IBT Staff Reporter

Motorola Inc reported a surprising quarterly profit on better-than-expected demand for its higher-margin smartphones, vindicating its strategy of relying on Google Inc's Android software system.

If your dream job is to work in the video game industry then the future is looking brighter with industry players seeing a pick-up in the number of jobs becoming available although salaries remain flat.

Fewer than a third of office workers said their buildings are environmentally friendly, according to the poll of 6,486 office workers conducted for IBM Corp.

Greece readied severe austerity measures Thursday to secure a multi-billion euro aid package needed to avoid default, providing relief to financial markets but drawing threats of a mighty battle from Greek unions.

A rise in the yuan would make Chinese exports less competitive and cut the cost of imports, providing incentives for capital and labour to be redeployed towards the domestic sectors of the economy.

Higher oil prices boosted quarterly profits for Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips , but Exxon saw its earnings hurt by recently enacted U.S. health reform legislation.

Developing markets were critical for consumer product makers last quarter, as strong sales growth in countries like China helped drive profits while markets such as the United States remain somewhat sluggish.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Almost twice as many Swedes as Britons survive the first five years after a lung cancer diagnosis, a new report reveals.

The best results always come from a combination of a great résumé marketing a great candidate.

Procter & Gamble Co posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by its biggest volume gain in more than four years, but it forecast results for the current quarter below Wall Street estimates.

The use by Lehman Brothers bank of a U.S. accounting device to strengthen its balance sheet would not have worked under global accounting rules, a top industry official told the Reuters Global Financial Regulation Summit on Thursday.

GROZNY, Russia (Reuters Life!) - Models in floor-length gowns of crimson and gold, their heads downturned and framed by hijabs, showed off Eastern-inspired designs on Tuesday to the elite of Chechnya, where Moscow is battling Islamist extremism.

Dear Sam: I'm writing with a question regarding the follow-up process for a job application or résumé submission.

Foreclosure activity fell in 14 of the top 20 U.S. metropolitan areas in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, even though total U.S. foreclosures rose, RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

The challenge: She had created a functional résumé, presenting her experience in an Accomplishments section and leaving her work history to fall to the end of her résumé.

U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday after the Federal Reserve said it was more upbeat about the economy and Greece looked closer to a bailout deal.

Car dealer Pendragon Plc said new retail car sales in the first quarter rose, outperforming the market, and forecast 2010 profitability to be line with expectations.

Auto parts maker BorgWarner Inc raised its 2010 earnings outlook after posting a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit, propelled by improving industry production and rising demand for fuel-saving components such as turbochargers.

Brilliance Auto, BMW's partner in China, has halted its car exports to Europe after its in-house designed BS4 and BS6 sedans met with a cool reception, highlighting the quality issues facing Chinese automakers eager to tap mature markets.

Toyota Motor Corp will voluntarily recall about 50,000 Sequoia sport utilities because the stability system could cause an unexpected problem with low-speed acceleration, the company said on Wednesday.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Motors Corp are aiming to bump up sales in China by almost a quarter this year, heating up competition with global and local rivals.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell slightly less than expected last week, government data showed on Thursday, implying only a gradual labor market improvement.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell slightly less than expected last week, government data showed on Thursday, implying only a gradual labor market improvement.

Exxon Mobil Corp said on Thursday that first-quarter profit rose 38 percent on higher crude prices and output, but the results missed Wall Street expectations as recently enacted U.S. healthcare legislation took a toll on results at the largest U.S. oil company.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday after the Federal Reserve said it was more upbeat about the economy and Greece looked closer to a bailout deal.

(Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc said on Wednesday it would immediately stop terminating healthcare coverage for policyholders after they become ill, to comply with a new healthcare law months ahead of schedule.

Greece readied severe austerity measures on Thursday to secure multi-billion dollar aid, providing relief to financial markets but drawing threats of a mighty battle from Greek unions.

Colgate-Palmolive Co posted a sharp rise in sales, but profit fell as it took a hefty charge to account for hyper-inflation in Venezuela.

U.S. fund managers increased their already high exposure to equities in April and decreased bond allocations on signs the economic recovery is sustainable, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.