Reuters Company News

* Indexes up: Dow 0.70%, S&P 0.92%, Nasdaq 1.03% (Updates to early afternoon)

The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits fell for an eighth straight week last week, likely as some people returned to work, but claims remained at astonishingly high levels, suggesting it could take the economy a while to rebound as businesses reopen.

China will be out of the market for U.S. chicken in June as it recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, in a reversal from a recent surge of imports, the president of American poultry company Sanderson Farms Inc said on Thursday.

Google has called on the European Union to use current EU laws to govern the use of artificial intelligence rather than draft new ones and cautioned against a one size fits all regulatory framework because of AI's diverse applications.

-- Note: Reuters has not verified this story and does not vouch for its accuracy

* Markets ignore U.S.-China tensions for now (Updates to market close)

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday said it estimates that emerging market economies have raised some $77 billion in debt in April and May, partially reversing massive capital outflows of $100 billion seen after the coronavirus outbreak.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to order a review of a law that has long protected internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook , an extraordinary attempt to intervene in the media that experts said was unlikely to survive legal scrutiny.

Latin American stocks slid on Thursday amid escalating U.S.-China tensions, while surging unemployment in Brazil led the country's currency to break a six-session winning streak. Brazil's real slid 1% after gaining about 7.5% against the dollar over the last six sessions. Data on Thursday showed Brazil's unemployment rate rose to 12.6% in the three months to April, up 5.2% from the previous three-month period, underlining the impact of the coro

U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc has signed a long-term agreement with glass maker Corning Inc to procure vials for storing drugs, the companies said on Thursday.

Impulse purchases - gum, mints and snack bars tossed into a shopping basket as one snakes through the supermarket checkout line - are falling as more people get groceries delivered or pick them up curbside.

Canada's main stock index struggled for direction on Thursday as investors weighed a slide in energy stocks and rising U.S.-China trade tensions against hopes of an economy recovery as countries reopened more businesses.

General Electric Co on Thursday warned 2020 free cash flow would be negative as it struggles with weakness in its aviation and power units due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Polish zloty changed course on Thursday, trading down before paring its losses after the Polish central bank surprised markets with a third rate cut since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, sending bank stocks and bond yields tumbling. The central bank cut its key interest rate by 40 basis points to 0.1%, meaning it has cut the cost of borrowing by 140 basis points since the virus reached Poland in Ma

Global auto sales for Japanese carmakers halved in April as the coronavirus pandemic forced governments to impose lockdowns that left streets empty and showrooms deserted.

China's Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd has launched an$836 million-$859 million placement of 600 million new shares, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters.

* GRAPHIC-Nissan's fight for survival: https://reut.rs/2USzcFy

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits held above 2 million last week for a 10th straight week amid job cuts by U.S. state and local governments whose budgets have been decimated fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and more second-wave layoffs in the private sector.

If U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with his threat to close Twitter, the micro-blogging site can always relocate to Germany.

Food delivery company DoorDash will announce on Thursday a service to help restaurants build their own websites for online ordering so they do not have to pay marketing commissions to the platform itself. Restaurants will also not have to pay most fees for the new DoorDash Storefront service through the end of the year, providing some relief to a ravaged industry as it starts reopening in some areas, DoorDash's Chief Operating Officer Christopher Payne told Reuters e