IBT Staff Reporter

General Motors Corp said it burned through $10.2 billion in the first quarter as it relied on a federal bailout to ride out a sharp decline in global sales that overwhelmed its cost-cutting efforts.

U.S. airlines saw a steep decline in the number of passengers they carried in April, but planes were more full, a sign that steep capacity cuts may be serving their intended purpose.

Muslims living in European countries feel far more isolated than those living in the United States, according to a survey on coexistence, with a lack of access to education and jobs reinforcing a sense of ostracism.

When Pope Benedict stops to pray at a pool of still green water here on Sunday, his visit will bolster the case that Jesus was baptized at this spot on the east bank of the Jordan River.

U.S. car maker General Motors Corp could take a stake in the company that would be created by merging its European car business with Fiat SpA's auto unit, a source close to the situation said on Thursday.

Renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians must tackle core issues including Jerusalem, Middle East envoy Tony Blair said, raising the specter of a clash with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The U.S. envoy for North Korea began a swing through Asia on Thursday to seek support from regional powers to rein in North Korea, which may be preparing to rattle security with a second nuclear test.

Unilever's new star Paul Polman added sparkle to its shares on Thursday by outlining his plans to reignite volume growth and change the way executives are rewarded at the underperforming consumer goods giant.

The EU and Georgia's influential Orthodox Church leader urged political forces in the former Soviet republic to step back from the brink on Thursday after weeks of protests against the president flared into violence.

A suicide bomber on a motorbike struck a convoy of foreign troops in southern Afghanistan Thursday, killing 12 civilians and wounding 30 people, a provincial governor's spokesman said.

Mexicans were returning to normal life on Thursday after a five-day business shutdown due to the H1N1 flu virus and China eased quarantine measures, but the virus spread slowly in Europe.

Pakistani aircraft pounded Taliban positions in the Swat valley on Thursday as thousands of people took advantage of a break in a curfew to flee from the region.

China on Thursday put the official number of dead and missing schoolchildren from last year's devastating Sichuan earthquake at 5,335, far lower than the number compiled from news reports at the time.

Tonight, instead of more charts that demonstrate an increasingly broken market, or links to mainstream media sources of exponentially diminishing value, I provide a selection

President Barack Obama proposed on Thursday nearly doubling funds to enforce U.S. tax laws next year, with an aim of more than quadrupling funding for tax compliance to $2.1 billion within five years.

General Electric Co said on Thursday it plans to invest $6 billion by 2015 to lower the cost of healthcare, in a push the U.S. conglomerate is calling Healthymagination.

Thomson Reuters Corp reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and affirmed its expectation that revenue will grow in 2009.

Stocks fell on Thursday as analyst downgrades in the telecom sector and a move out of technology stocks outweighed hopes that bank stress tests results would show most banks are healthier than thought.

NEW YORK, May 7 - The Nasdaq turned lower on Thursday, and the Dow and the S&P 500 cut gains, as a sell-off in big-cap technology and telecommunications companies weighed.

Fed's bank results reassuring [and a joke at the same time], show no insolvency

NEW YORK - U.S. retailers reported better-than-expected monthly sales figures for a second straight month in April, offering fresh evidence that consumers' willingness to spend is warming up with the spring weather.

Rogers Communications Inc. will launch two mobile devices in June that will run on Google Inc.'s Android operating system, making it the first carrier in Canada to carry the so-called Google phone.

The European Central Bank cut its main interest rate to a new record low on Thursday, and will buy up bonds for the first time in a bid to stem the euro zone's economic decline and shore up shaky markets.

The new president of South Africa is set to be inaugurated on Saturday at the Union Buildings, the nation’s governmental residence, accompanied by his three first ladies.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Thursday reported a stronger-than-expected 5 percent rise in sales at U.S. stores open at least a year in April, helped by demand for Easter merchandise.

The Nasdaq turned lower on Thursday, and the Dow and the S&P 500 cut gains, as a sell-off in big-cap technology and telecommunications companies weighed.

A bigger role must be found for improving energy efficiency in any new U.N. deal aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a leading China-based project developer said on Thursday.

Chrysler chief executive Bob Nardelli praised a court decision that opens up the way for the bankrupt firm to sell its assets, creating an alliance with Fiat SpA.

Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Corp shares rallied in premarket trading ahead of the release of stress test results that will force them and other top banks to raise tens of billions of dollars in capital.