday at the 20th World Diabetes Congress in Montreal provides further evidence that healthy behaviors reduce mortality in people with and without diabetes.

Half of those hospitalized with the new H1N1 virus are under 25, a clear illustration that the pandemic is affecting the young disproportionately, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.

Merck and Co's failed AIDS vaccine may not have worked, but it probably did not raise the risk of infection either, doctors said Tuesday.

Months before Fed Tightens; Japan's Alternatives; Dell's Windows 7 Boost

Hooked on cocaine or cigarettes? The U.S. government wants drug companies to make a vaccine for that.

U.S. regulators are examining the growing number of nutrition claims found on the front of food packages after complaints that they give a misleading picture of their health benefits, officials said in a warning to food companies on Tuesday.

Media General Inc (MEG.N) reported a quarterly loss on Wednesday because of a writedown and said revenue fell 18 percent, but the newspaper publisher also said it sees signs that ad spending is improving.

Plains Capital Corp, a Dallas-based bank holding company and mortgage lender, said it expects its initial public offering of 15 million shares to be priced at $14 to $16 a share, in what could be the first IPO by a bank in more than two years.

Oil fell to around $78 a barrel on Wednesday, extending the previous session's decline from a one-year peak after a bigger-than-expected rise in U.S. crude oil inventories.

Canada's currency fell againstthe U.S. dollar on Wednesday as traders overseas got a chanceto react to the Bank of Canada warning that a strong domesticcurrency was undermining economic recovery.

A U.S. congressional committee is likely on Wednesday to endorse the creation of a financial watchdog agency to protect consumers, with large banks likely to feel its bite worst.

Eli Lilly and Co posted better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday as sales of its top-selling prescription drugs beat projections, and the drugmaker raised its full-year earnings forecast.

* U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 SPc1 down 0.24 percent, Dow Jones DJc1 futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 NDc1 futures down 0.34 percent.

Japanese automakers such as Honda and Nissan want to reduce their reliance on the U.S. market, where weak demand and a falling dollar have slashed profits, even as a poor turnout at their flagship auto show highlights the challenges at home.

Geely Holding's discussions to acquire Volvo from Ford Motor Co have stalled over disagreements on intellectual property, a source close to the talks said on Wednesday.

Profit taking in technology stocks pushed Asian shares slightly lower on Wednesday, though they remained near a 15-month high, while some stability in the U.S. dollar and a rise in inventories knocked oil below $79 a barrel.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.24 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.34 percent.