Amazon’s spending spree to hurt margins now, boost profit later: analysts

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc‘s spending spree will hurt margins in the near term but boost profit in the long run, analysts said, after the world’s No.1 internet retailer posted a loss on heavy spending on technology, infrastructure and digital content.Amazon shares were set to open about 2 percent higher on Friday even though the company forecast weak sales ahead of...

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Jill Scott to star in Fox Searchlight’s ‘Baggage Claim’

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) – Jill Scott, the Grammy-winning neo soul singer-songwriter, will star in “Baggage Claim” for Fox Searchlight, the studio announced on Thursday.She will appear alongside Paula Patton and Derek Luke in this romantic comedy from writer/director David E. Talbert. Patton will play Montana Moore, a flight attendant who tries...

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First Person: A Supportive Partner Makes All the Difference when Fighting Breast Cancer

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Yahoo News asked women who have had breast cancer or are going through treatment to write about the people in their lives who stood by them and cared for them. Here’s one story.FIRST PERSON | It was Feb. 19, 2007, when I was told I had breast cancer. I was just 32, with two children, Adam, 4, and Kaitlyn,...

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Moody’s warns may downgrade five big Canadian banks

NEW YORK/TORONTO (Reuters) – Moody’s Investors Service warned on Friday it could cut its ratings on five top Canadian banks on concerns about a softening economy and volatile capital markets, a blow to a banking system named the soundest in the world four years in a row.But the outlook for the sector is no longer as rosy, Moody’s said, because of the risks presented...

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Amnesty Int: Ivory Coast torturing detainees

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — Ivory Coast security officials are torturing dozens of detainees by administering electric shocks and other forms of abuse, Amnesty International alleged Friday.The victims include people charged with endangering state security in the wake of a recent spate of attacks targeting military installations. Since early August, unknown gunmen have...

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Apple’s weak margin outlook surprises analysts

(Reuters) – At least three brokerages cut their price targets on Apple Inc by up to $ 50 a share after the iPhone maker surprised analysts by forecasting lower gross margins for the current quarter.Apple shares edged lower 0.1 percent to $ 608.85 in premarket trading. For the December quarter, Apple forecast revenue of $ 52 billion, below...

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Apple’s weak margin outlook surprises analysts

(Reuters) – At least three brokerages cut their price targets on Apple Inc by up to $ 50 a share after the iPhone maker surprised analysts by forecasting lower gross margins for the current quarter.Apple shares edged lower 0.1 percent to $ 608.85 in premarket trading. For the December quarter, Apple forecast revenue of $ 52 billion, below...

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Katy Perry wears her ballot at Obama rally

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Katy Perry‘s doing her best get-out-the vote effort: At a rally for President Barack Obama, she wore a tight white dress imprinted like a ballot, and a square box on her right hip filled in the names of Obama and Joe Biden.Perry gave a free concert at a park in a historically minority neighborhood just northwest of downtown Las Vegas to screaming fans...

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Katy Perry wears her ballot at Obama rally

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Katy Perry‘s doing her best get-out-the vote effort: At a rally for President Barack Obama, she wore a tight white dress imprinted like a ballot, and a square box on her right hip filled in the names of Obama and Joe Biden.Perry gave a free concert at a park in a historically minority neighborhood just northwest of downtown Las Vegas to screaming fans...

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Tax gains lift Merck, but sales disappoint

(Reuters) – Merck & Co Inc reported a higher-than-expected third-quarter profit, as a favorable tax rate and lower merger costs helped offset plunging sales of its former flagship product, Singulair, an asthma drug that began facing cheaper generics in August.But overall company sales came in slightly below Wall Street expectations, as Singulair’s decline outpaced...

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Tax gains lift Merck, but sales disappoint

(Reuters) – Merck & Co Inc reported a higher-than-expected third-quarter profit, as a favorable tax rate and lower merger costs helped offset plunging sales of its former flagship product, Singulair, an asthma drug that began facing cheaper generics in August.But overall company sales came in slightly below Wall Street expectations, as Singulair’s decline outpaced...

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Oil rebounds to over $86 a barrel on US growth

Faster-than-expected economic growth in the United States helped the price of oil reverse early losses on Friday and climb back above $ 86 a barrel.By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for December delivery was up 22 cents to $ 86.27 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 32 cents to finish at $ 86.05 a barrel...

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Oil rebounds to over $86 a barrel on US growth

Faster-than-expected economic growth in the United States helped the price of oil reverse early losses on Friday and climb back above $ 86 a barrel.By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for December delivery was up 22 cents to $ 86.27 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 32 cents to finish at $ 86.05 a barrel...

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Lull in fighting between Israel, Gaza militants

JERUSALEM (AP) — A flare-up in fighting between Israel and militants from Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement has subsided.Both sides say the government in Egypt helped to restore calm. Israeli defense official Amos Gilad told Army Radio on Thursday that Egyptian security forces have “a very impressive ability” to convey to the militants that it...

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Lull in fighting between Israel, Gaza militants

JERUSALEM (AP) — A flare-up in fighting between Israel and militants from Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement has subsided.Both sides say the government in Egypt helped to restore calm. Israeli defense official Amos Gilad told Army Radio on Thursday that Egyptian security forces have “a very impressive ability” to convey to the militants that it...

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News Summary: Facebook stock surges

STOCK SURGE: Facebook‘s stock gained the most in a single day since its May IPO, closing up 19 percent, or $ 3.73, at $ 23.23 Wednesday.MOBILE RELIEF: Several analysts upgraded the social network after its third-quarter results were posted Tuesday, which detailed for the first time how much money it makes from mobile ads. Mobile had been a concern since before the...

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“ER” Alum Ming-Na joins Joss Whedon’s “S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot for ABC

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – “ER” veteran Ming-Na has signed on for another acronym-driven project.Ming-Na, who starred on the medical drama “ER” for nine years, has signed on for “Marvel‘s S.H.I.E.L.D.” pilot, which will be written by “Avengers” writer-director Joss Whedon, his brother Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen (“Dollhouse”). The...

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