Brian Browdie

The fires may be out in Cape Town but a theory about the cause of blaze is kindling debate.

South Africa may be entering its fifth consecutive month of power outages but that hasn’t put President Jacob Zuma above buck-passing.

South Africa’s ruling party has had a rough week.

The lights are flickering on and off at South Africa’s biggest utility.

Google may put the world’s information at your fingertips, but good luck if you need a filing for a US federal court.

A movement that advocates Israel’s pullout from Palestinian territories is sparking calls for a boycott directed at one of South Africa’s most prominent retailers.

The numbers: Fair. Amgen said today it earned $1.24 billion in the third quarter, down from 9% from a year earlier, after spending $376 million on a restructuring effort. Revenue rose 6% to $5 billion. The company said it now expects annual revenue of $19.8 billion to $20 billion, up from the $19.7 billion it forecast previously.

US gas prices are falling, but in defiance of the traditional logic, the country’s economy may be unlikely to get much lift.

Attention, companies seeking hard workers: Look to the Andes.

Since Ebola made landfall in the US in September, officials at the US Centers of Disease Control and their counterparts at the state and local levels have campaigned to educate the public about how the virus can—and can’t—move from person to person.

From the corruption charges that have swirled around Brazil’s national oil company during the lead-up to this year’s presidential election, you might think the home of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is a beehive of bribery.

The numbers: Good. United Parcel Service said Friday it earned $1.2 billion in the third quarter, up 10.7% from a year earlier. Revenues rose 5.7% to $14.3 billion.

The numbers: Good. American Airlines said Thursday it earned a record $942 million in the third quarter, more than triple what it earned a year ago. Revenues rose 4.4% to $11.1 billion.

The numbers: Good. Boeing said today it earned nearly $1.36 billion in the third quarter, up 18% from a year ago. Revenues rose 2% to $23.78 billion.

The numbers: Good. US Bancorp said today it earned nearly $1.5 billion in the third quarter, up 2% from a year ago. Revenue rose 2% to $4.99 billion.

The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is impeding efforts to find a host for the continent’s biennial soccer championship.

It has been hard for US homebuyers to get a mortgage lately, but there are signs that this might change. Eventually.

The numbers: Bad. Coca-Cola said today it earned $2.1 billion in the third quarter, down 14% from a year ago. Revenue fell about a half-million dollars, to $11.98 billion. Shares fell.

The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is forcing businesses worldwide to assess the disease’s impact on their bottom lines. From makers of drugs and diagnostic tools to the travel industry, companies are confronting opportunities and threats from Ebola, and factoring the virus into their planning.

The numbers: Bad. IBM said today it earned $18 million in the third quarter, down from $4 billion a year earlier. The loss reflects a charge of $4.7 billion including costs to the sale of the company’s unprofitable chip-making business to GlobalFoundaries. Revenue fell 4%, to $22.4 billion.

A wave of financial results from Wall Street last week brought with it a resurgence of revenues from fixed-income trading, thanks to a renewal of volatility in bond and currency markets.

The numbers: Good. Morgan Stanley said today it earned $1.7 billion in the third quarter, up 89% from the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 12% to $8.9 billion.

This post has been updated to include a response from a Delta spokesman.

The numbers: Good. Goldman Sachs said today it earned $2.2 billion in the third quarter, up 48% from the same period a year earlier. Revenues rose 25% to $8.4 billion.