Verizon eyes mobile margin jump as fourth-quarter disappoints

(Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc posted a weaker-than-expected wireless operating profit margin due to hefty costs from smartphones like Apple's iPhone, but the U.S. telephone company promised a big improvement this year as it cuts costs. While Verizon's fourth quarter bottom line was weaker than anticipated, investors were encouraged when Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said...

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Woman in Te'o fake girlfriend photo speaks out

NEW YORK (AP) — The woman whose photo was used as the "face" of the Twitter account of Manti Te'o's supposed girlfriend says the man allegedly behind the hoax confessed and apologized to her.Diane O'Meara told NBC's "Today" show Tuesday that Ronaiah Tuiasosopo used pictures of her without her knowledge in creating a fake woman called Lennay Kekua. Te'o asserts he was tricked into an online romance...

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Walters expects to leave hospital soon

NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara Walters says she expects to be home from the hospital soon after taking a spill at a Saturday night party at the British ambassador’s home in Washington.The veteran ABC newswoman thanked people who expressed concern in a statement read Monday on “The View.”She says she’s running a low-grade fever and doctors don’t want to release her until her temperature is normal. She says...

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Flu season fuels debate over paid sick time laws

NEW YORK (AP) — Sniffling, groggy and afraid she had caught the flu, Diana Zavala dragged herself in to work anyway for a day she felt she couldn't afford to miss.A school speech therapist who works as an independent contractor, she doesn't have paid sick days. So the mother of two reported to work and hoped for the best — and was aching, shivering and coughing by the end of the day. She stayed home...

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Steve Harvey to host Feb. 1 NAACP Image Awards

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steve Harvey is hosting next month's NAACP Image Awards.The organization said Tuesday that presenters will include "Django Unchained" nominees Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx. Queen Latifah and Tony Goldwyn also will be among the presenters. Dennis Haysbert will be the announcer for the live broadcast.Comedian-TV talk show host Harvey said he's honored to host the ceremony and...

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Area home sales up 19% in December

More than 7,000 consumers in the Chicago-area bought themselves a home last month, the best finish for the year since December...

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Obama lays out 2nd-term agenda

In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama says enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. But he said the U.S. will defend itself through 'strengths of arms and rule of law.' (Jan. 21) ...

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RIM mulls licensing out software: CEO in paper

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Research in Motion will look into strategic alliances with other technology companies once it has launched its new BlackBerry 10 models, its chief executive told a German newspaper. German-born CEO Thorsten Heins told daily Die Welt in an interview published on Monday that the group's strategic review could lead to the sale of RIM's hardware production or the sale...

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Harbaugh brothers take 49ers, Ravens to Super Bowl

This Super Bowl will be filled with firsts — and one significant last.The Harbaughs, San Francisco's Jim and Baltimore's John, will be the first pair of brothers to coach against each other in the NFL title game.Quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers and Joe Flacco of the Ravens each will be playing in his first Super Bowl — where success is the ultimate measure of elite QBs.It'll be Baltimore's...

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt mines the humor in porn for “Don Jon”

PARK CITY, Utah (Reuters) – After a remarkable run with leading roles in films such as “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Inception,” actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt stepped behind the camera to direct “Don Jon’s Addiction,” a raunchy comedy that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.“Don Jon’s Addiction,” which Gordon-Levitt also wrote and stars in, leads a slate of films about sex on this year’s Sundance...

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