IBT Staff Reporter

Royal Dutch Shell beat forecasts with a 22 percent rise in first-quarter profit, thanks to higher oil and gas prices and fatter refining margins.

Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic Corp said it was planning 35,000 job cuts over three years to March 2013, nearly 10 percent of its workforce, in a bid to pare costs and keep up with Asian rivals.

Deutsche Bank beat forecasts with a quarterly net profit at a near-record level as crisis-era expansion at its investment bank bore fruit.

The dollar slid to three-year lows on Thursday, helping U.S. crude oil up to a 2-1/2 year high, and stocks rose worldwide as investors bet ultra-loose U.S. policy will continue to drive money into riskier assets.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho conceded he had lost the tie but vented his frustration on Barcelona accusing them of being aided to the final.

The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy steady on Thursday, saving its limited options to support growth for when there is more evidence that damage from last month's earthquake is proving bigger than expected.

Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic Corp will slash 40,000 jobs over the next two years in a bid to pare costs and keep up with ever-harsher competition from Asian rivals, a source said on Thursday.

Growth of alternative powertrain vehicles sales will be limited by consumer concerns about costs as well as functionality, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Green Automotive Study.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc has announced the pricing for the company's advanced 100 percent electric Mitsubishi i, powered by Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) technology.

The dollar skidded to three-year lows on Thursday, pushing U.S. crude oil to a 2-1/2 year high, while Asian stocks rose as investors bet that the easy U.S. monetary policy will continue to drive money to riskier assets.

Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS> reported a 47 percent jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, sending its shares to a record high, with investors betting earnings will continue to grow as Japanese rivals struggle with a production slump.

The watchdog for the $700 billion bank bailout program said on Thursday it will remain vigilant in protecting taxpayers especially now congressional supervisors have stopped oversight.

Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS> reported a 47 percent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday and said earnings would continue to grow thanks to strong global demand for new models and as Japanese rivals struggle with the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Former Berkshire Hathaway executive David Sokol deliberately misled Warren Buffett when pitching an investment to him, the company's board concluded in a scathing report that may add fuel to a pending SEC probe of Buffett's one-time heir apparent.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co <005380.KS> reported a 47 percent rise in quarterly net profit on Thursday, driven by strong global demand for its new models and as its Japanese rivals grapple with the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Logitech International , the world's largest computer mouse maker, on Wednesday reported a steep quarterly profit drop and predicted a rise in sales this year.

Samsung Electronics Co, the world's No.2 handset maker, launched a new version of its flagship smartphone Galaxy S in South Korea ahead of its global debut in May, targeting global sales of over 10 million this year.

Verizon Wireless was scrambling on Wednesday to resolve an outage of its highest-speed U.S. wireless network, on which the top U.S. cellular carrier is relying to drive future growth.

Two Lionel Messi late goals at the Santiago Bernabeu in a heated Champions League semifinal between Barcelona and Real Madrid to give the Catalans a vital away goal before the second leg next week.

The dollar slumped to three-year lows on Thursday, pushing U.S. crude to a 2- year high, while Asian stocks rose as investors bet that the easy U.S. monetary policy will continue to drive money to riskier assets.

Starbucks Corp warned that rising fuel and dairy costs will take a bigger chunk out of earnings than previously anticipated, and offered a full-year forecast that disappointed Wall Street.

Loyal PlayStation gamers are threatening to ditch Sony Corp after it disclosed that personal information for some 77 million user accounts was stolen from its computer systems in one of the biggest-ever data breaches.

Baidu Inc more than doubled its profit in the first quarter and forecast stronger-than-expected revenue for the second quarter, betting on strong online advertising demand among China's businesses.

NEW YORK, April 27 - Cash-strapped New York state would receive about $144 million from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc under a proposed settlement resolving tax claims against the defunct financial giant.

Former Berkshire Hathaway executive David Sokol deliberately misled Warren Buffett when pitching an investment to him, the company's board concluded in a scathing report that may add fuel to a pending SEC probe of Buffett's one-time heir apparent.

Sony Corp could face legal action across the globe after it belatedly revealed one of the biggest online data breaches ever.

Wall Street graded Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's first post-meeting news conference an A-, praising him for poise and transparency but noting that financial journalists didn't make him sweat.

EBay Inc reported a higher than expected quarterly profit as more people bought items on its auction site and its PayPal payment system was used by more merchants.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled on Wednesday that the U.S. central bank is in no rush to scale back its support for the economy with the labor market still in a very, very deep hole.