PRESS DIGEST - Washington Post Business - July 18

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - The Washington Post included the following items on the front page of its business section on Friday.

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Merrill Lynch MER.N reported a $4.65 billion loss during its second quarter, surpassing the expectations of the most pessimistic analysts and underscoring the continued toll of the subprime mortgage meltdown.

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Capital One (COF.N), one of the largest U.S. credit card companies, said that profit in the second quarter fell by 40 percent and it warned that more customers are defaulting on their loans.

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All types of fresh tomatoes are safe to eat, federal health officials said on Thursday, lifting a six-week-old warning that led restaurants to pull them and triggered tens of millions of dollars in losses for the tomato industry.

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