People who finance Hollywood continue to make large bets that people will still go to the movies.

The Rolling Stones have left EMI, the record label that has released the group’s music since the early 1990s, and signed a deal with the Universal Music Group.

Millions of dollars in federal contracts intended for small businesses reportedly were awarded to companies that had not qualified or had won the contracts fraudulently.

The disclosure, on the eve of the contracts’ announcement, is the first confirmation of direct U.S. involvement in deals to open Iraq’s oil to commercial development.