JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1191

Amazon shares jumped 13% after a third quarter beat, posting $1.95 EPS on $180.27 billion in revenue versus $1.57 and $177.8 billion expected. AWS revenue hit $33 billion, topping estimates and accelerating 20.2% versus the 18.1% analysts anticipated. CEO Andy Jassy said AWS is growing at a pace not seen since 2022 amid strong AI demand, with custom Trainium chips a highlight. Wall Street turned more bullish, with Goldman Sachs, Barclays, Bank of America, JPMorgan, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Citi lifting price targets up to $320.

HBO’s I Love LA casts the city as its real lead, following Maia, a 20-something talent manager who signs her estranged best friend Tallulah, a rising social media star. Alongside Charlie, Alani and Dylan, the series skewers influencer culture, nepo-baby privilege and LA's sunlit grind that can make or break you online. Created by and starring Rachel Sennott, in her first creator credit and directing debut, the brisk 30-minute comedy leans on sharp one-liners, internet-native cameos and self-aware cringe, as Maia hypes herself with, "Hustle until your idols become your rivals."

NASA pushed back after Kim Kardashian questioned the 1969 moon landing on her TV show, pointing to a “blowing” flag, boot prints and a starless sky. Acting administrator Sean Duffy shared a clip and replied that NASA has been to the Moon six times and is going back with Artemis under President Donald Trump’s leadership, vowing to win “this” space race. Kardashian then asked about 3I Atlas; Duffy called it the third interstellar comet seen in our solar system, said there’s no threat or aliens, and invited her to the Artemis launch at Kennedy Space Center.

A day after a 49-25 home collapse to Texas A&M, LSU fired Brian Kelly, ending his tenure at 34-14 amid a tense Sunday that doubled as a recruiting showcase. Sources described a program fraying under a distant head coach, lagging recruiting, and an anemic offense, last in SEC rushing for a second straight year. Athletic director Scott Woodward, who had pressed for staff changes, was fired days later; assistant head coach Frank Wilson is interim. With leadership in flux and fans restless, LSU begins a new search as Gov. Landry vows a markedly different contract.

Hurricane Melissa slammed Jamaica as a record Category 5, tearing roofs from 90% of homes in Black River, cutting power to three-quarters of the country, and killing at least 19. It weakened to Category 3 over Cuba and lashed Haiti, where flash floods and landslides killed at least 30. The storm is racing toward Bermuda and the Bahamas as it shifts post-tropical. In India, Cyclone Montha flooded Andhra Pradesh after 38,000 evacuations, causing an estimated 53bn rupees in damage. In Vietnam, torrential rain swamped Hue and Hoi An, prompting mass evacuations and leaving at least 10 dead.

Defying an army warning and an extended curfew, Tanzanians marched for a third day to denounce an election they say shut out key opposition figures. An internet blackout has shrouded the unrest, and the UN urged security forces to avoid unnecessary force after receiving reports, from credible sources, of at least 10 deaths. Authorities have played down the violence as hospitals refuse to share casualty data. Results from about 80 of 100 regions are in, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan expected to win, while Zanzibar’s incumbent won nearly 80% as opponents alleged fraud and tourists stranded by flight delays.

Automakers are navigating steep tariffs and supply snags, yet quarterly results show surprising resilience. Moody’s pegs this year’s industry tariff tab at $30 billion, even as chip shortages and an aluminum plant fire strain Ford and Stellantis. GM earned $3.4 billion and Ford $2.6 billion, beating forecasts; Stellantis revenue rose 13%, while Hyundai’s profit fell 29% but targets stand. Volkswagen Group posted a billion-plus loss amid tariffs and Porsche’s shift back to gas. Tariff cuts, looser parts rules, firmer prices, and environmental rollbacks are reshaping strategies and slowing EV plans.

With Halloween looming, the real fright is sticker shock: chocolate prices are up nearly 30% from last year and 78% over five years, pushing a 100-piece candy bag to $16.39 from $7.20 in 2020. Hershey and Mars raised prices about 22% and 12%, and Hershey warned of softer holiday sales as tariffs add $160 million to $170 million in costs. Cocoa futures that spiked above $12,000 a ton amid a 60-year supply deficit are still double pre-pandemic levels. Shoppers are shifting to cheaper sweets: chocolate's share fell to 44%, while non-chocolate sales climbed 8.3%.

Google’s Gemini for Home rolls AI into paid Home app plans, promising daily video summaries, AI-labeled alerts, and the Ask Home chatbot. But early use shows shaky accuracy: dogs repeatedly tagged as deer, empty rooms flagged as people, and package drops missed, prompting false alarms and eroding trust. The model analyzes event video only—no audio—and users can try to nudge it with corrections; Google says improvements are coming. The $20 Advanced tier includes 60-day history but forces AI descriptions, while the $10 plan retains 30 days without generative summaries.

At the APEC summit in Gyeongju, Xi Jinping, the lone superpower leader after President Trump’s exit, courted partners for trade and investment while urging them to strengthen, not sever, supply chains linked to China. In speeches, he warned against protectionism and unilateral “bullying.” His appeal came as Beijing paused proposed rare earth export controls after a tariff-easing truce with the United States that included soybean purchases and delayed US curbs. Japan’s new prime minister voiced sharp concerns over rare earths, territorial disputes and rights issues, as analysts called China’s rare earth stance geopolitical leverage.