Globe promotes Hall to VP of human resources

The Boston Globe appointed Christopher Hall to serve as vice president of human resources effective immediately. Since 2005, Hall has worked as executive director of labor/employee relations/safety for the newspaper. As vice president of human resources, Hall, 38, will oversee employee development, recruitment and hiring, benefits and services, health services, and diversity and inclusion. Hall has worked at the paper for 15 years in a variety of roles within employee relations. In his most recent position, Hall played a significant role in the development and implementation of the newspaper's labor strategy. "Chris brings proven expertise to this key executive position," Globe publisher Steven Ainsley said in a statement. (Jenn Abelson)

Boston Herald business editor Greg Gatlin is leaving the paper to serve as director of public affairs at Suffolk University in Boston. No successor has been named, but the Herald said it plans to appoint someone before Gatlin starts his new post next month. Gatlin, who has worked for a decade at the Herald, was named business editor in 2006. He previously served as the deputy business editor and worked as a reporter for seven years. At Suffolk, Gatlin, 41, will supervise all print, broadcast, and online media relations. (Jenn Abelson)

Two multiple sclerosis patients developed skin cancer after taking Tysabri, a drug from Biogen Idec Inc. and Elan Corp. that suppresses the immune system, according to a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine. Both patients were women in their 40s with existing growths that had been monitored for some time without any cancerous changes, according to their doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. One experienced rapid changes in the mole on her shoulder after a single dose, while the other had a benign lesion in her eye develop into ocular melanoma after several doses, the doctors said. Tysabri was removed from the market in February 2005 after being linked to a rare brain infection in three patients. Sales resumed in July 2006 with strict monitoring and it won approval for Crohn's disease last month. (Bloomberg)

Apex Bioventures Acquisition Corp. said it agreed to buy Dynogen Pharmaceuticals Inc. for about $98 million in stock. Closely held Dynogen will merge with a subsidiary of Apex and become a public company after the transaction, the companies said. The combined company will take Dynogen's name, be led by Dynogen chief executive Lee Brettman, and keep Dynogen's headquarters in Waltham. Dynogen makes drugs for irritable bowel syndrome, nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease, and overactive bladder. (Bloomberg)

The Washington Post named Katharine Weymouth its publisher, restoring a member of the Graham family to the position after a seven-year hiatus. The newspaper also disclosed plans to offer voluntary buyouts to employees next month, the third such round since 2003 and the latest sign of contraction in the newspaper industry, which is being hard-hit by an economic slowdown and a shift of advertising dollars to the Internet. Weymouth, 41, has been vice president of advertising since 2005. (AP)

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts disclosed plans to create a live performance attraction based on "American Idol" at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Much like the hugely popular Fox singing competition, the as-yet-unnamed attraction - scheduled to open in late 2008 - will allow theme park guests to audition, then perform before a live studio audience. Disney licensed the rights to create the attraction from "Idol" coproducers 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia, despite the fact the show airs on Fox and Disney owns competitor ABC. (AP)

Exxon Mobil Corp. won court orders in the United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the Caribbean freezing more than $12 billion in Venezuelan assets amid a battle over the government's seizure of oil projects. Exxon Mobil, the world's largest oil company, sought the orders on concern the Venezuelan state oil company will shift assets to other Latin American countries and China to put them out of reach of an international arbitration commission, the company said in a UK court filing. (Bloomberg)