Microsoft on Thursday reported a rise in profits over the past quarter, showing gains in cloud computing and other new areas of focus as it absorbed the LinkedIn social network. The US tech giant, which is shifting away from dependence on software to a broader array of services, said the LinkedIn acquisition boosted its revenue in the last three months of the year but dragged on profit. The results, which got a lift from a big jump in cloud computing, helped push Microsoft shares up nearly one percent in after-hours trade.