IBT Staff Reporter

Maternal deaths in developing countries could be slashed by 70 percent and newborn deaths cut by nearly half if investment in family planning and pregnancy care was doubled, the United Nations said Thursday.

The U.S. government approved the first 13 batches of human embryonic stem cells on Wednesday, enabling researchers using them to get millions of dollars in federal funding as promised by President Barack Obama in March.

Most Americans would like to see a public option in health insurance reform but doubt anything Congress does will lower costs or improve care in the short term, according to a poll released on Thursday.

Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday as homebuilding revenue slumped and it wrote down the value of its land holdings.

New applications for U.S. jobless benefits unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest level in more than 14 months, suggesting a labor market edging toward stability, while productivity was less robust in the third quarter.

U.S. retailers from Macy's to Costco posted much weaker-than-expected sales for November as shoppers focused only on big bargains at the start of the key holiday selling season.

U.S. stock indexes pointed to a higher open on Thursday after Bank of America Corp said it would repay $45 billion in taxpayer bailout funds and data showed initial jobless claims fell last week.

The European Commission said on Thursday it had appealed against a successful court challenge by Poland and Estonia to their carbon quotas.

The planet would be better off if the forthcoming Copenhagen climate change talks ended in collapse, according to a leading U.S. scientist who helped alert the world to dangers of global warming.

Germany's top climate researcher says he hopes he and his fellow scientists around the world have got it all wrong about global warming.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for jobless insurance unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest level in more than 14 months, government data showed on Thursday, pointing to a moderation in the pace of job losses.

Brazilian oil and gas company OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes said Thursday it found signs of hydrocarbons in another well in the BM-C-41 bloc in the southern part of the Campos basin off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

Diversified energy company FirstEnergy Corp forecast a profit range for 2010, the top end of which could handily beat market estimates, as it gets a boost from its cost-cutting measures.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday will push back at efforts to curb the Fed's power as he goes before lawmakers considering his nomination to a second term at the central bank's helm.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc, facing criticism over its outsized profits and bonuses, will invest $61 million in the preservation of rental homes for low-income New Yorkers, the bank said on Wednesday.

Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc (TOL.N) posted a wider fourth-quarter loss, but said it was seeing some signs of recovery from a declining cancellation rate and improved pace of contract signings.

A New Media Superpower; Heading off a Backlash at Goldman; Unease on Recovery

Belgian drugmaker Movetis priced its initial public offering at 12.25 euros on Thursday -- just below the middle an indicated range of 11.25-14.25 euros, in a signal of the resurgence of the European IPO market.

U.S. online job postings fell slightly in November, due to a dip in demand for health care-related positions and employers' continued unease regarding economic recovery, a private research group said on Thursday.

MTS, Russia's largest mobile phone operator, plans to buy the local, privately-owned telecoms network operator Eurotel to boost expansion of its Internet broadband business and reduce leasing costs.

The closure of four ailing Venezuelan banks, and threats by President Hugo Chavez to nationalize more, have unsettled the South American nation's financial sector and made investors jittery.

President Barack Obama turns his attention on Thursday from Afghanistan to the battle against unemployment which has sapped his popularity and may shape his political future.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday after Bank of America Corp said it would repay $45 billion in taxpayer bailout funds.

The Grammy contenders for 2010 were announced Wednesday evening. R&B singer Beyonce led the list with 10 nominations followed by 19-year old country singer Taylor Swift with eight.

Several U.S. retailers posted weaker-than-expected sales for November, getting the key holiday season off to a sluggish start as consumers worried about the economy and double-digit unemployment.

Japan's Sony Corp said it is enjoying robust demand for its PlayStation 3 game console and other electronic products so far in this holiday shopping season in the key U.S. market.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday after Bank of America Corp said it would repay $45 billion in taxpayer bailout funds.

Comcast Corp struck a deal to buy a majority stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co, creating a media superpower that would control not just how TV shows and movies are made, but how they are delivered to the home.

Four British banks have a $5 billion combined exposure to Dubai World, making them the biggest foreign creditor group at the Dubai state-owned conglomerate, the Financial Times said on Thursday.