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• Coming soon to Facebook- more action, battle games

  *Facebook games platform to publish 10 titles. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- When nWay began a trial of its dark, sci-fi combat game "ChronoBlade" on Facebook last year, the San Francisco- based startup felt sure it had a hit on its hands.

• RPT-WRAPUP 2-Exxon, Chevron earnings boosted by refining margins

  HOUSTON/ SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- Renewed strength in refining and chemicals led to higher-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings for Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, the two largest U.S. oil companies.

• Apple pips Samsung for mobile phone sales lead in fourth quarter

  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- Apple Inc became the top mobile phone seller for the first time in the lucrative U.S. market during the fourth quarter of 2012, outshining arch rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, a report by Strategy Analystics showed.

• Bank-fraud software takes aim at government secrets

  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- The world of criminal computer hacking has traditionally been far removed from the cyber-spying efforts of governments, but security experts say several recent cases suggest the lines are starting to blur.

• Amazon unveils exclusive 'Downton Abbey' deal with PBS

  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- Amazon.com Inc said on Friday that it struck an exclusive deal to distribute seasons of the hit TV show "Downton Abbey" to members of its subscription-based video streaming service.

• WRAPUP 1-Exxon, Chevron earnings boosted by refining margins

  HOUSTON/ SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- Strength in refining and chemicals led to higher-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings for Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, the two largest U.S. oil companies.

• Court rejects Oracle's bid for a quicker end to HP suit

  SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1- A California appeals court on Thursday rejected an attempt by Oracle Corp to quickly end a bitter lawsuit brought by Hewlett-Packard Corp over Oracle's decision in 2011 to end support for HP's Itanium based servers.

• Beef Price Spike Makes $1 Burger Harder to Stomach

  

  McDonald's popular $1 McDouble cheeseburger, which has lured customers to the Golden Arches since 2008, is getting hard to sustain as rising beef prices threaten the company's profit margin.

• ANALYSIS-Beef price spike makes $1 McDouble harder to stomach

  *McDouble price above $1 in LA, Manhattan and Chicago McDonald's promoting $1 Grilled Onion Cheddar Burger. Feb 1- McDonald's popular $1 McDouble cheeseburger, which has lured customers to the Golden Arches since 2008, is getting hard to sustain as rising beef prices threaten the company's profit margin.

• Peregrine Financial auditors lacked skepticism - study

  SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 31- Auditors of Peregrine Financial, whose former CEO on Thursday was sentenced to 50 years for stealing $215 million from his customers, lacked the skepticism needed to assess the risk of fraud at the now-defunct futures brokerage, a study released on Thursday showed.

• UPDATE 3-Informant in Galleon insider-trading case gets a year in prison

  NEW YORK, Jan 31- Roomy Khan, a one-time technology company executive who became a key FBI informant in the insider-trading case against hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Thursday. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan also ordered her to forfeit nearly $1.53 million.

• TUPDATE 2-US insider trading informant gets 12 months in prison

  NEW YORK, Jan 31- Roomy Khan, a one-time technology company executive who became a key FBI informant in the insider-trading case against hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Thursday. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan also ordered her to forfeit nearly $1.53 million.

• UPDATE 2-Facebook stock avoids steep drop as Street rethinks results

  Jan 31- Shares of Facebook Inc recovered from an 8 percent slide on Thursday, finishing the regular session down less than 1 percent, as Wall Street's initial alarm over mobile revenue results and spending plans subsided.

• US tablet shipments soar during holidays, threaten to surpass PCs

  SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 31- Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook's prediction that tablets would one day outsell personal computers appears to be coming true.

• REFILE-TREASURIES-Prices steady in mixed U.S. data, payrolls awaited

  *U.S. jobless claims bounce off 5- year low. *Chicago PMI index at highest in January since April. NEW YORK, Jan 31- U.S.

• Apple Loses Appeals Bid for Samsung Sales Ban

  

  A U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected Apple request to revive its bid for a sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone.

• UPDATE 2-Apple loses a U.S. appeals bid in Samsung patent fight

  SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 31- A U.S. appeals court on Thursday rejected Apple Inc's request to revive its bid for a sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone, dashing the iPhone maker's attempt to recover crucial leverage in the global patent wars.

• Facebook starts selling retail gift cards on website

  SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 31- Facebook Inc introduced gift cards on Thursday that consumers can use at Target Corp and a handful of other businesses in the social network's latest move into the retail market.

• ANALYSIS-As growth wanes, Amazon begins to show Wall Street the money

  SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 31- After a spending spree in recent years pushed Amazon.com Inc's net results into the loss column, investors are betting that the company is tightening the purse strings and focusing on delivering a solid profit. Analysts say Amazon is emerging from that supercharged investment phase just as growth of its core retail business slows.

• U.S. dollar has momentum against the yen - will it last?

  NEW YORK, Jan 31- The U.S. dollar has reached its loftiest level in two-and-a-half years against the Japanese yen and investors expect the greenback to ascend ever higher peaks in coming months.