TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics conglomerate Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it expects operating profit to increase 11.7 percent in the year through March 2018 as sales of automotive batteries expand.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Apple will not proceed with a planned data center in Athenry, Ireland, because of delays in the planning approval process, RTE reported on Thursday citing a company statement.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics conglomerate Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it expects operating profit to increase 11.7 percent in the year through March 2018 as sales of vehicle components and batteries expand.

LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber security firm Avast was down almost 3 percent in its debut on Thursday compared to its offer price of 250 pence in the biggest initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange since July 2017.

LONDON (Reuters) - BT will cut 13,000 managerial and back-office jobs and move to a smaller London base in the latest attempt by the boss of Britain's biggest telecoms group to rebuild from an accounting scandal and downturn in trading.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Uber is expanding further into Spain by launching a multi-city ride-hailing service across the Costa del Sol beach resort hotspot before the busy summer season.

LONDON (Reuters) - BT is cutting 13,000 managerial and back-office jobs and leaving its London headquarters in the latest attempt by Britain's biggest telecoms group to rebuild after an accounting scandal and downturn in trading.

LONDON (Reuters) - BT is cutting 13,000 managerial and back-office jobs and plugging its pension black hole, while placating shareholders by maintaining its dividend, in the latest restructuring by Britain's biggest telecoms group.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's biggest conglomerate, Samsung Group [SAGR.UL], came for fresh criticism about its ownership structure on Thursday, with the country's antitrust chief saying it was unsustainable.

(Reuters) - Xerox Corp's board said on Wednesday it intended to resume merger discussions with Fujifilm Holdings, seeking a superior deal to terms announced at the end of January that have spurred a proxy fight over the company.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's antitrust chief said on Thursday that South Korea's No. 1 conglomerate Samsung Group's [SAGR.UL] current ownership structure is not sustainable.

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc soon will be capturing images of North Carolina by drone; a 1,500-pound, unmanned aircraft will look for mosquitoes in Florida; and startup Flirtey will fly medical equipment on drones to heart-attack victims in Nevada.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp shares jumped 16 percent on Wednesday after the company announced a tire service partnership with Amazon.com, part of Chief Executive Officer Edward Lampert's strategy to make the troubled retailer profitable again.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three companies have been awarded a $550.8 million blanket purchase agreement to supply McAfee hardware, software and related services to the U.S. Defense Department, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - ZTE Corp's main business operations have ceased due to a ban imposed by the U.S. government, but China's second biggest telecom equipment maker is trying to have the ban modified or reversed, it said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department's 10 winning drone pilot projects aimed at spurring the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in a wide variety of fields do not include Amazon.com Inc and China's DJI, but do involve Alphabet Inc, Qualcomm Inc and Microsoft Corp.

(Reuters) - Chipmaker Qualcomm Inc said on Wednesday its board has approved a new $10 billion buyback program that replaces the previous $15 billion stock repurchase program announced in March 2015.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. (Reuters) - Sears Holdings Corp shares jumped about 17 percent on Wednesday after the company announced a tire service partnership with Amazon.com, part of Chief Executive Officer Edward Lampert's strategy to make the troubled retailer profitable again.

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Wednesday re-opened a contest to select the first international city to launch its proposed flying taxi project, following apparent delays in getting the service off the ground in Dubai, a previously proposed market.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department said on Wednesday it had picked 10 drone test programs in California, Tennessee, North Dakota, Nevada and other states to study package delivery, agriculture, pipeline inspections, aircraft maintenance, healthcare and environmental monitoring...

(Reuters) - Amazon.com struck a deal with Sears Holdings Corp to provide tire services, boosting traffic at the ailing department store and extending the online retailer's growing stable of alliances with brick-and-mortar companies.

(Reuters) - Ohio on Wednesday became the latest U.S. state to open its roads for testing self-driving vehicles, in a boost to a nascent industry that is facing heightened scrutiny over safety concerns.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department has sent two proposed rules to the White House to regulate the increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles, the agency said on Tuesday as it prepared to unveil the winners of new drone pilot projects.

(Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] announced on Tuesday an open call for the selection of a third launch city for its flying taxi project UberAIR, which it plans to build in 2020.

MUMBAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walmart Inc said on Wednesday it will pay $16 billion for a roughly 77 percent stake in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart, and shares of the U.S. retailer tumbled 4 percent on news of its largest-ever deal, an effort to compete with rival Amazon.com Inc in an important grow...

MUMBAI/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walmart Inc will pay $16 billion for a roughly 77 percent stake in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart, the U.S. retailer's largest-ever deal, in an attempt to compete with rival Amazon.com Inc in a key growth market.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - ZTE Corp's main business operations have ceased due to a ban imposed by the U.S. government, but the Chinese firm is trying to have the ban modified or reversed, it said in exchange filings late on Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Niantic Inc, which developed hit mobile game Pokemon Go, plans to map the world in 3D with its players' help, its chief executive told Reuters, establishing the startup as a frontrunner in a new facet of digital mapping.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Google is to suspend all advertisements related to Ireland's May 25 abortion referendum from Thursday amid worries about election integrity, the U.S. firm said in an emailed statement.

VALLEJO, Ca (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday said it has set up model "smart" homes across the United States for shoppers to experience what it's like for voice aide Alexa to dim the lights, turn on the TV or order more laundry detergent.